1965–66 S.L. Benfica season
| 1965–66 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| President | António Catarino Duarte (until 17 June 1966) José Ferreira Queimado | ||
| Head coach | Béla Guttmann | ||
| Stadium | Estádio da Luz | ||
| Primeira Divisão | 2nd | ||
| Taça de Portugal | Quarter-finals | ||
| European Cup | Quarter-finals | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Eusébio (25) All: Eusébio (37) | ||
| Biggest win | Benfica 10–0 Stade Dudelange (5 October 1965) | ||
| Biggest defeat | Benfica 1–5 Manchester United (9 March 1966) | ||
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The 1965–66 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 62st season in existence and the club's 32st consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1965 to 31 July 1966. Domestically, Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão and Taça de Portugal, while internationally participated in the European Cup.
Béla Guttmann returned for a fourth season as manager, the squad underwent several changes: Ângelo Martins and Domingos Fernandes departed, while Alfredo José Ferreira Pinto and Nélson Fernandes joined the club. Amidst high expectations what followed was a disappoint seson finishing second in the league, being eliminated in the quarter-finals of the Taça de Portugal, and losing 8–3 on aggregate to Manchester United in the European Cup, failing to qualify for the European Cup for the first time five years.
Season summary
Like in the previous three seasons, despite winning the league, failure to achieve Benfica's main objective, the European Cup, led the board of directors to part ways with Elek Schwartz and bring back two-time European Cup winner Béla Guttmann.[1]
During the summer transfer window, the squad underwent several changes: Ângelo Martins and Domingos Fernandes departed, while Alfredo José Ferreira Pinto and Nélson Fernandes joined the team.
Pre-season started with a participation in the Ramón de Carranza Trophy, where Benfica defeated Real Betis 2–1 in the semi-finals before losing 3–2 to Real Zaragoza in the final. Next they overcame Belenenses 4–3 to reach the final of the Taça de Honra, but were defeated 2–1 by Sporting.
The official season began on 12 September with a 2–2 draw against Académica in the opening round of the Primeira Divisão, followed by a 2–0 win over CUF and a 2–0 away loss to Porto.[2] In European competition, Benfica defeated Stade Dudelange 18–0 on aggregate.
In October, Benfica began with league victories over Varzim and Lusitano de Évora, but then suffered a 4–2 home defeat to Sporting,[3] left the team in fourth place, three points behind the leaders. In November, Benfica opened with a 2–0 win over Oliveirense in the first round of the Taça de Portugal. This was followed by a draw in the second round of the European Cup against Levski Sofia, a league draw with Beira-Mar, and an 8–2 victory over Barreirense. The month ended with Benfica in third place, four points of first place.
In December, Benfica won their first three league matches, but a 4–4 draw with Vitória de Setúbal[4] meant the gap to the top remained at four points. In Europe, after the first-leg draw, Benfica defeated Levski Sofia 3–2 to advance to the quarter-finals. Benfica began the new year with a 2–0 win over Belenenses, closing the first half of the league season with 19 points, four behind Sporting. In January, the team recorded three more victories, including a 3–1 win over Porto,[5] reducing the gap to two points. However, a 1–1 draw with Varzim at the end of the month saw the difference increase again to three points. February brought mixed results: four consecutive league wins, including a 2–0 away victory over Sporting,[6] allowed Benfica to draw level on points with their rivals. In the European Cup, the team travelled to England to face Manchester United, losing 3–2.[7] Following a strong February, March proved disappointing. In the league, a 2–1 win over Leixões was followed by a 3–2 away defeat to Vitória de Guimarães, dropping Benfica to second place, one point behind Sporting. In the Taça de Portugal, a 2–2 away draw and a 5–1 home victory over Portimonense secured passage to the quarter-finals. In Europe, however, a 5–1 home defeat to Manchester United eliminated the team from the European Cup.[8]
After a difficult month, Benfica closed the league campaign with two wins and a draw in their final three matches, finishing in second place, one point behind Sporting.[9] In the Taça de Portugal, a 5–4 aggregate defeat in the quarter-finals led to elimination,[10] marking the club's first trophyless season in eight years.
