An irate Benfica manager, Jose Mourinho, expressed his hope that his players experienced a restless night following their unexpected 3-1 loss to Braga in the semifinals of the Portuguese Allianz Cup on Wednesday.
Benfica found themselves trailing 2-0 at halftime and ultimately succumbed to a 3-1 defeat in Leiria.
During his post-match press conference, Mourinho announced that the players would be staying overnight at the club’s training facility in Seixal for several days to reflect on their surprising exit from the tournament.
“We thought we would be advancing to the final, but instead, we’re not going home; we’re heading to Seixal,” he stated. “The players will spend the night in Seixal, with training scheduled for tomorrow and the day after.”
“There’s no match on Saturday. With no final to play, our next game is against FC Porto next Wednesday in the Portuguese Cup quarterfinals. When we get to Seixal, everyone will head to their rooms. I hope the players sleep as I do, which means not at all. That’s my wish for them—no sleep, just thinking, much like I will.”
Benfica had strong aspirations for the trophy, especially after Sporting CP was eliminated by Vitoria Guimaraes in Tuesday’s semifinal.
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Mourinho, who took charge of Benfica in September, voiced his frustration over the players’ lack of communication.
“Tomorrow we can begin to converse, which is what didn’t happen in the locker room,” remarked the former coach of FC Porto, Chelsea, and Manchester United. “In the locker room, it was a monologue, which doesn’t work for me; I prefer a dialogue with the players. We’ll discuss what separated the two halves and prepare effectively for our upcoming match against FC Porto.”
Currently, Benfica sits in third place in the Primeira Liga, trailing league leaders Porto by 10 points.