On March 9, in the 25th round of the Portuguese Super League, Benfica drew 2-2 with Porto at home. In the final stage of the game, Benfica coach Mourinho was sent off with a red card.
This draw meant that Benfica missed the opportunity to narrow the gap with the leaders. Despite a poor start to the game, Benfica once fell into a passive situation of being two goals behind, but the team successfully equalized the score at the end of the first half with goals from Schjelderup and Barreiro. And the most eye-catching picture of the whole game, without a doubt, came from Mourinho.
In this game, Mourinho was shown a red card and sent off by the referee for arguing with Porto's bench. Subsequently, as he walked towards the player tunnel, he also made an insulting gesture to Lino Gondinho, a member of Porto's coaching staff. The trigger for this series of disturbances was Benfica centre-back Otamendi being shown a straight red card in the game.
After the game, Mourinho explained why he was sent off: "The referee said I was sent off for kicking the ball towards the Porto bench, but that's a complete lie." He added, "Many times, as long as our team scores, I kick the ball towards the stands to give lucky fans coming to the stadium a chance (to get a match ball). I know my footwork is not very good, but that kick was indeed towards the stands. I feel I have been treated unfairly and wrongly sent off. And the fourth official's work throughout the game was terrible."
In addition, Mourinho also explained the reasons for his conflict with members of the opposing coaching staff: "He called me a 'traitor' 50 times throughout the game. I hope he can clarify: what exactly have I betrayed? I gave all my heart and soul to Porto. If he insulted me in any other way that I could accept, I would see it as an attack on my professionalism - which is what I value most."