1966–67 S.L. Benfica season
| 1966–67 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| President | José Ferreira Queimado (until 3 July 1967) Adolfo Vieira de Brito | ||
| Head coach | Fernando Riera | ||
| Stadium | Estádio da Luz | ||
| Primeira Divisão | 1st | ||
| Taça de Portugal | Quarter-finals | ||
| Fairs Cup | Third round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Eusébio (31) All: Eusébio (42) | ||
| Biggest win | Beira-Mar 0–9 Benfica (7 May 1967) | ||
| Biggest defeat | Braga 4–0 Benfica (20 November 1966) | ||
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The 1966–67 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 63st season in existence and the club's 33st consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1966 to 31 July 1967. Domestically, Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão and Taça de Portugal, while internationally participated in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
After finishing the season without silverware for the first time in eight years, the Benfica board opted to bring back former manager Fernando Riera. José Neto, José Pérides, Domingos Fernandes, Pedras and Serafim departed, while Adolfo Calisto, José Henrique, Jaime Graça and Diamantino Costa joined the squad. The league title race was closely contested with Académica, but Benfica ultimately secured its 15th league championship. In the Taça de Portugal Benfica was eliminated by Académica, while in Europe they exited in the third round against Lokomotive Leipzig.
Season summary
After a trophyless campaign, the first in eight years, the board opted to bring back manager Fernando Riera. The squad underwent several changes: José Neto, José Pérides, Domingos Fernandes and Serafim departed, while Pedras, Arcanjo and Félix Guerreiro were included in a deal to bring Jaime Graça. Adolfo Calisto, José Henrique and Diamantino Costa also joined the club.
Pre-season began with participation in the Torneio Costa do Sol, where Benfica defeated Atlético Madrid 2–0 in the semi-finals before losing 2–1 to Tottenham Hotspur in the final. The team then embarked on a tour of the Americas, losing 4–0 to Santos in New York, defeating Club América 3–0 at the Estadio Azteca, drawing 2–2 with AEK in New York, and beating the Italian Falcons 1–0 in Toronto.
Later, a 3–2 victory over Atlético sent Benfica to the final of the Taça de Honra, where they defeated Sporting 2–0.
The official season began on 18 September with a 1–0 away win over Vitória de Guimarães in their first league match. In the following five rounds Benfica collected four wins and one draw, including a 3–0 home victory over Sporting,[1] ending October with a three-point lead.
In the Fairs Cup they faced Spartak Plovdiv, drawing 1–1 away and winning 3–0 at home. In the Taça de Portugal a 9–0 aggregate victory secured progression to the next round. In the league Benfica played only two matches in November, losing 4–0 away to Braga[2] and defeating Porto 3–0 at home,[3] maintaining a two-point advantage. In December, three wins over Sanjoanense, CUF and Vitória de Setúbal kept Benfica top of the table with a two-point lead, while in Europe they suffered a 3–1 defeat to Lokomotive Leipzig in the first leg.
On 5 December, defender Luciano died after being electrocuted in a hot tub in the team's locker room due to an electrical malfunction.[4]
Benfica began the new year with a 2–1 away defeat to Belenenses, followed by a 2–0 win over Beira-Mar and an 11–1 aggregate victory against Lusitano de Évora in the Taça de Portugal. In February, Benfica won its first three league matches before ending the month with a 1–1 draw against Sporting, finishing level on points with Académica.
In March, Benfica won all four of its league fixtures: 2–0 against Atlético, 1–0 away against Académica, 4–0 against Braga (avenging the earlier away loss), and 2–1 over Lokomotive Leipzig. The team ended the month with a four-point lead but was eliminated from European competitions.
