Benfica’s Victory and Mourinho’s Disappointment
In the aftermath of Benfica’s 2-0 triumph over Atlético CP in the Taça de Portugal on Friday, head coach Jose Mourinho expressed his disappointment with the team’s performance, describing their attitude as “unacceptable.”
First Half Struggles
Following a lackluster first half in which he considered making extensive changes, Mourinho suggested that he would have preferred to substitute nine players at halftime if not for the limitations imposed by the game’s structure.
Mourinho, known for his blunt critiques, remarked that the team failed to show up on the field during the first 45 minutes, highlighting an alarming number of turnovers that indicated a lack of focus.
“From the first minute, absolutely ridiculous mistakes were made,”
he said.
Second Half Improvements
Despite ultimately securing the victory with goals from Richard Ríos and Vangelis Pavlidis later in the match, Mourinho underscored the necessity for improvement, particularly emphasizing how changing four players at halftime energized the squad and fostered a more vigorous playing style in the second half.
“They helped the team to be much more pressing, intense, and dynamic,”
he noted, reflecting on the stark contrast in performance after those substitutions.
Current Standing and Future Outlook
Although Benfica advanced to the fifth round of the cup, they remain third in the Liga Portugal standings, trailing behind Porto and Sporting.
Mourinho, who took charge of Benfica earlier this year, has had a difficult tenure in the Champions League, where the team has lost all of their four group stage matches. Regardless, he still believes that they can progress in their European campaign.
“It was merely a matter of when the goals would come,”
he stated, praising Atlético CP and hoping to see them return to their former competitive spirit.
