Benfica Sacks Bruno Lage Following Champions League Upset; José Mourinho Eyed as Replacement
LISBON, Portugal – Benfica has dismissed head coach Bruno Lage, 49, following a stunning 3-2 home defeat to Qarabağ in the opening match of the Champions League group stage on Tuesday. Club President Rui Costa announced the decision at a post-match press conference, stating the club already has a replacement in mind. Portuguese sports daily Bola reports that José Mourinho, 62, is the leading candidate.
“We decided that Bruno Lage would not continue as Benfica coach. We did not fall out of any competition, but we figured it was time to change,” Costa told reporters approximately an hour after the final whistle.
Benfica had raced to a 2-0 lead within the first 16 minutes, but Qarabağ mounted a remarkable comeback, culminating in a winning goal by Kášchuk in the 86th minute – marking the Azerbaijani champions’ first-ever victory in the Champions League group stage after an eight-year absence from the competition.
lage acknowledged responsibility for the disappointing performance. “Our fans did not deserve such performance and the result. I am responsible, and if the club president feels that I am not the right person for this job at the moment, I will not have problems. I have experienced great moments with Benfica, I will never stand the club in my way,” he stated upon announcing his departure, despite expressing continued motivation to continue in the role.
his second stint with the Lisbon giants officially ended roughly an hour later.Last season, Lage led Benfica to a second-place finish in the league and a Portuguese Cup title. He also secured the Portuguese Super Cup earlier this year and guided the team through Champions League qualifying. Prior to Tuesday’s loss, Benfica had only dropped points in one of their eight competitive matches this season – a 1-1 draw with Santa Clara on Friday.
“We’ve had a hard week. Another Benfica coach must be a born winner who moves the team to the next level. I won’t say the names, but we’ll have a coach for the next league match on the AFS pitch,” Costa assured reporters, with club elections and a defense of his presidency looming.
Mourinho is currently available, having been recently dismissed by Fenerbahçe following their Champions League qualifying elimination against Benfica. A return to the Lisbon club would mark nearly 25 years since his initial spell with Os Águias, where he managed just 10 competitive matches at the beginning of his career.
(Note: The Twitter embed was omitted as it is indeed not text-based content.)
