Jose Mourinho reportedly watched Benfica's Champions League play-off second leg against Real Madrid from the team coach in the Bernabeu parking lot, after picking up a red card in the first leg. The Portuguese manager was banned from the touchline and chose not to enter the stadium, instead remaining on the bus for the duration of the match.
Mourinho was sent off by referee Francois Letexier during the first leg at the Estadio da Luz for arguing that the official was avoiding booking Real Madrid players. He also opted not to speak to the media before or after the match, with assistant Joao Tralhao handling press duties.
The first leg was marred by controversy after Real Madrid's Vinicius Junior alleged that Benfica's Gianluca Prestianni racially abused him. The Brazilian was booked for his celebrations, and the match was halted for 10 minutes. Prestianni, who denied the claim, received a provisional one-match ban and missed the second leg.
Mourinho later gave a controversial interview, saying of Vinicius: 'There is something wrong because it happens in every stadium. Every stadium that Vinicius plays [in] something happens. Always.' Real Madrid won the second leg 2-1, with Vinicius scoring the decisive goal, progressing 3-1 on aggregate to the Champions League round of 16.
