Chelsea vs. Benfica: Head-to-head record and past meetings after Jose Mourinho reunion in Champions League clash

Jose Mourinho's return to Stamford Bridge ended in disappointment for the former Chelsea manager as the Blues walked away with all three points in a close-fought 1-0 Champions League win over Benfica on Tuesday evening.

As Aguias almost opened the scoring when Robert Sanchez turned Dodi Lukebakio's eighth-minute strike onto the post, but such were the fine margins that Enzo Maresca's side took the lead through an own-goal from Richard Rios just 10 minutes later and held on for the remainder of the clash.

The Blues fielded their youngest-ever starting XI in the competition, and though the performance was less than stellar, the experience of grinding out the victory will serve them well going forward.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two clubs.

Head-to-head record

Previous meetings: 5

Benfica wins: 0

Draws: 0

Chelsea wins: 5

Benfica and Chelsea have only ever faced each other five times in competitive matches and it is the Blues who have celebrated victory on each occasion.

The two teams met for the first time in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in 2012 when Chelsea went all the way to win the competition for the first time in their history under Roberto Di Matteo.

Salomon Kalou’s second-half strike was enough for Chelsea to secure a slender 1-0 first-leg victory in Lisbon, before the Blues claimed a 2-1 win in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge.

Benfica’s Javi Garcia scored in the 85th minute to cancel out an early penalty from Frank Lampard, only for Raul Meireles to then net a 90th-minute winner for Chelsea.

The following season, Benfica and Chelsea butted heads again, this time in the 2013 Europa League final in Amsterdam where Rafa Benitez led the Blues to a 2-1 victory.

Fernando Torres fired Chelsea in front just before the hour mark before Oscar Cardozo’s 68th-minute penalty restored parity for the Eagles, but it was the Blues who had the last laugh as Branislav Ivanovic's dramatic 93rd-minute header ensured that the trophy made its way to West London.

Another famous meeting between Benfica and Chelsea took place at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, with the Blues coming out on top 4-1 after extra time in an extraordinary last-16 battle that lasted over four hours and included a near two-hour delay for extreme weather.

With only four minutes of normal time remaining and Chelsea leading 1-0, players were taken off the pitch due to thunderstorms in Charlotte, and when the teams eventually returned, Benfica were reduced to 10 men before Angel Di Maria restored parity with a stoppage-time penalty to take the contest into extra time.

Enzo Maresca's side eventually secured their spot in the quarter-finals, though, courtesy of three goals in the second half of extra time scored by Christopher Nkunku, Pedro Neto and Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall.

Most recently, As Aguias travelled to face Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the 2025-26 Champions League's league phase, a match that saw legendary former Blues boss Jose Mourinho return to the stadium as an apposing manager once again.

However, the Portuguese head-coach was on the losing side as an own-goal from Richard Rios following a cut-back from Alejandro Garnacho was enough for Maresca's men to secure a narrow 1-0 victory.