Competitions
Win Draw Loss Postponed
Overall record
| Competition | First match | Last match | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | Source | |||
| Primeira Divisão | 12 September 1965 | 1 May 1966 | 26 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 73 | 30 | +43 | 69.23 | [11] |
| Taça de Portugal | 6 November 1965 | 17 April 1966 | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 17 | 9 | +8 | 66.67 | [12] |
| European Cup | 30 September 1965 | 9 March 1966 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 26 | 12 | +14 | 50.00 | [13] |
| Total | 38 | 25 | 7 | 6 | 116 | 51 | +65 | 65.79 | |||
Primeira Divisão
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sporting CP (C) | 26 | 18 | 6 | 2 | 70 | 21 | +49 | 42 | Qualification to European Cup first round |
| 2 | Benfica | 26 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 73 | 30 | +43 | 41 | Qualification to Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 3 | Porto | 26 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 41 | 25 | +16 | 34 | |
| 4 | Vitória de Guimarães | 26 | 14 | 5 | 7 | 58 | 47 | +11 | 33 | |
| 5 | Vitória de Setúbal | 26 | 11 | 7 | 8 | 51 | 36 | +15 | 29 | Qualification to Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
Results by round
Matches
| 12 September 1965 1 | Académica | 2–2 | Benfica | Lisbon |
| 17:00 | Ernesto 19' Vítor Campos 44' |
Report | Eusébio 16', 43' | Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Coimbra Referee: Francisco Guerra |
| 19 September 1965 2 | Benfica | 6-1 | CUF | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 27', 46', 47' Pedras 36' Yaúca 39' Coluna 71' |
Report | Mário João 10' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Aniceto Nogueira |
| 26 September 1965 3 | Porto | 2–0 | Benfica | Porto |
| Naftal 32' Nóbrega 73' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio das Antas Referee: Encarnação Salgado |
| 3 October 1965 4 | Benfica | 1–0 | Varzim | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 36' | Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Virgílio Baptista |
| 10 October 1965 5 | Lusitano de Évora | 1–2 | Benfica | Évora |
| Vaz 89' | Report | Torres 63' Pedras 69' |
Stadium: Campo Estrela Referee: Porfírio Silva |
| 17 October 1965 6 | Benfica | 2–4 | Sporting | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 18' Torres 88' |
Report | Lourenço 16', 40', 68', 77' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Aníbal Oliveira |
| 14 November 1965 7 | Beira-Mar | 1–1 | Benfica | Aveiro |
| Gaio 46' | Report | Coluna 79' | Stadium: Estádio Mário Duarte Referee: João Pinto Ferreira |
| 28 November 1965 8 | Benfica | 8–2 | Barreirense | Lisbon |
| Nélson Fernandes 1' Torres 13', 20', 28', 42', 74' Coluna 51' Raúl Machado 63' |
Report | Ludovico 25', 87' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Manuel Fortunato |
| 5 December 1965 9 | Leixões | 0–1 | Benfica | Matosinhos |
| Report | Torres 31' | Stadium: Estádio das Antas Referee: António Amaro |
| 12 December 1965 10 | Benfica | 4–2 | Vitória de Guimarães | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 27', 50' Torres 51', 74' |
Report | Mário Vieira 73' Peres 78' (penalty) |
Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Encarnação Salgado |
| 19 December 1965 11 | Benfica | 4–1 | Braga | Lisbon |
| Mário dos Santos 33' (penalty) Eusébio 39' (penalty) 60' Augusto 74' |
Report | Bino 49' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 26 December 1965 12 | Vitória de Setúbal | 4–4 | Benfica | Setúbal |
| Carlos Manuel 13', 48', 57' José Maria 66' |
Report | Augusto 3', 86' Torres 77' Eusébio 87' |
| 2 January 1966 13 | Benfica | 2–0 | Belenenses | Lisbon |
| Simões 34', 79' | Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: João Pinto Ferreira |
| 9 January 1966 14 | Benfica | 4–0 | Académica | Lisbon |
| Simões 1', 89' Eusébio 51' Augusto 73' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Virgílio Baptista |
| 16 January 1966 15 | CUF | 1–3 | Benfica | Barreiro |
| José Monteiro 86' | Report | Nélson Fernandes 29' Augusto 51' (penalty) Torres 77' |
Stadium: Estádio Alfredo da Silva Referee: Renato Santos |
| 23 January 1966 16 | Benfica | 3–1 | Porto | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 12' (penalty) 38' Torres 67' |
Report | Manuel António 52' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Manuel Fortunato |
| 7 February 1966 18 | Benfica | 1–0 | Lusitano de Évora | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 48' (penalty) | Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 13 February 1966 19 | Sporting | 0–2 | Benfica | Lisbon |
| Report | Eusébio 53' Torres 73' |
Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade Referee: Virgílio Baptista |
