1949–50 S.L. Benfica season

The 1949–50 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 46th season in existence and the club's 16th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1949 to 30 July 1950. Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão and in the Latin Cup.

The season saw the club end a four-year league title drought, winning the Primeira Divisão under manager Ted Smith in his second year in charge. The team led the championship for most of the campaign and secured the title with two matches remaining. Benfica also competed in the Latin Cup, defeating Lazio and Bordeaux to win the tournament on home soil.

Benfica entered the season seeking to reclaim the league title after a four-year drought. Manager Ted Smith, who had won the Taça de Portugal in the previous season, remained in charge for a second year. The off-season featured several departures, including that of Álvaro Gaspar Pinto. Only two players joined the squad, Raul Pascoal and António Lourenço.

Before the first official match of the season, Benfica played seven friendlies, recording three wins, two defeats and two draws. These included a 1–0 loss to Sporting.^[1]

Benfica's first official match of the season was a 3–2 away win over Braga.^[2] The team followed this with three further victories, finishing October in first place with eight points, level with Sporting.^[3] The following month began with a 1–1 home draw against Académica, and was followed by a 1–0 away defeat to O Elvas, which left the team in second place, one point behind Sporting.^[4] Benfica then recorded three consecutive wins, once again returning to first place with the same number of points as Sporting.^[5]

On 11 December, Benfica played Sporting away in the Derby de Lisboa, winning 2–1 and moving into first place outright for the first time that season.^[6] The team followed this result with a 6–1 home win over Vitória de Setúbal^[7] and a 1–0 away win against Porto in O Clássico.^[8] Benfica ended January with two more wins and a draw, finishing the month with a four-point advantage.^[9]

Between league fixtures, Benfica, along with other Portuguese clubs, faced the Argentinian sides San Lorenzo and Racing at the Estádio Nacional, losing 5–2 to the former,^[10] and winning 4–2 against the latter.^[11] February began with a 1–1 draw against Belenenses,^[12] after which the team recorded a six-match winning streak, ending March with an eight-point advantage and four matches remaining.^[13]

On 16 April, Benfica hosted Sporting at the Estádio do Campo Grande in a decisive Derby de Lisboa. A victory would have secured the league title for Benfica, but Sporting won the match 3–2.^[14] In the following matchday, a 5–0 victory away to Vitória de Setúbal secured the championship for Benfica, ending a four-year title drought.^[15] The team ended the campaign with two further wins, against Porto and Covilhã.

As league champions, Benfica qualified for the Latin Cup. Due to the competition being staged at the Estádio Nacional, the Taça de Portugal was not held that season. In preparation for the tournament, the team played four friendly matches, winning all of them, including a 3–2 victory over Sporting at the inauguration of the Estádio 28 de Maio.^[16] In the semi-final, Benfica faced the Italian representatives Lazio, winning 3–0. Rosário opened the scoring in the seventh minute, followed by a goal from Rogério Pipi in the 27th minute. In the second half, Arsénio added a third to seal the victory and send the team into the final.^[17]

The following day, Benfica met the French champions Bordeaux in the final at the Estádio Nacional. The match ended in a 3–3 draw, requiring a replay.^[18] On 18 June, the two teams met again at the Estádio Nacional. Bordeaux took an early lead through Kargu in the eighth minute and held a 1–0 advantage at half-time. Benfica were unable to equalise until the 90th minute, when Arsénio scored to force extra time. After a goalless first period of sudden-death extra time, the match proceeded to a second period, during which Julinho scored in the 146th minute to give Benfica the victory and secure the trophy on home soil.^[19]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

The Cup was not organized in the 1949–50 season because the Estádio Nacional was the host venue for the Latin Cup.

The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Ted Smith (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 1949-50 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.