1944–45 S.L. Benfica season

The 1944–45 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 41th season in existence and the club's 11th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 September 1944 to 30 June 1945. Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão, the Taça de Portugal and in the Campeonato de Lisboa.

Benfica entered the season seeking to defend the Taça de Portugal and reclaim both the league title and the Campeonato de Lisboa. After finishing runners-up in the regional championship, the team excelled in the national league, securing its sixth Primeira Divisão title with a three-point advantage over its rivals. In the Taça de Portugal, Benfica reached the semi-finals, where they were eliminated by Sporting after a three-match tie.

Benfica entered the season aiming to defend the Taça de Portugal title won in the previous campaign, as well as to reclaim both the league championship and the Campeonato de Lisboa. Hungarian coach János Biri remained in charge for his sixth consecutive year at the club. During the off-season, the squad was reinforced with the arrivals of Félix Antunes and Francisco Moreira.

The team opened its Campeonato de Lisboa campaign with a 6–3 victory over Estoril Praia, followed by wins against Atlético and CUF. These results set up two decisive early fixtures. First, Benfica hosted Belenenses, losing 1–0,^[1] and one week later contested the first Derby de Lisboa of the season, falling 3–2 to Sporting. With these consecutive defeats, the team dropped to third place, three points behind the league leaders.^[2]

The team responded with three consecutive victories over Estoril Praia, Atlético and CUF, scoring a total of 15 goals. Benfica followed this run with a 4–2 away win against Belenenses,^[3] entering the final matchday two points behind Sporting. In a decisive title encounter, Benfica travelled to face Sporting, losing 2–1 and finishing the competition in second place.^[4]

Benfica opened its league campaign with a 2–0 win over Estoril Praia, followed by another victory before visiting Sporting in the Derby de Lisboa, where they won 2–0 to move level on points with Olhanense at the top of the table.^[5] In the following matchday, the team travelled to face Belenenses, securing a 3–1 victory.^[6] Benfica closed the year with a home draw against Olhanense and a 4–3 away defeat to Porto, but still finished the year in first place, one point ahead of Porto.^[7]

The new year began with an 8–3 away victory over Vitória de Setúbal, with Espírito Santo scoring a hat-trick.^[8] The team then added further wins against Salgueiros and Vitória de Guimarães, scoring 13 goals across the two matches, before dropping points in a 1–1 draw with Estoril Praia, ending January still in first place, holding a two-point lead.^[9]

Benfica began February with a 6–2 victory over Académica, followed by a 4–1 home win against Sporting.^[10] However, a 2–1 home defeat to Belenenses in the next matchday reduced the team’s lead to a single point over its opponent.^[11] Benfica closed the month with a 3–1 win against Olhanense.

On 18 March, Benfica hosted Porto in the second O Clássico of the season, securing a 7–2 victory,^[12] and maintaining a one-point lead. A Belenenses defeat in the 15th matchday, followed by Benfica's 7–2 win over Vitória de Setúbal, extended Benfica’s advantage to three points with two matches remaining.^[13] A 6–0 victory against Salgueiros secured the league title, and the team concluded the campaign with a win over Vitória de Guimarães, finishing three points clear at the top.^[14]

After securing the league title, Benfica turned its attention to the Taça de Portugal, beginning with a round-of-16 tie against Salgueiros. The team lost the first leg 4–2,^[15] but overturned the deficit with a 9–1 victory in the second leg.^[16] In the quarter-finals, Benfica defeated Belenenses 7–1 in the first leg,^[17] before losing 5–4 in the return match,^[18] advancing on aggregate. In the semi-finals, a 2–1 away win over Sporting gave Benfica the advantage,^[19] but a 3–2 home defeat in the second leg forced a play-off.^[20] The decisive match was played on Sporting’s home ground, where Benfica was eliminated following a 1–0 loss.^[21]

  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 1944-45 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.