Is this the end for Mourinho's Benfica?

Mourinho's team no longer has many chances of winning the championship.

Despite dominating possession, Jose Mourinho's team couldn't convert their advantage into a victory. In the first half, Benfica created numerous chances with shots from Richard Rios and Vangelis Pavlidis, while Andreas Schjelderup also missed several good opportunities. For the home side, Anatoliy Trubin only truly had to make a save towards the end of the half when he denied a dangerous shot from Pedro Rosas.

The deadlock was broken in the 68th minute. Schjelderup headed the ball into the penalty area, setting up Rios to quickly finish and open the scoring. However, Benfica's advantage lasted only 10 minutes. A disastrous defensive error when Antonio Silva made a careless pass gifted Rafael Brito the equalizer.

In the remaining minutes, Benfica pressed hard but were unsuccessful. Despite having 78% possession and 18 shots, they only managed 3 on target. These statistics clearly reflect the visitors' lack of sharpness in their finishing.

This draw marks Benfica's ninth draw of the season. This is a major paradox, as they remain unbeaten but are only in third place, seven points behind the leaders. Under Mourinho alone, the team has had eight draws, including matches against Rio Ave, Tondela, and both times against Casa Pia.

Mourinho has yet to help Benfica achieve the success that was expected.

After the match, Mourinho couldn't hide his disappointment. He frankly admitted that Benfica "lost their last chance" in the title race, and criticized his players' attitude. The Portuguese strategist emphasized the difference between players who are always hungry for victory and those who play carelessly and lack character.

Furthermore, "The Special One" revealed that he had wanted to remove some players from the squad, but had to reconsider because they were still assets of the club. This statement suggests that Benfica is facing significant internal problems and their season may be coming to an end.

With only six rounds remaining in the season, the chances of Mourinho ending the season empty-handed with Benfica are very high.

Mourinho's explosive celebratory moment: In the early hours of January 29th, Jose Mourinho embraced a ball boy in celebration after Benfica beat Real Madrid 4-2 in the 90+8th minute and secured their place in the Champions League play-off round.