Jose Antonio Camacho resigned as Benfica coach on Sunday, less than seven months after starting his second spell at the Lisbon club.

Camacho stood down following Benfica’s 2-2 draw with last-place Leiria in the Portuguese league, which left his team 14 points behind leader and defending champion FC Porto with eight games remaining.

Porto leads the league with 54 points, with Benfica in second place on 40.

On Thursday, Camacho’s side was beaten 2-1 at home by Spain’s Getafe in the UEFA Cup.

Camacho said his players lacked motivation and that Benfica needed “something new.”

“There is going to be a change in the sporting direction of the team. I think it is better for the team. The lack of motivation that I see in the players is not normal,” Camacho told news agency Lusa.

Assistant coach Fernando Chalana will take temporary charge for Benfica’s next match - the return leg against Getafe.

The departure of the 52-year-old Camacho leaves Benfica seeking its third coach of the season. The Spaniard replaced Fernando Santos in August.

Camacho first joined Benfica midway through the 2002-03 season and left in 2004, leading the Eagles to the runner-up spot in both seasons.

Benfica, which signed American teenage star Freddy Adu last July, has won the title only once in the last 13 years. It hasn’t held on to a coach for two consecutive seasons since Sven-Goran Eriksson in 1992.

Camacho also coached Spain from 1998 to 2002 and had two brief spells in charge of Real Madrid. He has also been in charge at Rayo Vallecano, Espanyol and Sevilla.