Give Us Respect – Mourinho explodes after Benfica shock Real Madrid

Former Chelsea and Manchester United manager, Jose Mourinho, has hit back at his critics after Benfica’s impressive 4–2 victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday night.

Speaking after the match, Mourinho said his team deserves more respect, especially after many people doubted them before the game against the Spanish giants.

Benfica put on a thrilling performance in Lisbon. Real Madrid opened the scoring in the 30th minute through Kylian Mbappé. However, Benfica responded strongly as Andreas Schjelderup and Vangelis Pavlidis scored to give the hosts a 3–1 lead.

Mbappé scored again to reduce the deficit, making it 3–2 and increasing the pressure on Benfica. Real Madrid needed at least a draw to improve their chances of finishing in the top eight of the group.

Benfica believed they had already done enough to qualify for the knockout play-offs, but other results meant they needed one more goal to improve their goal difference.

Towards the end of the match, Real Madrid were reduced to nine men after Raul Asencio and Rodrygo were both sent off.

In dramatic fashion, Benfica earned a free-kick deep into stoppage time. Their goalkeeper, Anatoliy Trubin, joined the attack and headed in the fourth goal in the 98th minute, sealing qualification for his team.

Despite being 10 points behind Porto in the Portuguese league, Mourinho used the moment to respond to the criticism surrounding his team.

“The only thing I ask for is respect,” Mourinho told reporters. “This team hasn’t changed. We will lose games sometimes, and our opponents will also have chances against us. Everyone should stay calm.”

Benfica’s victory confirmed their place in the Champions League knockout play-offs and ended Real Madrid’s hopes of finishing among the top teams in the group.