Mourinho records a win on his debut for Benfica

When he left Istanbul and Fenerbahce, he said it wasn’t his cultural level. And now, upon returning to Portugal, he reminded us that he definitely knows how to let loose. Jokes aside, Jose Mourinho truly looks happy again, and at least last night he had reason to celebrate, as Benfica, in the famous Portuguese coach’s comeback debut, thrashed AVS Aves 3–0. It’s not quite the real thing yet, since Mourinho will only feel the best of Benfica once he’s back at the Estadio da Luz. But even in distant Aves, his heart skipped a beat. After all, it was at Benfica exactly 25 years ago that he began his independent coaching career, and in a way it feels natural for him to return here now, having long since established himself as one of the best managers of modern times, though many already consider him outdated.

'Fenerbahce wasn't my cultural level'

Still, authoritative as ever, and likely because of that, the whole team gave their all to help the new boss erase memories of Bruno Lage’s unsuccessful spell. Truth be told, they didn’t have a particularly tough job, since AVS Aves sit at the bottom of the Portuguese league table, while Benfica settle for nothing less than the title. So, a routine 3–0, though hard-fought until stoppage time of the first half, when Giorgiy Sudakov — a 27,000,000 euros signing from Shakhtar — finally struck. The Ukrainian’s first goal in the Eagles’ shirt lifted a huge weight off everyone’s shoulders, especially Mourinho’s.

The rest was much smoother. Vangelis Pavlidis converted a penalty for 2–0, before Franjo Ivanović — another pricey new signing worth 22,800,000 — rounded off a night that will likely be remembered for Mourinho’s touchline celebrations. The debut went as it should, but neither Mourinho nor Benfica have achieved anything big yet. Next week brings Rio Ave at the Luz, where we’ll see how loud the stadium roars. And how will it all turn out? That we’ll only know in a few months — since Porto are already dangerously far ahead.