Benfica dismiss head coach after shock defeat to Qarabag PHOTO

Portuguese giants Benfica have dismissed head coach Bruno Lage following their shock 3-2 home defeat to Azerbaijan’s Qarabag in the opening round of the UEFA Champions League group stage.

The club confirmed the decision on its official website late Tuesday night. Speaking to journalists at the press centre of the Estádio da Luz, Benfica president Rui Costa announced the departure, Caliber.Az reports via local media.

“I want to inform all Benfica fans that we have just reached an agreement with Bruno Lage, who as of today is no longer the head coach. I would like to thank Bruno for everything he tried to do for Benfica… But unfortunately, the time has come — it is time for change,” Costa said.

The decision came just hours after Qarabag produced one of the greatest nights in their history, stunning the Lisbon side with a resilient comeback victory.

Benfica looked in control early on, racing to a 2-0 lead inside 16 minutes. Enzo Barrenechea opened the scoring in the 6th minute, diverting a corner into the far corner of the net, before Vangelis Pavlidis doubled the advantage ten minutes later.

Qarabag, however, refused to back down. Leandro Andrade pulled one back with a powerful strike in the 30th minute, giving the visitors hope before halftime. Just three minutes into the second half, Camilo Duran equalised, setting up a tense finale.

The decisive moment came in the 86th minute when Oleksiy Kashchuk latched onto Abdellah Zoubir’s clever pass inside the box and calmly slotted past the Benfica goalkeeper, sealing a famous 3-2 win.

The result marks a historic achievement for Qarabag, who are playing in the Champions League group stage for only the second time in their history. The Azerbaijani champions will now turn their attention to upcoming clashes against European heavyweights including Chelsea, Liverpool, Eintracht Frankfurt, Napoli, Athletic Bilbao, and Copenhagen.

The match at the Estádio da Luz was officiated by Belgian FIFA referee Erik Lambrechts.

By Vugar Khalilov