1942–43 S.L. Benfica season

The 1942–43 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 39th season in existence and the club's 9th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 September 1942 to 30 June 1943. Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão, the Taça de Portugal and in the Campeonato de Lisboa.

Benfica entered the season as defending league champions and went on to secure its fifth Primeira Divisão title under Hungarian coach János Biri. Despite finishing second in the Campeonato de Lisboa, the team produced a strong league campaign, highlighted by a record 12–2 win over Porto and decisive victories against title rivals Sporting CP and Belenenses. Benfica completed the season by winning the Taça de Portugal for the second time, defeating Vitória de Setúbal 5–1 in the final, completing the first league and cup double in the club's history.

Benfica entered the season seeking to defend its league title, as well as to reclaim both the Taça de Portugal and the Campeonato de Lisboa, competitions it had been unable to win in the previous two campaigns. Hungarian coach János Biri remained in charge for his fourth year at the club. During the off-season, Francisco Rodrigues, the club's top scorer in the previous three seasons, with 99 goals in 88 matches, departed for Vitória de Setúbal. Francisco Elói also left for Estoril Praia, while Julinho joined from Académico and Rogério Pipi arrived from Chelas.

Before the start of the Campeonato de Lisboa, Benfica played four friendlies, drawing three and losing one. The team opened the regional championship with a 5–1 win over Atlético.^[1] In the following matchday, Benfica dropped points in a 3–3 draw with Os Unidos,^[2] but responded with an 8–1 victory over Os Fósforos. On 1 November, Benfica hosted Sporting in the first Derby de Lisboa of the season, winning 4–1 and moving into first place,^[3] level on points with Belenenses. The team followed up this result with a 4–1 loss to Belenenses,^[4] and three wins, scoring 15 goals, but remaining tied on points with both Belenenses and Sporting.

In the ninth matchday, Benfica visited Sporting in a decisive championship match, losing 3–2 and consequently needing both rivals to drop points in the final round.^[5] In the last matchday, a 3–0 victory over Belenenses secured second place for Benfica in the regional competition.^[6] The team closed the year with three preparation matches ahead of the Primeira Divisão, winning two and losing one.

Benfica began its league title defense with a 3–2 win over Os Unidos,^[7] and followed this result with three additional victories, scoring twelve goals and finishing January in first place, level on points with Belenenses.^[8] In the opening match of February, Benfica hosted Porto in the season's first O Clássico, winning 12–2. Valadas and Teixeira each scored twice, while Julinho netted five goals, marking the largest margin of victory in Clássico history.^[9] The team maintained its form with wins over Belenenses and Leixões, but closed the month with a 3–2 loss to Sporting,^[10] though still finishing February at the top of the table with a two-point lead.

Benfica opened March with three consecutive victories, scoring twelve goals, but on the 28th a 5–1 defeat to Vitória de Guimarães reduced the team's lead to a single point.^[11] A 7–1 win over CUF and, on 11 April, a 4–2 away victory against Porto,^[12] allowed Benfica to retain its advantage at the top. However, a 5–2 away loss to Belenenses^[13] dropped the team to third place, one point behind the leader Sporting.

The team began May with a 4–2 away win over Leixões, followed a week later by a decisive 2–1 victory over Sporting in the Derby de Lisboa.^[14] With this result, Benfica climbed back into first place and moved within reach of the league title. A 4–3 away win against Académica in the following match secured Benfica's fifth league championship.^[15]

After securing the league title, the team entered the Taça de Portugal, beginning with a 7–1 victory over Vitória de Guimarães in the round of 16. A 5–2 win against Os Unidos in the quarter-finals qualified Benfica for the semi-finals, setting up the fifth Derby de Lisboa of the season. A 3–2 away win in the semi-final, with Francisco Pires scoring twice, sent Benfica through to the final.^[16] On 20 June, Benfica faced Vitória de Setúbal in the final, winning 5–1 with Julinho scoring a brace, and completing the first league and cup double in the club's history.^[17]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member János Biri (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 1942–43 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.