| 13 February 1966 20 | Benfica | 5–0 | Beira-Mar | Lisbon |
| Nélson Fernandes 24' Eusébio 25', 56', 77' Torres 41' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Virgílio Baptista |
| 27 February 1966 21 | Barreirense | 1–7 | Benfica | Torres Vedras |
| Ludovico 75' | Report | Torres 10', 30' Simões 12' Eusébio 42' Augusto 57', 61', 63' |
Referee: João Pinto Ferreira |
| 5 March 1966 22 | Benfica | 2–0 | Leixões | Lisbon |
| Torres 22' Nélson Fernandes 76' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Encarnação Salgado |
| 28 March 1966 23 | Vitória de Guimarães | 3–2 | Benfica | Guimarães |
| António Mendes 19' Paulino 41' Peres 58' |
Report | Eusébio 54' Simões 68' |
Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques |
| 24 April 1966 25 | Benfica | 3–2 | Vitória de Setúbal | Lisbon |
| Simões 7' Eusébio 53' Carriço 55' (o.g) |
Report | Fernando Tomé 4' Jaime Graça 69' |
Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Fernando Santos |
| 1 May 1966 26 | Belenenses | 1–3 | Benfica | Belém |
| Ramos 40' | Report | Augusto 46', 76' Eusébio 85' |
Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
Taça de Portugal
First round
| 6 November 1965 | Benfica | 2–0 | Oliveirense | Lisbon |
| Nélson Fernandes 3' Jacinto Santos 79' (penalty) |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: João Calado |
Second round
| 1 December 1965 | Alhandra | 1–4 | Benfica | Lisbon |
| Report | Nélson Fernandes 48' Iaúca 53' Félix Guerreiro 60' Jacinto Santos 83' (penalty) |
Stadium: Estádio Engenheiro Carlos Salema Referee: Salvador Garcia |
Third Round
| 13 March 1966 First leg | Portimonense | 2–2 | Benfica | Portimão |
| Fernando Ramos 17' Arquimino Galhardo 20' |
Report | Yaúca 24', 70' |
| 20 March 1966 Second leg | Benfica | 5–1 (7–3 agg.) | Portimonense | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 24', 29', 78' Nélson Fernandes 73', 84' |
Report | Carlitos 75' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Braga Barros |
Quarter-finals
| 10 April 1966 First leg | Braga | 4–1 | Benfica | Braga |
| Adão Craveiro 53' (61) Bino 63' Miguel Perrichon 74' |
Report | Nélson Fernandes 34' | Stadium: Estádio 28 de Maio |
| 17 April 1966 Second leg | Benfica | 3–1 (3–4 agg.) | Braga | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 40', 53' (penalty) Torres 69' |
Report | Adão Craveiro 21' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
European Cup
First round
| 16 September 1965 First leg | Stade Dudelange | 0–8 | Sport Lisboa e Benfica | Esch-sur-Alzette |
| Report | Pedras 15', 21', 78' Serafim 29' [[Erny Brenner |Brenner]] 46' (o.g) Yaúca 59', 81' Santana 85' |
Stadium: Stade de la Frontière Attendance: 4,570 Referee: Werner Treichel (West Germany) |
| 5 October 1965 Second leg | Benfica | 10–0 (18–0 agg.) | Stade Dudelange | Estadio da Luz, Lisbon |
| Eusébio 5', 29', 31', 81' Augusto 12', 23', 59' Pinto 49' Guerreiro 54' Torres 70' |
Report | Attendance: 4,598 Referee: Robert Lacoste (France) |
Second Round
| 10 November 1965 First leg | Levski Sofia | 2–2 | Benfica | Stadion Levski, Sofia |
| Asparuhov 5' Nikolov 59' |
Report | Eusébio 22', 63' | Attendance: 25,315 Referee: Gyula Gere (Hungary) |
| 8 December 1965 Second leg | Benfica | 3–2 (5–4 agg.) | Levski Sofia | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| Eusébio 6' Coluna 27' Torres 47' |
Report | Asparuhov 3', 73' | Attendance: 39,992 Referee: Henri Faucheux (France) |
Quarter-Finals
| 2 February 1966 First leg | Manchester United | 3–2 | Benfica | Old Trafford, Manchester |
| Herd 35' Law 45' Foulkes 60' |
Report | Augusto 10' Torres 80' |
Attendance: 64,035 Referee: Karol Galba (Czechoslovakia) |
| 9 March 1966 Second leg | Benfica | 1–5 (3–8 agg.) | Manchester United | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| Brennan 51' (o.g.) | Report | Best 6', 11' Connelly 14' Crerand 76' Charlton 87' |
Attendance: 54,232 Referee: Concetto Lo Bello (Italy) |
Non-official matches
Ramón de Carranza Trophy
Source:[16]
| 28 August 1965 Semi-Final | Benfica | 2–1 | Real Betis | Cádiz |
| Eusébio 51', 59' | Report | Rios 83' | Stadium: Estadio Ramón de Carranza Referee: José Ortiz de Mendíbil |
| 29 August 1965 Final | Benfica | 2–3 | Real Zaragoza | Cádiz |
| Torres 11' Eusébio 87' |
Report | Violeta 4' Santos 69' Villa 77' |
Stadium: Estadio Ramon de Carranza |
Friendlies
| 1 September 1965 Taça de Honra[17] Semi-Finals | Belenenses | 3–4 | Benfica | Belém |
| Lura 10', 15' Gaspar 71' |
Report | Félix Guerreiro 34' Pedras 53', 81' Nélson Fernandes 61' |
Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
| 5 September 1965 Taça de Honra[18] Final | Benfica | 1–2 | Sporting | Belém |
| Pedras 44' | Report | Fernando Pinto 59' Peres 116' |
Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
