1963–64 S.L. Benfica season

The 1963–64 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 60th season in existence and the club's 30th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1963 to 31 July 1964. Domestically, Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão and Taça de Portugal, while internationally participated in the European Cup.

In Lajos Czeizler’s first season as manager, the squad underwent several changes: new signings included Luciano, Serafim and Iaúca, while Manuel Serra, António Saraiva, António Mendes and former captain José Águas departed. The league title race remained closely contested, but Benfica led the table for most of the campaign and ultimately secured their 13th championship. In the Taça de Portugal, they advanced to the final and defeated Porto to claim the trophy, while in the Taça de Ouro da Imprensa they beat Sporting, winning all three domestic competitions. In the European Cup, however, Benfica were eliminated in the second round by Borussia Dortmund 6–2 on aggregate, following a heavy 5–0 defeat in the second leg, marking their first absence from the final in three years.

Despite winning the league title and reaching the European Cup final, the board of directors opted to part ways with Fernando Riera,^[3] appointing Lajos Czeizler as the new manager.^[4] Perceiving the rise of Italian dominance in Europe (between 1963 and 1965), Benfica hired Czeizler from Fiorentina. Known for an attacking philosophy similar to Béla Guttmann’s, his side went on to score nearly twice as many goals as the league's runners-up.^[5] Seeking to strengthen the squad's physical capabilities, the club signed Luciano, Iaúca and Serafim, while António Saraiva, António Mendes, Manuel Serra and former captain José Águas all departed.

Pre-season began on 31 August with participation in the Ramón de Carranza Trophy. In the semi-finals, Benfica defeated Barcelona, winners of the 1958 and 1960 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup, by 3–2.^[6] The following day, they won the final against Fiorentina, champions of the 1961 Cup Winners' Cup, with a 7–3 victory after extra time,^[6] in which Torres scored a hat-trick, Iaúca added two goals, and Serafim and Eusébio one each.

Benfica then played two fixtures of the José Águas tribute tour, defeating Porto 3–2 and Alhandra 6–0. Two further matches in the same tour were held later in November: a 1–0 loss to Stoke City and a 5–3 defeat to Sunderland. Still in September, a 1–0 victory over Belenenses sent Benfica to the final of the Taça de Honra, where they lost 3–0 to Sporting.

The official season opened on 22 September with a 12–1 aggregate win over Luso in the first round of the Taça de Portugal. In the European Cup preliminary round, Benfica drew 3–3 away against Distillery^[7] before winning 5–0 at home.^[8]

October brought a 17–1 aggregate win over SC Vianense in the Taça de Portugal and successive league wins over Seixal, Académica and Barreirense. Benfica closed November with a 2–2 home draw against Porto,^[9] finishing the month level on points with Belenenses at the top of the table. In the European Cup, they defeated Borussia Dortmund 2–1 at home,^[10] a match in which they created many opportunities but struggled with finishing, but suffered a heavy 5–0^[11][12] defeat in Germany, leading to their earliest European Cup exit in three years.

In December, Benfica recorded two league wins and a draw, but lost 3–1 away to Sporting,^[13] concluding the calendar year in first place with a two-point lead. The team responded strongly in January with four consecutive victories, scoring 19 goals and conceding only three, extending their advantage to four points^[14]

In February Benfica continued their strong form with wins over Seixal, Académica and Barreirense, along with an away draw against Porto. Over the month's fixtures they scored 24 goals, extending their lead at the top of the table to five points.^[15] In March victories over Belenenses, Vitória de Guimarães, and Lusitano de Évora consolidated their advantage, despite a 2–2 home draw with Sporting.^[16] In the same month, Benfica (1962-63 league champions) faced Sporting (1962-63 Taça de Portugal winners) in the Taça de Ouro da Imprensa, claiming a 3kg gold trophhy after a 5–0 win.^[17]

Benfica opened April with a home win over CUF, securing their 13th league title with two matches left to play.^[18] They closed the campaign with two further wins, finishing six points clear of Porto. Before returning to the Taça de Portugal, the team faced Torino in the final match of the José Águas tribute tour, winning 4–1. In the Taça de Portugal, Benfica defeated Salgueiros (4–1 on aggregate), Lusitano de Évora (11–2 on aggregate), and Belenenses (6–1 on aggregate), to reach the final. On 5 July, Benfica defeated Porto 6–2 at the Estádio Nacional to lift the trophy, securing the domestic double (dobradinha), and winning all domestic competitions^[19]

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

Source:^[26]

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 1963–64 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.