SOCCER
Benfica and Jorge Jesus part company after cup defeat to Porto
Benfica’s 3-0 cup defeat to Porto at Estadio do Dragão was Jorge Jesus’ last game in charge, with the 67-year-old leaving by mutual consent.
Benfica have parted ways with coach Jorge Jesus by mutual consent. The decision came after a humiliating 3-0 defeat to rivals Porto in the Taça de Portugal Round of 16 stage, with a league clash against the same opponents coming up on Thursday.
Jesus rejoined Benfica in August 2020 but could only guide them to a third-place finish in his first season, with the club failing to secure any silverware for the first time since the 2012-13 campaign. The team's performance in Europe was particularly disappointing, crashing out of the Champions League in qualifying and then going out of the Europa League in the first knockout round.
Veríssimo takes over
Jesus leaves with Benfica third in the standings after 15 games, having won 12, drawn one and lost two to sit four points behind leaders Porto. Nélson Veríssimo has been appointed as caretaker boss until the end of the season, having briefly filled the same position after the departure of Bruno Lage last year.