Mourinho had a dream start with Benfica.

The familiar saying goes: "Change the manager, change the fortunes." Benfica entered their first match under Jose Mourinho's reign and secured a victory.

It wasn't a difficult task, because although the "Eagles" had just shocked everyone with a 2-3 defeat against Qarabag in the Champions League – a loss that cost Bruno Lage his job – their opponent this time was too weak.

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Mourinho wins his debut for Benfica. Photo: Kapta+

AVS is struggling in the relegation battle in the Portuguese Primeira Liga and is unlikely to spring any surprises (they are bottom of the table with 1 point after the first 5 rounds).

Benfica won comfortably on Mourinho's debut, which also marked the 25th anniversary of his career at the Stadium of Light, without even needing to exert their full strength.

The first goal of the "Mourinho era" was scored by Sudakov – Benfica's most promising player at the start of the season.

The Ukrainian midfielder has earned an irreplaceable starting spot thanks to his impressive performances and will undoubtedly be a key player in Mourinho's system.

Sudakov's goal just before halftime gave Benfica the lead going into the second half.

In the second half, Pavlidis doubled the lead from the penalty spot. This situation was controversial, with VAR recommending a review, suggesting a possible penalty was awarded against Benfica.

However, after reviewing the VAR footage, the referee upheld his decision to award the penalty kick.

Pavlidis was the best player of the match, not only scoring a goal but also assisting Ivanovic's goal to seal a 3-0 victory. VAR intervened again, but nothing changed.

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Benfica dominated the game. Photo: Imago

An easy start for Mourinho, and the fixture list is also quite favorable for him. In the next few days, Benfica will face Gil Vicente and Rio Ave – opponents that are not too strong.

On October 30th, Mourinho will truly face a major challenge: leading Benfica to Stamford Bridge to confront Chelsea, the team that made the "Special One" famous.

"I thank the players for their professionalism and their passion for the club ," Mourinho said after the match.

When asked about his time with Benfica in 2000, Mourinho calmly replied: "25 years have passed so quickly, but those years haven't changed my nature, my passion, or my way of life . "

Additionally, on his personal Instagram account, Mourinho posted an artistic image from the match (taken with a filter), along with the message: "It was fun . "

Source: https://vietnamnet.vn/mourinho-ra-tay-benfica-thang-3-sao-o-giai-bo-dao-nha-2444622.html