“As a younger coach, I really admired the teams he built at Chelsea, in particular.
“He is definitely a visionary – someone that broke the mould in terms of how you manage in different ways to do things, and then following his success through different clubs, leagues. Incredible, really, what he’s achieved in his career.
“It’s always a great opportunity for any club to go up against one of his teams. I’m looking forward to the challenge immensely and I think it’s going to be a great game.”
Mourinho considers himself “a little Magpie” on account of his bond with former Newcastle manager Sir Bobby Robson.
The Portuguese shadowed Sir Bobby at Sporting Lisbon, Porto and Barcelona as an interpreter and assistant in the 1990s.
Mourinho has spoken glowingly about Newcastle over the years and said he “loved” the club before this game.
“I have heard Jose’s words about Newcastle and I absolutely echo them myself,” Howe said.
“They are great words about Sir Bobby and the role he played in his career. That’s really nice to hear, but the line stops tomorrow.
“When the game kicks off, we want to win. We are desperate for the points. It will be a competitive game between two great clubs.”
Newcastle lost 2-1 to Brighton in the Premier League on Saturday and will run a late check on influential midfielder Sandro Tonali, who is suffering from illness.
“We will give him every opportunity,” Howe said. “He wasn’t there at training today and he’s such an important player, so we will use all the hours we have.”
Those at the top at Barcelona initially wanted someone with club connections to be Sir Bobby’s assistant, but he insisted it had to be Mourinho.
For good reason.
Sir Bobby was walking into a divided club following the departure of legendary manager Johan Cruyff and needed someone he trusted implicitly, who could help get his message across in another foreign language.
By this stage, Mourinho’s role had long since evolved.
He helped out on the training ground. He produced scouting dossiers on the opposition that Sir Bobby rated as the best he had ever seen. Crucially, he was used to dealing with international players.
In a testing environment, the pair complemented each other once again as midfielder Guillermo Amor explained.
“They managed to create a good atmosphere and make a very strong team,” he said.
“Jose had more contact with the players due to his fluency in the language and his age, which was very similar to ours.
“He had great respect for Bobby and Bobby had great faith in everything Jose could do on the field and in the locker room.”
Sir Bobby went on to win the European Cup Winners’ Cup, the Copa Del Rey and the Spanish Cup in what proved to be his final season with Mourinho before the Barcelona manager was moved upstairs and replaced by Louis van Gaal.
Mourinho told Sir Bobby he wanted to leave out of loyalty but his mentor convinced him to stay, having already briefed van Gaal about the merits of keeping his assistant.
Had Mourinho not spent three further three years at the Nou Camp under van Gaal, the Portuguese could well have followed Sir Bobby to Newcastle in 1999.
Instead he went it alone – but Sir Bobby’s influence lives on.
To this day, Mourinho cherishes those moments the pair’s families shared in Sitges, the meals Sir Bobby never let him pay for and the lessons he taught him about life.
It is why the 62-year-old considers himself a “little Magpie”.
“The club up there know how much love and respect I have for them,” he told CBS earlier this month. “I learned that love from Mr Robson.”
It is the Mourinho who spent an age talking to another long-term Chelsea employee Thresa Conneely on Monday, the one who chatted to his former player Joe Cole after arriving 90 minutes before kick-off, relaxed with his arm draped on the one-time England star’s shoulder as he engaged in easy conversation. The one who stopped and signed a young Chelsea fan’s shirt before he headed to the dressing room for his pre-match team talk.
“Of course I thank them,” said Mourinho, when asked of the supporter reaction.
“I did it on the pitch. I live around here. I talk with them every day on the street.
“I hope to come back here [Stamford Bridge] in 20 years with my grandkids.
“They [Chelsea] belong to my history and I belong to theirs.”
Yet Mourinho wants to win. You could tell that as he challenged decisions and demanded more from his players, patrolling the touchline as he has always done.
It seemed odd to hear him talk about how well his team had played in defeat, even if the odds were stacked against them by the huge gap in income between England’s Champions League contenders and those from Portugal.