| 28 September 1965 | Rangers | 3–1 | Benfica | Glasgow |
| Augusto | Stadium: Ibrox Stadium |
| 7 October 1965 Turism Cup | Benfica | 1–1 | Eintracht Frankfurt | Lisbon |
| Augusto | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 13 October 1965 | FK Austria Wien | 3–3 | Benfica | Wien |
| Torres Eusébio Augusto Silva |
Stadium: Ernst Happel Stadion |
| 24 October 1965 | Barreirense | 3–8 | Benfica | Barreiro |
| Pedras | Stadium: Estádio Alfredo da Silva |
Player statistics
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 1965–66 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Primeira Divisão | Taça de Portugal | European Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | POR | Costa Pereira | 21 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | POR | José Melo | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | POR | Alfredo Nascimento | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DF | POR | Fernando Severino | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Rui Loio | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Augusto Silva | 27 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Luciano | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Jacinto | 16 | 2 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 2 | 3 | 0 | |
| 2 | DF | POR | Domiciano Cavém | 28 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | POR | Fernando Cruz | 31 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | POR | Raul Machado | 20 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | POR | Germano | 23 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| MF | POR | Jorge Calado | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Nélson Fernandes | 17 | 9 | 12 | 4 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Pedras | 10 | 5 | 5 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 3 | |
| MF | POR | José Neto | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Humberto Fernandes | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Félix Guerreiro | 4 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| 5 | MF | POR | José Ferreira Pinto | 17 | 1 | 13 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| 6 | MF | POR | Mário Coluna | 31 | 4 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| 7 | FW | POR | José Augusto | 32 | 14 | 24 | 10 | 3 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| 8 | FW | POR | Santana | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | POR | José Torres | 30 | 22 | 23 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| 9 | FW | POR | Yaúca | 8 | 6 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 |
| 10 | FW | POR | Eusébio | 30 | 37 | 23 | 25 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
| 11 | FW | POR | António Simões | 29 | 7 | 24 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | POR | Serafim | 10 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
References
- ^ "Guttmann: a casa já não era dele". Sol. Retrieved 2025-09-01.
- ^ "F.C. Porto e Benfica nas Antas". Diário de Lisboa, page 17. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "No Estádio da Luz, o <<jogo do dia>> terminou com a vitória do Sporting sobre o Benfica". Diário de Lisboa, page 21. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "O Benfica empatou em Setúbal". Diário de Lisboa, page 25. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "O Sporting e o Benfica mantêm-se à frente da classificação do <<nacinonal>>". Diário de Lisboa, page 17. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "O Benfica venceu o Sporting num jogo bem disputado". Diário de Lisboa, page 17. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "Presença firme do Benfica em jogo perdido sem desonra". Diário de Lisboa, page 16. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "O Manchester United eliminou o Benfica". Diário de Lisboa, page 20. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "Classificação da 1.ª Divisão". Diário de Lisboa, page 31. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "O Benfica foi eliminado nos quartos de final da taça". Diário de Lisboa, page 25. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "1965-66 Primeira Divisão". RSSSF. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
- ^ "1965-66 Taça de Portugal". RSSSF. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
- ^ "Taça dos Clubes Campeões Europeus de 1965/66". UEFA. Retrieved 2025-09-16.
- ^ "Portugal 1965-66 - RSSSF (Jorge Miguel Teixeira)". RSSSF. 2001. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ "Portuguese League 1965/66 - footballzz.co.uk". ZeroZero. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ Invitational international tournament.
- ^ Official AFL tournament.
- ^ Official AFL tournament.