Chelsea Edge Past Mourinho's Benfica Thanks to Fortunate Own Goal in Tense 1-0 Battle

Chelsea secured a 1–0 victory over Benfica at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, claiming their inaugural Champions League win of the campaign.

The match signified José Mourinho's homecoming to Stamford Bridge, while also serving as a replay of their FIFA Club World Cup encounter from the summer. The Blues had previously beaten Benfica in the United States following an extended weather delay in the knockout phase, though Mourinho wasn't managing the team then. He faced the challenging assignment of reversing Benfica's disappointing streak, having gone winless in their previous eight encounters against English opposition.

Enzo Maresca shuffled his offensive lineup, giving starting opportunities to Alejandro Garnacho, Facundo Buonanotte and Tyrique George. The Italian manager fielded what became the youngest starting eleven in the Blues' competition history, averaging precisely 24 years of age.

Benfica began aggressively, seeking to apply early pressure on Chelsea. Richard Ríos established his midfield presence immediately, attempting to launch counter-attacks while disrupting possession. However, the Blues struck first.

Pedro Neto delivered a threatening cross that sent Garnacho racing into the penalty area without a marker. The Argentine couldn't steer his attempt toward goal but managed to play it into a hazardous position. Ríos negated his impressive opening by hammering an attempted clearance into his own net for an unfortunate own goal.

Tensions escalated during the opening period between Enzo Fernández and the visiting Benfica supporters as fans hurled objects at him during a corner kick attempt. Mourinho was observed approaching the away section, appealing to fans to cease their behavior before the match continued.

George nearly extended Chelsea's advantage just before the interval, but Anatoliy Trubin made the save.

After the break, Ríos received a yellow card, meaning both of Benfica's defensive midfielders needed to exercise caution with Enzo Barrenechea already booked in the first period. Both teams found it difficult to manufacture clear-cut opportunities in the second half. The Blues' most promising moments came through Neto, yet they still couldn't secure a second goal.

The opening half's own goal proved to be the match's sole scoring incident as the final whistle confirmed a 1–0 Chelsea triumph. However, the evening concluded negatively when second-half substitute João Pedro received his marching orders after collecting a second yellow card deep into added time. The Brazilian will be suspended for Chelsea's upcoming European fixture against Ajax. Pedro's dismissal represents the third occasion in four matches across all competitions that the Blues finished with ten players.

Chelsea player ratings from the encounter below.

Chelsea Player Ratings (4-2-3-1)

*Ratings provided by FotMob*

Subs not used: Filip Jörgensen (GK), Max Merrick (GK), Jorrel Hato, Reggie Walsh, Romeo Lavia, Marc Guiu

Player of the Match: Robert Sánchez

Benfica (4-2-3-1): Anatoliy Trubin; Amar Dedić, António Silva, Nicolás Otamendi, Samuel Dahl; Richard Ríos, Enzo Barrenechea; Dodi Lukébakio, Fredrik Aursnes, Georgiy Sudakov; Vangelis Pavlidis

Subs: Tomás Araújo, Leandro Barreiro, Andreas Schjelderup, Franjo Ivanović, Henrique Araújo