He sat in the same dugout as when he was manager, though it does make you wonder why the club waited for Mauricio Pochettino to change them given what is now the home dugout straddles the halfway line.
It did mean he was nearer the Benfica fans though, as he produced another classic Mourinho moment in the second half.
Chelsea might have paid the Lisbon club a British record £107m to sign Argentina midfielder Enzo Fernandez two years ago, but the money clearly has no bearing on how his old club’s supporters think about him.
As he went to take a corner, Fernandez was bombarded by missiles from the upper and lower sections of the stands around him.
Mourinho saw what was happening, bounced out of his seat and took off down the touchline – a reminder of when he was Porto manager at Old Trafford and celebrated knocking Manchester United out of the Champions League in 2004.
The knee slide is beyond him now. Instead, he kept himself to angry waves, telling those supporters to stop.
They might not all have acted as he wished but the bombardment at least reduced long enough for Fernandez to take the corner.
Jose the peacemaker. Jose the friend.
Benfica didn’t win – and Chelsea weren’t that good – but Mourinho’s return was memorable all the same.
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Chelsea became the first English side to reach the quarterfinals of the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup following a 4-1 win after extra time against the 10-man Benfica in North Carolina.
Reece James scored the opening goal of the game in the 64th minute on Saturday, with a spectacular free kick from a tight angle on the left wing.
Angel Di Maria levelled the match in the fifth minute of stoppage time from the penalty spot after a soft handball decision against Malo Gusto.
Goals from Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall restored and sealed Chelsea’s advantage in extra time to set up a quarterfinal meeting with Palmeiras.
The result was the least the Blues deserved after dominating the match from start to finish.
The end was heavily delayed, however, when the players were removed from the field of play at Bank Of America Stadium in Charlotte by the referee due to a nearby lightning storm.
The delay was nearly two hours in length, despite only four minutes remaining of the match when the players left the field. Chelsea’s players were visibly annoyed by the decision to halt the game so close to the full-time whistle, and with victory in sight.
General view of players walking off the pitch after referee Slavko Vincic signals a weather delay to the match [Agustin Marcarian/Reuters]
Unusually high temperatures for the time of year contributed to the inclement conditions. Both the cause and the effect are a concern ahead of the FIFA 2026 World Cup also being staged by the United States next summer.
It is the sixth time a Club World Cup match has been halted due to bad weather.
Common public safety protocols in the US mandate that outdoor sports events are suspended for at least 30 minutes when lightning is seen or thunder heard.
The Blues dominated the possession and the chances, the best of which in the first half fell to Marc Cucurella whose curling effort from just inside the box was headed off the line by by Benfica’s Antonio Silva at the back post, with the keeper well beaten.
Cole Palmer drew the finest save from Benfica’s Ukrainian keeper, Anatoliy Trubin, when he was slipped into the box and powered a shot at the near post.
Trubin was left red-faced by the moment of magic from James to win the match as the wide player drilled his effort in at the near post, with the keeper seemingly more concerned about a potential cross.
Chelsea’s Reece James scores their first goal against Benfica [Mike Segar/Reuters]
Benfica’s leveller – after the lightning delay – came after Gusto left his arms flailing in the air and, although soft, the Video Assistant Referee had little choice but to call the referee to review the decision. Di Maria coolly slotted home the resulting kick, despite the stormy conditions that surrounded the stadium.
The comeback from Benfica, after the heavy delay to the match, was merely a further annoyance to Chelsea, whose job was made all the easier by a second yellow shown to Gianluca Prestianni.
The Benfica forward was booked during the celebrations for his side’s equaliser and was then shown a second yellow for a late tackle after only two minutes of extra time.
Palmeiras first to book CWC quarterfinal spot
Paulinho worked his way between a pair of defenders and rolled a shot into the back of the net in extra time earlier on Saturday to put Palmeiras into the quarterfinals with a 1-0 victory over Brazilian league rival Botafogo.
