Jose Mourinho was back at the meme factory moments after a Lisbon derby win.
His Benfica side beat Sporting 2-1 away at the Alvalade and naturally the cameras instantly found him.
The 2010 European treble winner pointed to the ‘M’ on his self-branded jumper and then to his head.
It was likely relief for Mourinho, who has endured a horror run against the big sides this season.
Mourinho’s dry run ended
Since returning to Portugal for the first time in over 20 years, he hadn’t recorded a victory against Sporting or Porto, or even Braga.
Yet this result lifts Benfica above their city rivals, although perhaps temporarily, as Sporting have a game in hand.
Mourinho was previously asked about his poor record against the other top three, and responded with some sarcasm.
“This happened because the coaches of Sporting and FC Porto are better than me,” he said last month.
“And the reason why Benfica fans can believe [in victory] is because of what the team has been doing well, winning against those opponents you were kind enough to mention [Real Madrid and Napoli].
“Even in the games we didn’t manage to beat FC Porto and Sporting, we competed seriously and lost one of those games, and we could have avoided it. And we drew two that we could have won.”
Mourinho on Benfica 2-1 Sporting
Speaking straight after the game, he said: “I feel happy, but it was a fantastic game.
“I always say that for games to be fantastic, there have to be three great teams. I think the refereeing was top-notch.
“Strategically, Benfica played a fantastic game, and Sporting was Sporting. Beautiful stadium, I commented from the bench before the game… everything that Sporting fans put into the stadium and our Benfica fans up there.
“Maybe if a draw had been a good result for both, it would have been different, but after 1-1, Sporting and Benfica wanted to win.
“I had three great players on the bench to change the intensity. To take advantage of Rafa and Lukebakio’s speed and Pavlidis, and do the opposite of Ivanovic.
“In a divided game, you can talk about Benfica’s luck. You could also talk about misfortune if it were Sporting because we played an extraordinary game.”
More good news for Benfica
Mourinho also gave an update on the future of star winger Andreas Schjelderup who scored the game’s opener.
“Based on my feeling, he’s in good form, with high self-esteem,” he said when asked why he started the Norwegian.
“Obviously, I’m counting on him for next season.
“Coaches always want to count on the best players, those who have improved the most.
“In these seven months, the players who have improved the most are the ones who are my priorities.”
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