1964–65 S.L. Benfica season

The 1964–65 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 61st season in existence and the club's 31st consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1964 to 31 July 1965. Domestically, Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão and Taça de Portugal, while internationally participated in the European Cup.

In Elek Schwartz's first season as manager, the squad underwent several changes: Zé Rita departed, while Alfredo Nascimento, José Melo, Malta da Silva, José Perides, Félix Guerreiro, and Arcanjo joined the club. In the league, Benfica remained in first place for the majority of the season, securing key wins against rivals such as Sporting and Porto, and ultimately clinching the league title with a comfortable margin. The club also competed in the Taça de Portugal, reaching the final and losing 3–1 to Vitória de Setúbal.

In the European Cup, Benfica achieved a notable 5–1 victory over Real Madrid in a rematch of the 1962 final, before reaching its fourth European Cup final, which was held at San Siro against Inter Milan, and ended in a 1–0 defeat amid difficult, waterlogged pitch conditions.

Like in the previous season, despite winning the league, the Taça de Portugal, and the Taça de Ouro, Benfica's early elimination in the first round of the European Cup led the board of directors to part ways with Lajos Czeizler and appoint Elek Schwartz as the new manager.^[2] To strengthen the squad, the summer transfer window saw the arrivals of Alfredo Nascimento, José Melo, Malta da Silva, José Perides, Félix Guerreiro, and Arcanjo.

Pre-season began on 22 August with a 2–1 home loss to Athletic Bilbao. Benfica then participated in the Ramón de Carranza Trophy, defeating Real Madrid—winners of the 1963–64 La Liga and runners-up in the 1963–64 European Cup—2–1 in the semi-finals, before losing 2–1 after extra time to Real Betis in the final. Later, a 3–0 victory over Sporting sent Benfica to the final of the Taça de Honra, where they defeated Belenenses 7–1.

The official season began on 13 September with a 12–2 aggregate win over Atlético in the first round of the Taça de Portugal. In the European Cup, Benfica faced FC Aris Bonnevoie in the preliminary round, winning 5–1 away and repeating the same scoreline at home. In the next round of the Taça de Portugal, Benfica defeated Porto 4–1 at home^[3] and drew 1–1 away,^[4] advancing to the following round.

October opened with a 5–0 league win over Lusitano de Évora, followed by a 3–0 home victory against Sporting, with two goals from José Torres and one from Eusébio.^[5] Two consecutive draws with Leixões and CUF left the club with six points, two behind leaders Vitória de Setúbal. November began with a draw against Académica, followed by wins over Braga and Belenenses. In Europe, Benfica faced Chaux-de-Fonds, drawing 1–1 away^[6] and winning 5–0 at home.^[7]

The following month, Benfica won all four league games, including a 4–0 home win over Porto,^[8] followed by two more victories in January, finishing the first half of the season four points ahead of second-place Académica.^[9] To close the month, the team recorded two draws: 2–2 away against Lusitano de Évora and Sporting.^[10]

In February, Benfica recorded three league wins and one loss, reducing their lead to five points. The highlight of the season came in the European Cup quarter-finals, in a rematch of the 1962 European Cup final against five-time winners Real Madrid. Benfica won 5–1, with José Augusto opening the scoring, Eusébio adding two goals, and Simões and Coluna scoring one each.^[11] March began with two more league victories, but was followed by two defeats: a 1–0 away loss to Porto^[12] and a 2–1 loss to Real Madrid.^[13] The month ended with a 5–0 league win over Varzim, leaving Benfica with a four-point lead and a place in the European Cup semi-finals with three league games remaining.

In the following month, a 2–1 away victory over Vitória de Setúbal practically secured the league title for Benfica, with two matches remaining, both of which the team also won. In the European Cup, they faced Győri ETO FC, winning both matches with a 5–0 aggregate and setting up a final against Inter Milan.^[14]

On 27 May 1965, Benfica played Inter Milan in the European Cup final at Inter's home ground, San Siro. The club had previously contested UEFA's decision to stage the final in Milan, arguing it gave Inter a home advantage, and even suggested that, in the event of a draw, a replay should be held in Lisbon.^[15] The match itself was preceded by further controversy over the state of the pitch, which had been heavily affected by rain; many considered the field unfit for play, but the game went ahead.^[16] Inter won 1–0 following a mistake by goalkeeper Costa Pereira.^[17] Some sources note that, from the moment UEFA awarded the final to San Siro, Inter benefited from a significant home advantage, which helped them adapt better to the muddy, waterlogged conditions than Benfica could.^[18][19]

Benfica resumed its participation in the Taça de Portugal, eliminating Olhanense in the quarter-finals and Braga in the semi-finals, before losing 3–1 in the final to Vitória de Setúbal.^[20]

After the end of the official season, Benfica concluded their international commitments by drew with Vasco da Gama at the Maracanã, and lost 2–1 to Galicia F.C in Caracas, and competing in the Small Club World Cup in Venezuela, where they defeated Atlético Madrid.

  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 1964–65 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.