Paulinho, who has made one appearance for Brazil’s national team, dribbled through the defence with an inside cut from the right wing in the 100th minute. He then sent a left-footed shot into the lower left corner of John’s net.
Botafogo created multiple chances for an equalizer in the final minutes but could not get a goal.
Palmeiras’s Paulinho scores their first goal [Lee Smith/Reuters]
The match at Lincoln Financial Field was full of attacking play, with a combined 35 shot attempts. Palmeiras, however, ended the match with 10 men after defender Gustavo Gomez was given a red card.
Gomez received a second yellow card in the 116th minute after tackling Igor Jesus in midfield to prevent Botafogo from starting a counterattack.
The 33,657 fans in attendance helped set the tone for the match with incessant cheering, bringing the flavour of a South American game to the United States.
“Coach has been saying this since the start of the season that we have a dream and dreaming costs nothing,” Palmeiras defender Bruno Fuchs said after.
“We follow that dream, one game after another. Always thinking about the present, about the next game… We’re very happy, we’re pleased to have qualified, and as I said, we have to keep dreaming.”
Who: Chelsea vs Benfica What:FIFA Club World Cup round of 16 Where: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina, United States When: Saturday, June 28 at 4pm (21:00 GMT)
How to follow: We’ll have all the build-up on Al Jazeera Sport from 1pm local (18:00 GMT) ahead of our live text commentary stream.
Chelsea and Benfica meet in the second round of 16 tie at the FIFA Club World Cup in an all-European affair, which could easily have been a fixture straight from the UEFA Champions League.
Between them, the clubs have lifted Europe’s premier club competition on nine occasions, with seven of those titles going to Portuguese giants, Benfica.
Al Jazeera Sport looks ahead to the match that comes with a significant headache for the English club following their late slip-up in the group stage.
What is Chelsea’s annoyance heading into the Benfica tie?
Chelsea are facing a logistical headache at the Club World Cup after finishing second in their group, forcing an unexpected trip to Charlotte for their last 16 match instead of staying in Miami, where the club thought they would be based for the knockout stage.
Travel, accommodation and training arrangements were, a source told the news agency Reuters, all made with the assumption that the West Londoners would top Group D and play their round of 16 match at Hard Rock Stadium.
View of the 11 host cities staging the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 (Al Jazeera)
The detour to Charlotte means reorganising bookings and schedules at short notice, but the club still intends to return to its Miami base after the match, adding more miles to an already hectic itinerary.
What happened to Chelsea in the group stage?
The Blue opened their Club World Cup campaign with a 2-0 win against Los Angeles. After a 3-1 loss to Brazil’s Flamengo, Chelsea only managed second place despite a 3-0 win over Esperance Tunis in their final group stage fixture in Philadelphia.
Chelsea’s Tyrique George scores their third goal against Tunis in the group stage [Lee Smith/Reuters]
How did Benfica fare in the group stage?
Benfica were held to a 2-2 draw in their opening match at the FIFA Club World Cup by Boca Juniors. The Lisbon-based club then won their final two games against New Zealand’s Auckland City (6-0) and Germany’s Bayern Munich (1-0).
Who awaits Chelsea or Benfica in the quarter-finals?
The winner of Saturday’s tie will return to Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia to face the winner of the all-Brazilian clash between Palmeiras and Botafogo.
Yes. Chelsea, who have twice lifted the UEFA Champions League trophy in Europe, have lifted the Club World Cup once.
The Blues lifted the title in 2021 with a 2-1 win against Brazil’s Palmeiras.
Romelu Lukaku and Kai Havertz scored the Blues’ goals, with the winner netted by the latter in extra time.
What happened the last time between Chelsea and Benfica?
The teams competed for the UEFA Europa League title in 2013, with the Blues securing a 2-1 win.
Fernando Torres opened the scoring on the stroke of the hour mark for the Blues with Oscar Cardozo equalising from the spot in the 69th minute.
Branislav Ivanovic settled matters with a 90th-minute winner for Chelsea.
