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José Mourinho gets his first Champions League win with Benfica against Ajax

José Mourinho has picked up his first Champions League win with his new club Benfica as Samuel Dahl’s early goal set the stage for a 2-0 win over troubled Ajax
Benfica's head coach Jose Mourinho gives instructions to Benfica's Samuel Dahl during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Ajax and SL Benfica in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Benfica's head coach Jose Mourinho gives instructions to Benfica's Samuel Dahl during the Champions League opening phase soccer match between Ajax and SL Benfica in Amsterdam, Netherlands, Tuesday, Nov. 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Peter Dejong)
Updated 1 hour ago

AMSTERDAM (AP) — José Mourinho picked up his first Champions League win with his new club Benfica as Samuel Dahl's early goal set the stage for a 2-0 win over troubled Ajax.

It was No. 36 vs. No. 35 in the standings as the two winless teams met in the Netherlands.

Left back Dahl scored an unstoppable volley on the rebound after Ajax goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros had saved a header from Benfica's experienced defender Nicolás Otamendi. Leandro Barreiro added a second goal in the 90th.

Ajax has lost all five of its Champions League games and won only one of its last 10 games in all competitions.

In the other early game, Canadian forward Promise David scored the only goal as Belgium's Union Saint-Gilloise won 1-0 at injury-depleted Galatasaray.

The Turkish club was without injured Champions League top scorer Victor Osimhen, and finished with 10 men after 18-year-old defender Arda Ünyay picked up two yellow cards.

Later Tuesday, Pep Guardiola celebrates his 100th Champions League game as a coach as Manchester City takes on Bayer Leverkusen. Chelsea plays Barcelona, while Juventus travels into the Arctic Circle to face Bodø/Glimt where the temperature is forecast to stay just above freezing.

Also, it's Borussia Dortmund-Villarreal, Marseille-Newcastle United, Napoli-Qarabag and Slavia Prague-Athletic Bilbao.

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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

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