October 01, (THEWILL) — José Mourinho returned to Stamford Bridge on Tuesday evening as his Benfica side fell to a 1-0 defeat against Chelsea in the UEFA Champions League.
The former Blues manager faced a difficult task attempting to overturn his team’s poor recent record, having failed to win in their previous eight meetings against English opposition.
Enzo Maresca fielded the youngest starting XI in Chelsea’s history in the competition, with an average age of precisely 24 years, rotating his attack to hand starts to Alejandro Garnacho, Facundo Buonanotte and Tyrique George.
The decisive moment arrived when Pedro Neto delivered a dangerous cross that found Garnacho unmarked in the penalty area.
Though the Argentine could not direct his effort towards goal, the loose ball fell to Richard Ríos, whose attempted clearance flew into his own net.
Benfica had started brightly, with Ríos influential in midfield before his unfortunate error, whilst Tyrique George came close to doubling the advantage before the interval.
Tensions escalated during the first period when objects were thrown at Enzo Fernández whilst he prepared to take a corner kick near the away supporters.
Mourinho was observed walking towards the travelling fans, appealing for calm before the match official allowed play to continue.
Both teams struggled to craft clear opportunities after the break, with Neto providing Chelsea’s most threatening moments.
The narrow victory came at a cost for the hosts, who finished the contest with 10 men after second-half substitute João Pedro received his second yellow card deep into stoppage time.
The dismissal means the Brazilian will be suspended for Chelsea’s next European fixture against Ajax.
It marks the third occasion in four matches across all competitions that Maresca’s side have been reduced to 10 players.
The result lifts Chelsea in the UCL standings whilst extending Benfica’s difficult run against English clubs. Maresca’s decision to rotate his attacking options paid dividends despite the lack of fluency in the second period.
Mourinho, appointed to reverse Benfica’s poor form, was unable to prevent another defeat on familiar territory where he once enjoyed considerable success.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
