Jorge Jesus’ return to Benfica was officially announced on July 17, 2020. Luis Felipe Vieira, then president, even went to Brazil to rescue him from Flamengo in a private jet, thus replacing the coach at Luz, five years after his departure, with a contract until the end of this season. .
It was a controversial comeback among fans, given the coach’s recent stint at Sporting. The escalation of the Covid-19 pandemic in Brazil and the uncertainty over which competitions will take place – the start of Brazil, Libertadores and Club Mundial – has also led the coach to want to return to Portugal despite the success in Rio de Janeiro.
The season started poorly, with eliminations against PAOK (then coached by Abel Ferreira, who later took over from Palmeiras) in Champions League qualifiers, and was marked by Covid-19 outbreaks in December and January, almost a year away. Prior to that, which reached almost the entire team, was a fact that Jorge Jesus referred to as decisive in the development of the season, which ended with 53 matches – 32 wins, 12 draws and 9 defeats; He scored 111 goals and conceded 50 goals. Sporting ended up winning the championship with 86 points, and Benfica finished third, behind Porto, with 76 points.
The new season, 2021/2022, made a strong start, qualifying for the group stage of the Champions League (eliminating Spartak Moscow and PSV Eindhoven), but the early lead in the tournament was lost to FC Porto.
The first defeat, against Portimonense, on October 3 (0-1), preceded the most difficult stage of the Champions League – heavy matches and defeats against Bayern Munich (0-4, 2-5) after a 3-0 victory over Barcelona. The dispute returned in December, full of thorns.
Defeat against Sporting (1-3), the elimination in the Portuguese Cup in Studio do Dragao, against Porto, the rival that Benfica will face again in two days – apparently without Jesus in command and without any title – they lost. Braga Cup Final. In 30 matches played this season, Benfica have scored 20 wins, 5 draws and 5 defeats (71-30 goals).
In total, after 529 days, coach Luz left with a total of 83 games, 52 wins, 17 draws and 14 defeats, 182 goals and 80 goals conceded.
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