Benfica manager Jose Mourinho has admitted that he was initially unaware that his club needed a fourth goal against Real Madrid in order to reach the Champions League play-offs. He recently had his say while speaking to the press, and fans have been reacting.
According to him, he actually thought that a one-goal advantage was enough to secure his team a top-24 finish, and his substitutions were made in a bid to park the bus on the night.
Mourinho added that he had to apologise to Real Madrid coach Alvaro Arbeloa for his wild celebrations that accompanied a dramatic header.
His words, “I think we deserved it, we really deserved it. Kylian had two chances, and scored two goals. For Benfica, it’s incredibly prestigious to beat Real Madrid. It’s fantastic.
When I made the last changes, [Franjo] Ivanovic and [Antonio] Silva, I was told [the scoreline] is enough, so let’s close the door.
A few seconds later, then they tell me we need one more goal, but I cannot make more changes. That was the lucky point, to get the free kick, to allow us to go there with the big guy.
I’ve won and lost many matches, but I had never won one with my goalkeeper scoring in the last minute. I thought I had seen everything in football, but in the end, I hadn’t.”
WOW.
Jose Santos Mourinho Félix GOIH is a Portuguese professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Italian Serie A club Roma. Dubbed “The Special One” by the British media, Mourinho is one of the most decorated managers ever and is widely considered to be among the greatest managers of all time.
Mourinho was born in 1963 to a large middle-class family in Setúbal (a suburb of the Lisbon metropolitan area), Portugal, the son of José Manuel Mourinho Félix, who was known by the name Félix Mourinho, and his wife, Maria Júlia Carrajola dos Santos. His father played football professionally for Belenenses and Vitória de Setúbal, earning one cap for Portugal in the course of his career.
His mother was a primary school teacher from an affluent background; her uncle funded the construction of the Vitória de Setúbal football stadium. The Carnation Revolution leading to the fall of António de Oliveira Salazar’s Estado Novo regime in April 1974 also led to the family losing all but a single property in nearby Palmela.
Support InfoStride News' Credible Journalism: Only credible journalism can guarantee a fair, accountable and transparent society, including democracy and government. It involves a lot of efforts and money. We need your support. Click here to Donate