Benfica's coach, Jose Mourinho, expressed his frustration following his team's 0-2 loss to Juventus in Turin on 21/1. Despite a strong performance, Benfica failed to convert their chances, a common predicament in football. "In football, the team that scores wins", Mourinho stated after the match. "There are thousands of examples of teams that don't play well but still win. And conversely, there are teams that do everything but still can't win. Today, we did everything to win, within our limits, Benfica still played a strong game".

During the match in Turin, Benfica performed slightly better than their hosts. The Portuguese club controlled 51% of possession, took 19 shots with 5 on target, and generated an expected goals (xG) statistic of 1,44. However, they failed to score. In contrast, Juventus found the net twice from just four shots, thanks to goals from midfielders Khephren Thuram and Weston McKennie.

Coach Jose Mourinho before Benfica's 0-2 loss to Juventus in the seventh matchday of the Champions League on 21/1/2026. *Photo: Imago*

According to the Portuguese coach, Benfica's biggest issue was their execution in the decisive areas. He analyzed, "In the final 20 meters, you need to be decisive, you need to try to get the ball into the goal with everything you have. We had clear chances, even half-chances, but we were either a touch too much or too little, missing a final pass or a dribble". Mourinho believed Benfica was punished precisely when they continuously missed opportunities.

Mourinho noted that the team put themselves at risk by failing to capitalize on their chances. "From my experience, I told my assistants that we were putting ourselves at risk of conceding", he stated. "Juventus has a fast, strong bench suitable for transitional plays. When they brought on more players with speed and intensity, the game became very difficult to control". Benfica's clearest chance fell to Vangelis Pavlidis in the 81st minute when the visitors were awarded a penalty. However, the Greek forward slipped and sent the ball wide of the goal.

Vangelis Pavlidis slipped and missed the penalty. *Photo: AP*

Mourinho defended his player, saying, "He works for the team, slipping is fine. But clearly the team needed one goal to get back into the game. If that penalty had been successful, everything could have been different". Overall, Mourinho believes Benfica is still in a development phase. The 62-year-old coach acknowledged, "Young players like Prestianni are maturing. But at this level, you need complete, seasoned players. Nevertheless, the players committed themselves and did exactly what was asked", also praising Aursnes and Barreiro for their continuous high-intensity efforts.

The 0-2 defeat dropped Benfica to 29th place with 6 points, a position outside the play-off spots. Despite no longer controlling their destiny, Mourinho affirmed that Benfica will fight until the end, with their final group stage match against Real Madrid at home on 28/1. He emphasized, "As long as we are not mathematically eliminated, Benfica will still believe. More importantly, at this club, motivation and professionalism do not depend on objectives. We will play our best until the final match".

Similarly, captain Nicolas Otamendi believes Benfica did not play poorly and created enough chances to score. "We always tried to attack, controlling possession at many moments. It's hard to explain this defeat when we had situations where we could have scored, but the ball just wouldn't go into the net", he expressed. The Argentine center-back also believes Benfica will squeeze through the narrow gap to secure a Champions League play-off spot in the final matchday. He said, "We must continue to believe that anything is possible. The important thing is to think about winning the next match, believe that we can reach the play-offs and wait for other opponents to falter".

Hong Duy (according to Abola)