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Benfica Sack Bruno Lage After Stunning 3-2 Champions League Loss to Qarabag; Press Speculate on Possible Mourinho Return to Luz

   September 16, 2025

Benfica’s Champions League campaign began shockingly on Tuesday night as the Eagles squandered a two-goal lead and fell 3-2 at home to Qarabag FK, prompting the dismissal of manager Bruno Lage just hours later.

The night at Estádio da Luz began brightly for the hosts. Enzo Barrenechea opened the scoring in the 6th minute with a cool finish inside the box, and Vangelis Pavlidis doubled the lead in the 16th, seemingly putting Benfica on course for a routine League Phase victory.

But Qarabag, making only their second-ever appearance in the Champions League group stages, clawed their way back into the contest. Leandro Andrade pulled one back in the 30th minute to keep the Azerbaijani champions within touching distance.

Benfica pressed for a third goal but failed to convert their dominance into a decisive cushion, and Qarabag struck late to complete a historic turnaround. Matheus Kashchuk leveled the match in the 86th minute before Musa Qurbanli stunned the home crowd with a dramatic winner at the 90th minute — sealing Qarabag’s first-ever victory in the Champions League stage.

“It wasn’t the result we wanted. We started the match very well, having a great 30 minutes, but I feel that the way we conceded the first goal knocked us off our stride a little. The team struggled to find its rhythm, and we conceded two goals that severely punished us. We’re left with a result we didn’t want and a night that wasn’t a happy one,” said Lage.

The defeat left Benfica fans furious, and shortly after 1 a.m., the club’s president, Rui Costa, confirmed that the team had parted ways with Lage.

“I want to announce that we have reached an agreement with Bruno Lage, who is no longer Benfica’s manager,” Costa told reporters. “I want to thank Bruno for everything he tried to do, all the dedication he showed this year. Unfortunately, the time has come — the time for change. Regarding the new manager, we expect that by Saturday, in Vila das Aves, he will already be on the bench.”

This was Bruno Lage’s second stint with the Eagles, having joined the Lisbon club in September 2024, winning only the League Cup this past January.

Portuguese media have already begun speculating on potential successors, with several outlets reporting that José Mourinho is the frontrunner to return to the club where he briefly worked as a young manager more than two decades ago.

Benfica now faces a crucial test on Saturday when they travel to AVS in Liga Portugal action, hoping to steady the ship under new leadership.

AVS also announced a change of its manager on Monday, moving on from veteran Portuguese manager Jose Mota after only one draw in five Liga matches.

Benfica XI: Trubin, Dedić, Dahl, Otamendi, António Silva, Barrenechea, Ríos (Leandro Barreiro 79’), Fredrik Aursnes (Prestianni 69’), Schjelderup (Ivanovic 69’), Sudakov, Pavlidis (Henrique Araújo 79’)

Qarabağ FK XI: Kochalski, Matheus Silva, Mustafazada, Medina, Cafarquliyev (Toral Bayramov 77’), Pedro Bicalho, Jankovic (Kashchuk 77’), Kady Borges, Zoubir, Leandro Andrade (Addai 66’), Durán (Qurbanly 90’)

 

 

 

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