Chelsea’s Fernando Torres celebrates with the UEFA Europa League trophy following their win against Benfica in 2013 [File: Paul Childs/Reuters]
Chelsea team news
Wesley Fofana has joined the squad at the tournament, but the defender continues to recover from a long-term thigh injury and will miss out once again.
Striker Nicolas Jackson serves the second and final game of a two-match suspension for a straight red card in the match against Flamengo.
Reece James, Levi Colwill and Marc Cucurella are all in line for a return.
Benfica team news
Alexander Bah and Manu Silva remain long-term absentees, but midfielder Florentino Luis is in line for a comeback from a shoulder injury, having missed the last two games.
Benfica beat Bayern Munich, but both sides progress from Group C, while minnows Auckland draw 1-1 with Boca Juniors.
Chelsea have entered the FIFA Club World Cup knockouts after beating Esperance of Tunisia 3-0 and will play their last-16 tie against Benfica, who defeated Bayern Munich 1-0 earlier in searing heat.
Chelsea eased through with a clinical 3-0 win over Esperance at Lincoln Financial Field in Group D in Philadelphia on Tuesday.
New signing Liam Delap opened his account for the club with a deftly taken finish in stoppage time at the end of the first half, just moments after Tosin Adarabioyo had headed the Blues in front.
Teenage talent Tyrique George added Chelsea’s third deep into injury time at the end of the game with a low shot that crept under Esperance goalkeeper Bechir Ben Said.
Flamengo, who had already assured themselves of top spot in the section after wins over Chelsea and Esperance, wrapped up their first-round campaign with a 1-1 draw against already eliminated LAFC in Orlando.
Los Angeles forward Denis Bouanga threatened to give the MLS side an upset win in their final game of the tournament after a cool finish in the 84th minute, only for Wallace Yan to equalise for Flamengo two minutes later.
In Charlotte, Andreas Schjelderup scored the only goal for Benfica in their Group C clash with Bayern in front of 33,287 fans, finishing first-time from a cutback by his fellow Norwegian Fredrik Aursnes in the 13th minute.
The German champions, who left the likes of Harry Kane and Michael Olise on the bench at kickoff, were unable to come back in sweltering afternoon conditions in heatwave-hit North Carolina.
Kane and Olise came on at half-time, and Bayern did then look more dangerous, but Leroy Sane was denied when clean through by Benfica’s Ukrainian goalkeeper Anatoliy Trubin.
A draw would have allowed Bayern to top the section, but a Kimmich effort that found the net was ruled out for offside, and Trubin denied Sane again while Kane mistimed a header late on.
It was Benfica’s first-ever win in 14 competitive meetings with Bayern, and it meant they finished first and will next play Group D runners-up Chelsea in Charlotte in the last 16 on Saturday.
Bayern Munich played their game against Benfica under sweltering conditions in Charlotte on June 24, 2025 [Paul Ellis/AFP]
‘Tiny club with a huge heart’
That result meant whatever Boca did against Auckland City in Nashville would not be enough to qualify, but the Argentinian giants were still expected to do better than draw 1-1 against the tournament minnows from New Zealand.
Auckland had lost 10-0 to Bayern and 6-0 to Benfica, but this time they recovered from falling behind in the first half when goalkeeper Nathan Garrow palmed a Lautaro Di Lollo header into his own net.
Christian Gray equalised with a header in the second half to earn the sole representatives from Oceania a remarkable point.
“You can’t say we haven’t learned from the experience of being at the tournament. I’m thrilled for the players and the club; it’s wonderful. It’s something to go home with,” said City coach Paul Posa.
“We’re a tiny club with a huge heart, and that’s evident for all to see.”
The game was the fifth so far at the tournament to be suspended due to a weather warning, with play stopping for almost an hour. When the action restarted, not a drop of rain had fallen at Geodis Park.
Elsewhere on Tuesday, FIFA opened a disciplinary investigation into Pachuca’s Gustavo Cabral after allegations he made a racist comment to Real Madrid’s Antonio Rudiger.
