Benfica manager Jose Mourinho apologised to his Real Madrid counterpart Álvaro Arbeloa after getting “carried away” with his celebrations post-Benfica’s 4-2 victory over the Spanish giants.
The game saw wild celebrations from the hosts after a dramatic last-gasp in stoppage time, which sealed a 4–2 victory. Mourinho ran onto the pitch, arms aloft and was seen celebrating wildly with a young ball kid.
“I apologized for how I celebrated, but Álvaro is a football man and understands that in that moment you get carried away,” Mourinho explained.
WHAT A SPORT.
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The Portuguese manager said that the Real Madrid coach told him there was no need to apologize. Mourinho might end up leading Benfica to his old stomping ground of Santiago Bernabeu in the Champions League knockouts since the bracket for the playoffs means the ninth-place team in the Champions League standings, Real Madrid, can be drawn only against the team that placed either 23rd or 24th. That is, respectively, Bodo/Glimt or Benfica. If Benfica is not paired with Madrid, then it will be the 10th-place team, Inter Milan — whom Mourinho led to the 2010 Champions League title. It is a remarkable renaissance for Mourinho, who lost his job at Fenerbahce in August for losing in the Champions League qualifying playoffs.
Talking about why he had gotten carried away with his celebrations, Mourinho said: “I think especially of the younger Benfica fans. It was an incredible night and the players played an extraordinary match.”
The Portuguese manager admitted that having his goalkeeper score a headed goal had left him surprised.
“I’ve won and lost many matches, but I had never won one with my goalkeeper scoring in the last minute,” he said. “I thought I had seen everything in football, but in the end, I hadn’t.”
Asked about what it means to defeat Real Madrid in the Champions League, the Portuguese manager said: “I’m not thinking about myself, I’m thinking about the players and the club. For them, playing a knockout tie against Real Madrid or Inter is a fantastic opportunity.”
