Benfica fans showed their anger with Jose Mourinho for the first time after a draw against Casa Pia.
The Eagles failed to capitalise on FC Porto’s slip at the top of the table, also drawing to all-but-end their title hopes.
And post-match, the away end blamed the coach for another drab showing.
“Benfica is ours” and “Play like Benfica” were heard sung after the players slumped off the pitch.
Captain Nicolas Otamendi seemed to agree with the fans post-match, saying his teammates didn’t put their lives on the line.
In response to a loaded question, Mourinho said: “It wasn’t successful.
“I think ‘lack of character’ is a bit aggressive, because there aren’t bad people there, there are good people who work hard.
“My frustration is seeing how they train and then arriving at a game of this importance and having the first 45 minutes without the urgency and need to win…”
Mourinho then revealed he used the title race to try and convince his players at half-time, but admitted it didn’t work, and the chase is over.
He explained: “When you say I couldn’t convince them, my intervention at halftime was to improve tactical aspects, and the other was mathematics, which I think they don’t do, and I started doing the calculations on the flip chart.
“The calculation was very simple: we are eight points behind FC Porto. If we win, we go to five. If we win against Nacional, we go to two, and FC Porto goes into Estoril two points behind. If we draw this game…
“From eight we’re going to seven. It’s over. Simple. If we lose today, even if we beat Sporting, we won’t be in control of the situation regarding second place.
“Maybe I have an old-fashioned mentality, but I’m one of those who thinks you’re playing for your life every minute, every play, every ball.
“I haven’t been good enough to transform some characters—not bad characters, I repeat, but characters—to fight for the title.”
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