The incident came towards the end of Sunday’s game between the two teams, which Real won 3-1.
Auckland City players celebrate at the end of their match against Argentinian football giants Boca Juniors at the Geodis Park stadium in Nashville [Federico Parra/AFP]
WOLVES face a potential fight to keep hold of boss Vitor Pereira – with Portuguese giants Benfica eyeing a move for the Molineux boss to replace one of his predecessors.
Benfica are currently in the USA for the Club World Cup, amid rumours over the long-term future of manager Bruno Lage.
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Vitor Pereira has impressed with the dogmatic work he has done at Wolves in the Premier League
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Pereira managed one of Benfica’s biggest rivals in Porto from the youth teams to the senior set-up in the early 2010s
And if the Lisbon Eagles flop in the States, club President – and former Portugal midfielder – Rui Costa is ready to test Wolves’ resolve to keep Pereira after his impressive first six months at the club.
Pereira has seen the club sell both full-back Rayan Ait-Nouri and playmaker Matheus Cunha this summer, with the two Manchester Clubs paying £94.7m between them for the duo.
That came after he had stabilised the club following his arrival in place of Gary O’Neil in December.
Beer-loving Pereira, 59, steered Wolves away from the drop zone to win 10 of his 22 games in charge including a seven-match winning run in March and April that secured their Premier League status.
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But the prospect of a return to his homeland – with Benfica facing two Champions League qualifying rounds in August – could tempt the former Porto and Olympiacos chief.
Pereira has not coached in Portugal since quitting Porto for Saudi side Al Ahli after leading them to the title in 2013.
His stock is high with claims that Rui Costa is not happy with Lage – despite official insistence that the coach will start next season at the Stadium of Light irrespective of what happens at the Club World Cup.
Benfica face Argentines Boca Juniors, Kiwi minnows Auckland City and Harry Kane’s Bayern Munich in the group stage, with Lage under scrutiny.
Lage, 49, and now in his second spell at Benfica, spent 15 months at the Molineux helm after replacing Nuno Espirito Santos in June 2021.
While they finished 10th in his first season – having been in the top six after 13 games – Wolves scored just 38 goals in the Prem campaign, with just two points from their final seven matches.
He was sacked in October 2022 after picking up a solitary win from the club’s first nine games before landing a job at Brazilian side Botofogo the following summer.
Lage then became embroiled in a legal spat with Botofogo owner John Textor, whose stake in Crystal Palace has threatened their chances of taking up their place in the Europa League.
Earlier this year, Lage – who returned to Benfica in September – launched a £6m suit claiming he had been promised in a “gentleman’s agreement” that he would be offered the Palace job that was given to Oliver Glasner.
Benfica winger Angel di Maria will return to his boyhood club Rosario Central – 10 months after death threats forced him to backtrack on the same move.
The 37-year-old began his career at Rosario in 2005 and the Argentine top-flight club announced his return on Thursday.
“Our history together has more pages to write. Welcome home,” the Rosario-based club said alongside a video posted on X.
The 2022 World Cup winner spent two seasons with Rosario before moving to Europe with Benfica.
He went on to play more than 700 games in Europe for Benfica, Real Madrid, Manchester United, Paris St-Germain and Juventus.
Di Maria was close to rejoining Rosario as a free agent last summer but increasing drug-related violence in the region and a number of threats against him and his family ended his plans.
Speaking last July, Di Maria said: “There was a threat at my sister’s business, a box with a pig’s head and a bullet in the forehead, and a note that said that if I returned to [Rosario] Central, the next head was that of my daughter Pia.
“Those months were horrible. We could only sit there and cry each night over not being able to carry out that dream return.”
Di Maria has won 30 trophies in Europe – including league titles in three countries and the 2013-14 Champions League with Real – as well as the World Cup and two Copa America trophies with Argentina.
He rejoined Benfica for a second spell in 2023 and will leave the club after next month’s Club World Cup campaign in the United States.
