Jose Mourinho revealed the funny story behind him getting Scott McTominay's shirt after the Champions League game between Benfica and Napoli. Benfica won 2-0 with goals from Richard Rios and Leandro Barreiro. Mourinho joked with reporters, showing them McTominay's shirt from a bag he brought to the press conference.

Thanks to an old player

McTominay, who's now doing well in Serie A, got his start thanks to Mourinho, who gave him his debut at Manchester United nearly ten years ago. Mourinho first played him in May 2017 against Arsenal and then started him against Crystal Palace. McTominay quickly became a regular player in midfield during the 2017–18 season, sometimes even playing instead of Paul Pogba. Mourinho left Old Trafford in 2018, but McTominay played over 250 games for the club.

Mourinho entertains in the press room

Mourinho is known for making press conferences interesting, and this one was no different. Benfica's players were celebrating their big win, which keeps their hopes in Europe alive. Mourinho walked in with a bag, making the reporters curious. When someone asked if he was giving out gifts, Mourinho used his usual dry humour.

"The bag is mine," Mourinho said. It's Scott McTominay's shirt. I was the one who gave him a chance; I even benched Paul Pogba for him. The least he could do was give me his shirt.

After some ups and downs in Manchester, McTominay turned things around by moving to Napoli in 2024. He helped them win the league, played great in midfield, and scored 13 goals. He even finished 18th in the 2025 Ballon d’Or rankings and was named the 2025 Serie A Player of the Year, the first Scottish player to get that award.

Benfica wins

Mourinho was happy about Benfica's win. The two-goal victory over Napoli was one of their best games in Europe this season, and he wanted to talk about how important it was.

He said, We deserved to win. We played a great match. Some people might say Napoli weren't at their best, but I don't agree. Benfica did great, controlling the game the whole time. It's great for us to beat Napoli like this and still have a chance in this competition.

He continued, We have six points. Benfica lost at home to Qarabag early on. If we hadn't, we'd have nine points and be close to qualifying. The schedule is tough, but that loss put us in a difficult spot right away. It was important to win today, or we would have been out.

Pressure at home

Benfica's situation in the league isn't as good. They're third, eight points behind Porto. With pressure from fans and a tough schedule in December, they can't afford to make any more mistakes if they want to win the title. They need to keep up their performance when they play Moreirense on Sunday. After recent stumbles in the league, Benfica needs to avoid another bad game if they want to stay close to Porto and Sporting in the title race.

Newcastle drew with Leverkusen after a tough match, with a final score of 2-2.

Bruno Guimaraes scored an own goal, putting Leverkusen in the lead. Anthony Gordon then equalised with a penalty in the second half. Lewis Miley, a substitute, made it 2-1 for Newcastle before Alejandro Grimaldo levelled the score in the 88th minute.

This point should be enough for Newcastle to move on to the next round of the competition. But it makes it harder for them to get straight to the last 16 by finishing in the top eight.

Eddie Howe's team also has a few players who need to be careful to avoid suspensions in the coming Champions League games.

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NUFC Trio Could Be Banned from Champions League

Malick Thiaw is the latest Newcastle player at risk of a Champions League ban after getting his second yellow card this season.

When Leverkusen was up 1-0, things looked even worse for Newcastle when Thiaw fouled Patrik Schick near the penalty box. The referee initially called a penalty and gave Thiaw a yellow card, but VAR showed the foul was outside the area.

Newcastle got lucky as Thiaw wasn't sent off, and Leverkusen only got a free kick, which didn't lead to anything.

If a player gets three yellow cards in the Champions League before the semi-finals, they automatically get a one-match ban. So, Thiaw will likely be banned if Newcastle advances further in the competition.

This means Thiaw is just one yellow card away from being suspended for Newcastle's last two group matches against PSV Eindhoven and Paris Saint-Germain.

Joelinton is also close to a ban, having received a booking in the first two group matches. He managed to avoid a booking in Newcastle's last four Champions League games, and he scored in their 2-0 win over Athletic Club last month.

Joelinton is also one yellow card away from a suspension in the Carabao Cup, but has only been booked three times in the Premier League so far. To be banned in the Premier League, he needs two more bookings before matchday 20.

Dan Burn is also at risk of a ban after getting his second yellow card against Marseille.

All yellow cards are cleared after the quarter-finals and don't carry over to the semi-finals.

What About Other Newcastle United Players?

Aaron Ramsdale, Joe Willock, and Anthony Gordon are the other Newcastle players who have received yellow cards in the Champions League this season. They would need two more bookings to face a ban.

The only exception is if they get a red card.

But, for a bad foul, UEFA can make the punishment worse, like extending it to other competitions or making the ban longer.