1935–36 S.L. Benfica season

The 1935–36 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 32nd season in existence and the club's 2nd consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 September 1935 to 30 July 1936. Benfica competed in the Campeonato da Liga and in the Campeonato de Portugal.

Benfica entered the season aiming to win its first league title while defending the Campeonato de Portugal and reclaiming the Campeonato de Lisboa. Under manager Vítor Gonçalves, the team performed strongly throughout the regional and national competitions, ultimately winning the Campeonato da Liga after a decisive victory over Sporting in April. In the Campeonato de Portugal, Benfica reached the semi-finals but were eliminated by Belenenses, falling short of securing what would have been the first national double.

Benfica entered the season seeking to win its first league title, defend the Campeonato de Portugal title it had secured the previous year, and reclaim the Campeonato de Lisboa. Manager Vítor Gonçalves remained in charge for his second season. During the off-season, Cândido Tavares and Raul Baptista joined the squad, while Tamanqueiro left the club.

Before beginning the Campeonato de Lisboa, Benfica played six preparation matches, recording four wins, one draw and one loss. Five of these games were against local opponents Belenenses,^[1][2] and Sporting.^[3][4]

On 13 October, Benfica hosted Sporting in the Derby de Lisboa in the opening round of the Campeonato de Lisboa, winning 4–0 with Vítor Silva scoring twice.^[5] One week later, the team hosted Belenenses and scored two goals in the first four minutes to take a two-goal lead into half-time, but three second-half goals from the visitors handed Benfica their first defeat of the competition.^[6] The team responded with three consecutive victories, scoring 15 goals and remaining in first place, level on points with Sporting.

On 17 November, Benfica visited Sporting in another edition of the Derby de Lisboa, winning 2–1 with a decisive goal from Domingos Lopes that opened a two-point lead at the top of the table.^[7] The team then travelled to face Belenenses, winning 2–1 after overturning the score with two second-half goals.^[8] This result was followed by two further victories and a defeat to União de Lisboa, leaving Benfica and Sporting tied on points at the end of the competition in December and requiring a decisive playoff match.^[9]

On 12 January, the team hosted Vitória de Setúbal in the opening matchday of the Campeonato da Liga, winning 5–3.^[10] Benfica then faced three decisive fixtures: first, a 2–1 defeat to Belenenses,^[11] followed by a 2–2 away draw with Porto in O Clássico,^[12] and a 4–1 loss to Sporting in the decisive final of the Campeonato de Lisboa.^[13] The team closed the month with a 6–2 away victory over Académica, finishing January in second place, two points behind Sporting.

Benfica began March with a 4–2 away victory over Sporting, climbing to first place in the table,^[14] and followed this result with two further wins. The team closed the month with consecutive draws against Vitória de Setúbal and Belenenses, but still finished March one point ahead of Sporting.^[15]

The decisive month began with a 5–1 win over Porto,^[16] followed by a goalless draw with Carcavelinhos, which left Benfica level on points with Sporting.^[17] The team then defeated Académica, and on 26 April, in a decisive Derby de Lisboa, Benfica beat Sporting 3–1, securing the league title.^[18] In the final match of the campaign, the team visited Boavista, drawing 2–2.

After the end of the league, the team competed in the Campeonato de Portugal, aiming to become the first club to achieve a national double. In the round of 16, Benfica won 7–1 on aggregate against União de Lisboa, advancing to the quarter-finals to face Vitória de Setúbal. In the first leg, the team lost 1–0 away,^[19] but a 3–1 win in the second leg, with a hat-trick from Vítor Silva, qualified the team for the semi-finals.^[20] In the semi-finals, Benfica drew 2–2 at home against Belenenses,^[21] but a 2–1 defeat in the away leg eliminated the team from the competition.^[22]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

As Benfica and Sporting were tied on points, the title was decide in a match between both clubs.

The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Vítor Gonçalves (manager).

Note 1: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Note 2: Players with squad numbers marked ‡ joined the club during the 1935-36 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.