sportskeeda
ENZO Fernandez encountered projectile assaults just 38 minutes into Chelsea’s Champions League clash against Benfica at Stamford Bridge, prompting Jose Mourinho to step in and diffuse the situation.
With the Blues ahead 1-0, they earned a corner which Fernandez was set to take in front of the Benfica supporters.
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Credit: Reuters
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Furious fans, upset over the Argentine’s £105million transfer to Chelsea after he signed a new contract and celebrated scoring for Benfica in January 2023, threw objects at him from the stands.
This wasn’t an isolated incident; similar occurrences took place last season in the Conference League at Stamford Bridge, when Christopher Nkunku and others were also targeted in the same section, but we had never witnessed an opposing manager responding in this manner.
However, that’s exactly what Mourinho did. The Portuguese manager left his technical area and approached the fans, raising his hands in an attempt to calm them down—an appeal that appeared to resonate.
Fernandez initially tried to engage back with the traveling fans before realizing he was being met with boos instead.
Mourinho quickly stepped in to diffuse the situation, gesturing to the passionate group of Benfica supporters to settle down.
Viewers online praised his actions as “class,” and he was already hearing his name chanted by the appreciative SW6 crowd.
The Special One even caught up with former player Joe Cole at the pitchside.
