Jose Mourinho’s Benfica suffered a night to forget at St James’ Park, falling 3–0 to a relentless Newcastle United side that tore through them with ease. For Mourinho, it was another painful English homecoming one that left Portuguese pundits and newspapers questioning not just his tactics, but whether the aura of the “Special One” still holds in European competition.

Anthony Gordon opened the scoring in the first half before Harvey Barnes added two more after the break to complete a commanding win for Eddie Howe’s men. While the scoreline reflected Newcastle’s dominance, Mourinho’s post-match embrace of Gordon a rare moment of warmth unseen on television revealed a manager who recognised quality even in defeat.

Back in Portugal, however, sympathy was in short supply. Sports daily A Bola blasted Benfica’s limp performance with a scathing headline: “Predator saw weakness and went for the jugular.” Critics highlighted Mourinho’s surprising decision to use centre-back Tomás Araújo as a makeshift left-back, a tactical gamble that backfired spectacularly as Newcastle repeatedly targeted that flank. “It could have been worse than 3–0,” the paper concluded.

Rival outlet Maisfutebol echoed that sentiment, accusing Mourinho of “adapting to Newcastle rather than imposing his own identity.” The outlet detailed how Jacob Murphy and Kieran Trippier relentlessly exploited Benfica’s disjointed left side, turning Araújo and Fredrik Aursnes into easy prey. “On paper, it sounded clever,” their report read. “In practice, it collapsed under English pressure.”

Yet not all fingers pointed squarely at the manager. O Jogo noted that Mourinho inherited a flawed squad just a month ago and may need a major overhaul in January. “This Benfica wasn’t built by Mourinho,” it wrote. “The pragmatic, minimum-effort version seen domestically won’t survive on the European stage.” The message was clear: patience is wearing thin, but context still matters.

As for Newcastle, the night belonged to Gordon omnipresent, electric, and applauded by home fans after a performance Mourinho himself described as “brutal.” With Benfica bottom of their Champions League group and without a single point, Mourinho’s challenge now is to rebuild confidence before criticism hardens into crisis. For a man defined by his comebacks, this may be one of his most testing yet.