Never change, Jose! Benfica boss Mourinho goes viral for hilarious gesture after 'extraordinary' derby victory over Sporting CP

The 'Special One' was at his vintage best as Benfica secured a pulsating late win against their cross-town rivals. As referee Joao Pinheiro blew the final whistle to confirm the 2-1 triumph for the Eagles, all eyes turned to the touchline where Mourinho was ready to provide yet another iconic moment for the cameras.

In a gesture that has already begun to circulate globally, the Benfica manager pointed emphatically to the initials on his training gear and then to his head. It was a clear signal to the fans and the media alike that the tactical mastermind behind the result was none other than himself, reinforcing his peerless self-confidence following an intense Lisbon derby.

The match itself was a rollercoaster of emotions that saw Benfica snatch victory in the dying moments. Andreas Schjelderup opened the scoring for the visitors, but it was Rafa Silva who emerged as the ultimate hero, netting a winner in the 93rd minute to silence the home crowd.

Mourinho’s reaction underscored the significance of the result, as Benfica maintained their unbeaten Liga Portugal record for the season and leapfrogged Sporting into second place. Speaking after the game, the manager was full of praise for his squad's resilience, as he stated: "Obviously I'm happy, I think it was a fantastic game. For games to be fantastic, there have to be three great teams. Maybe I missed a mistake or two, but I think the refereeing was top-notch. Benfica played a fantastic game and Sporting played like Sporting, in their usual style. Beautiful stadium, I was commenting from the bench about everything the Sporting fans brought to the stadium and our Benfica fans were up there. I think it was an extraordinary game, without red cards and with two teams wanting to win. If a draw had been a good result for either team, the game would have been strategically different."

Mourinho added: "We're happy to have won; we could talk about being unhappy if Sporting had won. We played an extraordinary game, we move on."

He went on to play down Benfica's chances of catching leaders Porto, who can restore their seven point lead over the Eagles with a win over Tondela on Sunday evening. "We continue to depend on the results of others. My frustration at Casa Pia was because we lost the situation of depending on ourselves," he said. "I wanted to come here today, play to win and be second. We came here to play to win, we won, but we continue to depend on Sporting's results, not to mention FC Porto, which is a significant advantage."

Benfica are only a point above Sporting having played a game more, with the battle for second place set to go to the wire. Mourinho's men will wrap up their season with games against Moreirense, Famalicao, Braga and Estoril Praia.