1962–63 S.L. Benfica season

The 1962–63 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 59th season in existence and the club's 29th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1962 to 31 July 1963. Domestically, Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão and Taça de Portugal, while internationally thet team took part in the European Cup as defending champions. As the reigning European Cup holders, they represented Europe in the Intercontinental Cup.

It was the club's first season under manager Fernando Riera. The squad was reinforced with the arrival of Pedras, while Mário João departed. The season began with a loss in the Intercontinental Cup to Santos. In the league, however, they recovered to finish first, one point ahead of Sporting and Porto. The title race was close throughout, but Benfica clinched the championship with a game to spare.

In Europe, Benfica eliminated FK Dukla Prague in the quarter-finals with a 2–1 aggregate victory. In the semi-finals against Feyenoord, they secured progress with a 3–1 aggregate win. On 22 May 1963, Benfica faced A.C. Milan in the final at Wembley Stadium. Eusébio opened the scoring, but two second-half goals from the Italians gave Milan the European Cup.^[1] The season concluded with elimination in the semi-finals of the Taça de Portugal, against rivals Sporting.

After a highly successful 1961–62 campaign, in which Benfica won its second European Cup^[2] and the Taça de Portugal,^[3] Béla Guttmann^[4] departed from the club, and was replaced by Chilean coach Fernando Riera^[5]

The main change in the squad was the arrival of Pedras, while Mário João departed. Pre-season began with a Scandinavian tour from 21 August to 4 September, followed by a 3–2 loss to Inter Milan in Italy, on 6 September, with goals from Simões and Águas. Shortly after, they faced Deportivo de La Coruña in the Teresa Herrera Trophy, losing 4–2 despite goals from Simões and José Augusto.

In the Taça de Honra, Benfica beat Sporting CP before defeating Atlético 4–0 in the final. The official season began on 19 September in the Intercontinental Cup against Santos. Despite a 3–2 away loss in the first leg, hopes were high for the return match in Lisbon. However, Pelé scored a hat-trick as Santos won 5–2.^[6] Between the two legs, Benfica lost 3–2 to Manchester United at Old Trafford, and defeated Hamburger SV 4–3 in Germany.

In October, Benfica started the league with three straight wins, but a 2–1 home defeat to Porto^[7] in November dropped them to second place, one point behind. In the European Cup, Benfica eliminated IFK Norrköping in the first round.^[8] By the end of the calendar year, four league wins and a draw saw them climb to first place with a one-point advantage.

The new year began with two 4–3 victories, against Vitória de Guimarães away and Sporting at home,^[9] with José Torres scoring a brace in the latter. Wins over Barreirense and Lusitano de Évora kept Benfica one point ahead of Porto. In February, victories against Belenenses and Académica, plus a home draw with Olhanense, left them level on points with Porto. Benfica then beat Porto 2–1 at Estádio das Antas, opening a two-point lead by the end of the month.^[10]

In March, Benfica won all five league games, extending the lead to three points. In the European Cup, they overcame FK Dukla Prague with a 2–1 home win and a 0–0 draw away, advancing to the semi-finals. In April, they recorded a 6–2 home win over Vitória de Guimarães, drew 0–0 away to Feyenoord, and beat Sporting 3–1 at Alvalade,^[11] reaching 44 points, four ahead of Porto with two matches remaining.

On 5 May, an 8–1 win over Barreirense secured Benfica its twelfth league title with one round remaining. Shortly after, they defeated Feyenoord 3–1 in Lisbon to qualify for their third consecutive European Cup final. On 22 May 1963, at Wembley Stadium, Eusébio gave Benfica the lead in the 19th minute against AC Milan. José Altafini equalised in the 58th minute. Two minutes later, Gino Pivatelli committed a foul on Mário Coluna, injuring Benfica's captain. Altafini scored again in the 69th minute, and Milan won 2–1 to claim its first European Cup.^[12]

In June, Benfica turned to the Taça de Portugal. They defeated Marinhense 8–1 on aggregate to set up a semi-final derby with Sporting. Benfica won the first leg 1–0 at Alvalade, but Sporting won 2–0 in the return leg, eliminating Benfica from the competition.

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Fernando Riera (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 1962–63 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.