Jose Mourinho refused his pre-match Benfica press conference duties for the ninth time this season, but did discuss the fallout from the loss to Real Madrid.
Mourinho isn’t fined for missing Primeira Liga pre-match media rounds so again chose to just speak to Benfica TV briefly ahead of facing AVS this weekend.
He did, however, make a small comment on the intense criticism he received for his comments after Benfica’s Gianluca Prestianni was accused of racially abusing Vinicius Jr.
Mourinho claimed Vinicius had incited the crowd by celebrating his stunning winning goal, comments that have been roundly condemned by some of the game’s greats such as Vincent Kompany and Thierry Henry.
Jose Mourinho admits to an emotional week
Touching briefly on the matter for the first time since it happened, Mourinho told BTV: “The game was truly demanding in every aspect.
“Up until the 50th minute, it was a game of maximum intensity, both physically and tactically, requiring the concentration needed to play at that level.
“But I also have to acknowledge that from the 50th minute until now – and this won’t end our conversation – it hasn’t been easy to manage emotionally everything that has happened and continues to happen.
“But there’s a game tomorrow, an important game for our ambitions and dreams.
“Winning is fundamental. We need to focus and be at our highest level.”
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