1943–44 S.L. Benfica season

The 1943–44 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 40th season in existence and the club's 10th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 September 1943 to 30 June 1944. Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão, the Taça de Portugal and in the Campeonato de Lisboa.

Benfica entered the season aiming to defend its league and Taça de Portugal titles and to reclaim the Campeonato de Lisboa. Despite a competitive campaign under fifth-year Hungarian coach János Biri, the team finished runners-up in both the regional championship and the national league, falling behind Sporting in the decisive stages. Success came in the Taça de Portugal, where Benfica claimed the trophy for a second consecutive year, with a 8–0 win over Estoril Praia in the final. The season concluded with a 3–2 extra-time defeat to Sporting in the Taça Império.

Benfica entered the season aiming to defend both the league championship and the Taça de Portugal, as well as to reclaim the Campeonato de Lisboa. Hungarian coach János Biri remained in charge for his fifth year at the club. During the off-season, the team strengthened its attack with the arrival of goalscorer Arsénio Duarte.

The team opened its Campeonato de Lisboa campaign with a 5–3 away victory over Os Unidos,^[1] followed by a 5–0 win against Os Fósforos. On 3 October, Benfica travelled to face Sporting in the Derby de Lisboa, earning a 2–2 draw.^[2] The team responded with a 6–2 victory over Atlético, but on the fifth matchday it was surprised by a 4–2 defeat to Belenenses, dropping to third place, three points behind its opponent.^[3]

Benfica responded with two further victories, scoring a total of 11 goals, and on 7 November hosted Sporting in the second Derby of the season, winning 4–3.^[4] A 2–2 draw against Atlético in the following matchday effectively handed the title to Belenenses,^[5] whom Benfica defeated 2–1 in the subsequent round. The team concluded the regional championship in second place.^[6]

Benfica began its league title defense with a 1–1 draw away to Vitória de Setúbal.^[7] The team responded with a victory over Salgueiros, but a 1–1 home draw against Belenenses on the third matchday dropped Benfica to fourth place.^[8] In the following round, the team defeated Vitória de Guimarães, before travelling to face Porto in the first O Clássico of the season. Benfica drew 2–2, with comeback goals from Valadas and Julinho, finishing the year in fourth place, two points behind leaders Sporting.^[9]

Benfica opened the new year with a win over Académica, but a week later suffered a 3–1 defeat to Atlético, falling three points off first place.^[10] In the following week, Benfica hosted Sporting in their first league encounter of the season, winning 5–4 with Joaquim Teixeira scoring four goals, reducing the gap to two points.^[11] The team closed the month with a 5–3 victory over Vitória de Setúbal.

In February, the team recorded three wins and a draw, the last of which was a 6–3 victory over Porto, with Manuel da Costa and Joaquim Teixeira each scoring twice.^[12] Despite the strong run, Benfica remained two points behind Sporting.^[13] In the decisive month of March, the team opened with wins over Académica and Atlético, entering the crucial Derby de Lisboa just one point behind Sporting. In the penultimate matchday, Benfica lost 1–0 away to Sporting, effectively handing the league title to their rivals.^[14] The team concluded the league campaign with a 3–2 away defeat to Olhanense, finishing in second place, five points behind Sporting.

Having lost both the regional and national league titles, Benfica entered the Taça de Portugal seeking to defend its trophy. The team began by defeating Luso Beja 8–2 on aggregate in the round of 16. In the quarter-finals, Benfica faced Belenenses, winning 2–1 away and 8–2 at home.^[15] A 6–1 home victory in the first leg of the semi-finals against Académica,^[16] followed by a 1–1 away draw in the second leg, qualified the team for the final. On 28 May, Benfica defeated Estoril Praia 8–0, with Rogério Pipi scoring five goals, securing its second consecutive Taça de Portugal title.^[17]

On 10 June, Benfica faced Sporting in the Taça Império, a predecessor of the modern Supertaça, losing 3–2 after extra time.^[18]

  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 1943-44 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.