1959–60 S.L. Benfica season

The 1959–60 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 56th season in existence and the club's 26th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1959 to 30 July 1960. Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão and in the Taça de Portugal.

The season marked the arrival of manager Béla Guttmann, who began reshaping the squad after the club had narrowly missed the previous league title. The team responded with a strong campaign, securing their tenth Primeira Divisão championship, matching Sporting's record, losing only one league match in the season. In the Taça de Portugal, Benfica reached the semi-finals, where they were eliminated by Sporting. The season also saw the emergence of several key players who would become central to the team's success in the years that followed.

After losing the league title on the final matchday, finishing level on points but with a lower goal difference than Porto, Benfica appointed Béla Guttmann as their new manager,^[1] replacing Otto Glória, who had coached the club for the previous five seasons. The off-season saw several departures, including long-time goalkeeper José Bastos, Mascarenhas, Fernando Caiado (who became Guttmann's assistant), António Hilário, Salvador Martins and Chino. Incoming transfers included Fernando Cruz, António Saraiva, José Augusto and José Torres.

The first match of the pre-season was a 2–1 victory over CUF in the Arsénio Duarte Tribute Game. Benfica then defeated Real Oviedo 1–0 before taking part in the Taça de Honra semi-finals, where they lost 1–0 to Belenenses. They concluded the tournament by beating Atlético CP 1–0 in the third-place match.^[2]

The official season began with a 4–1 home win over Vitória de Setúbal,^[3] followed by victories against Braga, Lusitano de Évora, and Boavista. Benfica then drew 1–1 away to Vitória de Guimarães,^[4] and concluded October with a 2–1 win over S.C. Covilhã, finishing the month with a two-point lead over Sporting.^[5]

In November, Benfica won all three of its league matches. On 6 December, the team hosted Porto at the Estádio da Luz, winning 2–1,^[6] and later drew 1–1 with Sporting at the Estádio José Alvalade.^[7] A subsequent 1–1 draw with Leixões, was followed by a 13–1 aggregate victory over Desportivo de Beja in the first round of the Taça de Portugal.

The new year began with a goalless draw against Belenenses,^[8] leaving Benfica level on points with Sporting at the top of the table at mid-season.^[9] The team then started a winning run from 10 January to 27 March, recording nine league victories and three wins in the Taça de Portugal. They ended March with a two-point lead in the league and a one-goal advantage in their Taça de Portugal round-of-16 tie.

April opened with two decisive league fixtures. Benfica first met Porto in O Clássico at the Estádio das Antas, drawing 2–2,^[10] a result that reduced their lead over Sporting to a single point.^[10] They then hosted Sporting in the Derby de Lisboa at the Estádio da Luz, winning 4–3 and extending the advantage to three points with two matches remaining.^[11] On the following matchday, Benfica defeated Leixões 2–1 to secure their tenth league title, drawing level with Sporting, who had overtaken Benfica's record two years earlier.^[12] In the final matchday, Benfica hosted Belenenses with the chance of becoming the first undefeated champion. Although Benfica took the lead, two goals from the visitors ended that possibility,^[13] leaving the club to wait until the 1972–73 campaign to achieve the feat.

Benfica concluded the season by resuming their campaign in the Taça de Portugal, defeating Angrense 12–0 on aggregate in the quarter-finals and setting up a Derby de Lisboa semi-final against Sporting. In the first leg, played at the Estádio José Alvalade, Benfica lost 3–0, with Fernando Cruz sent off when the team was trailing 1–0.^[14] A goalless draw in the second leg resulted in Benfica's elimination from the competition.^[15]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Béla Guttman (manager), Fernando Cabrita (assistant 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 1959-60 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.