Jose Mourinho wants Benfica to win the Champions League after
watching his Chelsea team slide out of the competition.
The Barclays Premiership champions were dumped out of Europe by
Barcelona following a 1-1 draw in the Nou Camp last night.
Now the Portuguese will cheer for Lisbon giants Benfica, who take a
1-0 first-leg lead to Liverpool tonight.
Mourinho said: 'I would like Benfica to win the Champions League
but I don't know if they will.
'I am a true Portuguese and, although I was in Barcelona for four
years and have good memories, I am a Benfica fan. That is why I
want them to win the Champions League.'
Chelsea went to Barcelona trying to overturn a 2-1 deficit from the
first leg.
But the size of their task increased when Ronaldinho fired the
Spanish champions ahead in the 78th minute.
Frank Lampard levelled with a dubious penalty in stoppage time,
when Giovanni van Bronckhorst was ruled to have fouled John Terry
although he seemed to win the ball.
Mourinho said: 'We had a difficult job to do. We knew we had to
score a goal, even if we scored a goal in the 85th minute we would
have a big chance.
'But, when you score in the 92nd minute and after that there is not
even a chance for a single kick, it is very difficult.
'We had good situations for Joe Cole and Arjen Robben to score in
the first half and a great chance for Hernan Crespo in the second
half.
'Score one of those and the game is open and the pressure is on
them - but we could not score until the last minute of the
game.'
Mourinho insisted his team lost the initiative in the first leg in
London two weeks ago.
Asier del Horno was sent off in the first half of that game and
Barca capitalised on their numerical advantage.
Asked whether the best team won the tie, Mourinho said: 'I don't
think so.
'For me the crucial point was the result at Stamford Bridge.
'We played with 10 players for most of the first leg and we
have not seen two games with 11 v 11. We have not seen Barca win
against us when we have 11 players.
'However, Barcelona are definitely a great squad and I wish them
luck.
'Last season they saw the quarter-final on TV and this year we must
do the same.
'The reality is who is in the next round. If they are in the next
round they deserve to be there.
'They can think about the quarter-final and we will think about the
Premiership and the FA Cup.
'At this level of football, details make a big difference.
'When I was a champion for Porto, a goal in the last minute got us
through.
'Last season, against Liverpool, we could not score an open goal in
the last minute.
'This year we have to play one hour with 10 men.'
