Jose Mourinho's Benfica suffered a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle United at St James' Park in the Champions League, with the Portuguese manager's tactical decisions drawing heavy criticism from the Portuguese press. Anthony Gordon opened the scoring for the Magpies in the 32nd minute, before Harvey Barnes scored twice after the interval to secure the win.
Despite the loss, Mourinho was seen warmly embracing Gordon after the final whistle, a gesture missed by television cameras. The 62-year-old, who took charge of Benfica in September, had previously lost 1-0 at Chelsea in the Champions League last month.
Portuguese publication A Bola criticised Mourinho's team selection, particularly his decision to deploy centre-back Tomas Araujo at left-back. Their match report carried the headline: 'Predator saw signs of weakness and went for the jugular.' They noted that Benfica were 'outnumbered on the flanks' and 'looked like vulnerable prey, devoured by the predator.'
Maisfutebol also took aim at the tactical choice, writing that the plan to close down Newcastle's flank attacks 'sounded appealing' but failed as Jacob Murphy and Kieran Trippier left Araujo and Fredrik Aursnes 'constantly uncomfortable.' TSF's headline read: 'Mourinho's wall broken down by the English: Benfica loses to Newcastle,' and they criticised the players for 'falling asleep on the pitch' after the break.
O Jogo, however, defended Mourinho, arguing that 'this Benfica wasn't built by Jose Mourinho' and that the squad cannot be reshuffled until the January transfer window. Maisfutebol praised Gordon's performance, describing him as 'omnipresent in Newcastle's attack' and noting that his display 'went far beyond' his goal.
