Overview
- Benfica squandered a 2–0 lead to lose 3–2 at home to Qarabag in their Champions League opener, with Leandro Andrade, Duran and Kashchuk overturning goals by Barrenechea and Pavlidis.
- Rui Costa announced that the club and Bruno Lage agreed to part ways after the match and said he expects to have a new coach in place for Saturday’s league game at Vila das Aves.
- Supporters booed and waved white handkerchiefs as chants for the coach’s removal rang out, while captain Nicolás Otamendi insisted the team accepts collective responsibility.
- Portuguese media reported José Mourinho as the frontrunner to take over; Lage, speaking in the morning, wished his successor well and noted Mourinho’s familiarity with the squad.
- Former president and October election candidate Luís Filipe Vieira issued a statement blaming current leadership for repeated failures and costly severance payouts to coaches.