Jose Mourinho ordered his Benfica players to stay overnight at the club’s training facility following a surprising 3–1 defeat to Braga in the Taca da Liga semi-final on Wednesday.
Braga went into the break with a two-goal advantage after strikes from Pau Victor and Rodrigo Zalazar. Benfica briefly threatened a comeback when Vangelis Pavlidis converted a penalty in the second half, but Gustaf Lagerbielke sealed Braga’s victory with nine minutes left on the clock.
The night worsened for Benfica as captain Nicolas Otamendi was sent off in stoppage time, capping a disappointing outing for Mourinho’s side.
The loss ended Benfica’s 11-match unbeaten run, and Mourinho indicated that the players would use the coming days at the Seixal training base to reflect on their performance.
“The players will sleep in Seixal. On Thursday there is training, and the day after there’s training,” Mourinho said after the match. “There’s no final on Saturday, and our next game is against Porto next Wednesday in the Taca de Portugal.
“When we arrive in Seixal, everyone will go to their rooms. I hope they sleep as well as I do — meaning not at all — and spend the time thinking, as I will.”
Mourinho, who took charge of Benfica in September, has recorded 14 wins from 23 matches, with the club currently third in the Primeira Liga standings.
Benfica had been optimistic about lifting the Taca da Liga after Sporting CP were eliminated in the other semi-final by Vitoria Guimaraes on Tuesday.
Reflecting on the defeat, Mourinho added that discussions with the players would continue. “In the dressing room it was a monologue, and that doesn’t work for me. I prefer dialogue,” he said.
“We’ll analyse the differences between the first and second halves and prepare properly for the match against Porto.”