April opened with a 1–1 away draw against Porto,[5] followed by two victories over Sanjoanense and CUF. A defeat in Setúbal was offset by further wins against Belenenses and Beira-Mar, securing Benfica's 15th league title.[6] The season concluded with a 4–3 elimination in the Taça de Portugal quarter-finals against Académica.[7]
Competitions
Win Draw Loss Postponed
Overall record
| Competition | First match | Last match | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | Source | |||
| Primeira Divisão | 18 September 1966 | 7 May 1967 | 26 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 64 | 19 | +45 | 76.92 | [8] |
| Taça de Portugal | 30 October 1966 | 18 June 1967 | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 22 | 4 | +18 | 83.33 | [9] |
| Inter-Cities Fairs Cup | 26 October 1966 | 7 March 1967 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 5 | +2 | 50.00 | [10] |
| Total | 36 | 27 | 4 | 5 | 93 | 28 | +65 | 75.00 | |||
Primeira Divisão
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benfica (C) | 26 | 20 | 3 | 3 | 64 | 19 | +45 | 43 | Qualification to European Cup first round |
| 2 | Académica | 26 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 50 | 18 | +32 | 40 | |
| 3 | Porto | 26 | 17 | 5 | 4 | 56 | 22 | +34 | 39 | Qualification to Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 4 | Sporting CP | 26 | 11 | 8 | 7 | 36 | 24 | +12 | 30 | |
| 5 | Vitória de Setúbal | 26 | 10 | 7 | 9 | 27 | 25 | +2 | 27 | Qualification to Cup Winners' Cup first round |
Results by round
Matches
| 18 September 1966 1 | Vitória de Guimarães | 0–1 | Benfica | Guimarães |
| Eusébio 42' | Report | Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques Referee: Pinto Ferreira |
| 25 September 1966 2 | Benfica | 3–1 | Leixões | Lisbon |
| Simões 14' Eusébio 15' (penalty), 85' |
Report | Arnaldo 70' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Encarnação Salgado |
| 2 October 1966 3 | Varzim | 0–0 | Benfica | Póvoa do Varzim |
| Report | Stadium: Estádio do Varzim SC Referee: António Amaro |
| 9 October 1966 4 | Benfica | 3–0 | Sporting | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 16', 35' (penalty) Torres 41' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Aníbal Oliveira |
| 16 October 1966 5 | Atlético | 1–2 | Benfica | Lisbon |
| Matateu 82' | Report | Eusébio 18', 42' (penalty) | Stadium: Estádio da Tapadinha Referee: Salvador Garcia |
| 23 October 1966 6 | Benfica | 2–1 | Académica | Lisbon |
| Celestino Martins 2' (o.g) Augusto 86' |
Report | Artur Jorge 12' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Manuel Fortunato |
| 20 November 1966 7 | Braga | 4–0 | Benfica | Braga |
| Adão Craveiro 15', 48' Miguel Perrichon 58', 60' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio 28 de Maio Referee: Caetano Nogueira |
| 27 November 1966 8 | Benfica | 3–0 | Porto | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 11', 64'
Augusto 59' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Samuel de Abreu |
| 4 December 1966 9 | Sanjoanense | 1–3 | Benfica | São João da Madeira |
| Valter Ferreira 67' | Report | Eusébio 10', 20' Simões 87' |
Stadium: Estádio Conde Dias Garcia Referee: Aniceto Nogueira |
| 11 December 1966 10 | Benfica | 3–0 | CUF | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 2', 65' (penalty) Yaúca 43' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: João Pinto Ferreira |
| 18 December 1966 11 | Benfica | 1–0 | Vitóra de Setúbal | Lisbon |
| Augusto 1' | Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Braga Barros |
| 1 January 1967 12 | Belenenses | 2–1 | Benfica | Belém |
| Carlos Pedro 27', 40', penalty' | Report | Coluna 80' | Stadium: Estádio do Restelo Referee: Mário Mendonça |
| 8 January 1967 13 | Benfica | 2–0 | Beira-Mar | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 39' (penalty) Augusto 62' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 6 February 1967 14 | Benfica | 7–0 | Vitória de Guimarães | Lisbon |
| Jaime Graça 1' Augusto 17', 55', 60' Torres 26', 67', 75' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 12 February 1967 15 | Leixões | 1–2 | Benfica | Matosinhos |
| Esteves 86' | Report | Torres 2', 58' |
| 19 February 1967 16 | Benfica | 6–2 | Varzim | Lisbon |
| Torres 2', 26' Yaúca 14' Eusébio 22' (penalty), 51', 78' (penalty) |
Report | Sidónio 59' (penalty) Jorge 74' |
Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 26 February 1967 17 | Sporting | 1–1 | Benfica | Lisbon |
| Gonçalves 50' | Report | Eusébio 14' | Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade Referee: Mário Mendonça |
| 3 March 1967 18 | Benfica | 2–0 | Atlético | Lisbon |
| Coluna 33' Eusébio 75' (penalty) |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Joaquim Campos |
| 12 March 1967 19 | Académica | 0–1 | Benfica | Coimbra |
| Report | Nélson Fernandes 53' | Stadium: Estádio Cidade de Coimbra Attendance: 43,000 |
| 19 March 1967 20 | Benfica | 4–0 | Braga | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 32' (penalty), 59', 83', 85' | Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 2 April 1967 21 | Porto | 1–1 | Benfica | Porto |
| Manuel António 56' | Report | Augusto 12' | Stadium: Estádio das Antas Referee: Manuel Fortunato |
| 9 April 1967 22 | Benfica | 1–0 | Sanjoanense | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 14' | Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 16 April 1967 23 | CUF | 1–2 | Benfica | Barreiro |
| Report | Nélson Fernandes 3' Eusébio 86' |
Stadium: Campo de Santa Bárbara Referee: João Pinto Ferreira |
| 23 April 1967 24 | Vitória de Setúbal | 3–2 | Benfica | Setúbal |
| José Maria 50', 51' Fernando Tomé 69' |
Report | Eusébio 14' (penalty), 89' (penalty) | Stadium: Estádio Alfredo da Silva Referee: Renato Santos |
| 30 April 1967 25 | Benfica | 2–0 | Belenenses | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 44' (penalty) Augusto 73' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Braga Barros |
| 7 May 1967 26 | Beira-Mar | 0–9 | Benfica | Aveiro |
| Report | Raúl Machado 5' Eusébio 10', 35' (penalty), 61' Nélson Fernandes 33', 43', 68' Simões 46' Yaúca 89' |
Stadium: Estádio Mário Duarte Referee: Mário Mendonça |
Taça de Portugal
First round
| 30 October 1966 First leg | Ovarense | 0–6 | Benfica | Ovar |
| Report | Santana 41' Raúl Machado 64' Torres 67', 70' Simões 75' Jaime Graça 85' |
Stadium: Estádio Marques da Silva Referee: Saldanha Ribeiro |
| 3 November 1966 Second leg | Benfica | 3–0 (9–0 agg.) | Ovarense | Lisbon |
| Augusto Silva 6' Diamantino Costa 25' Amaro Vieira 61' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Virgílio Baptista |
Second round
| 15 January 1967 First leg | Lusitano de Évora | 1–3 | Benfica | Évora |
| António Louro 46' | Report | Eusébio 2' Yaúca 28' Augusto 81' |
Stadium: Campo Estrela Referee: Marcos Lobato |
| 18 January 1967 Second leg | Benfica | 8–0 (11–1 agg.) | Lusitano de Évora | Lisbon |
| Torres 13', 66' Eusébio 29', 47', 52', 64', 83' Augusto (40) |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Virgílio Baptista |
Quarter-Finals
| 11 June 1967 First leg | Académica | 2–0 | Benfica | Coimbra |
| Ernesto 36', 88' | Report | Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Coimbra Referee: João Pinto Ferreira |
| 18 June 1967 Second leg | Benfica | 2–1 (3–4 agg.) | Académica | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 33' Jorge Calado 53' |
Report | Serafim | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Marcos Lobato |
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Second round
| 26 October 1966 First leg | FC Spartak Plovdiv | 1–1 | Benfica | Stadion 9-ti Septemvri, Plovdiv |
| Dishkov 30' | Eusébio 4' | Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Alojz Obtulovič (Czechoslovakia) |
| 22 November 1966 Second leg | Benfica | 3–0 (4–1 agg.) | FC Spartak Plovdiv | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| Eusébio 53' Torres 55' Dimov 76' (o.g.) |
Attendance: 14,200 Referee: John Paterson (Scotland) |
Third Round
| 21 December 1966 First leg | Lokomotive Leipzig | 3–1 | Benfica | Zentralstadion, Leipzig |
| Santos 25' (o.g.) Frenzel 47', 51' |
José Augusto 40' | Attendance: 68,000 Referee: Kevin Howley (England) |
| 7 March 1967 Second leg | Benfica | 2–1 (3–4 agg.) | Lokomotive Leipzig | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| Eusébio 65' (pen.), 88' | Frenzel 81' | Attendance: 50,000 Referee: William Syme (Scotland) |
Friendlies
| 14 August 1966 Torneio Costa do Sol Semi-Finals | Benfica | 2–0 | Atlético Madrid | Málaga |
| Eusébio | Stadium: Estadio La Rosaleda |
| 16 August 1966 Torneio Costa do Sol Final | Benfica | 1–2 | Tottenham | Málaga |
| Eusébio 28' | Graves 14' Robertson 65' |
Stadium: Estadio La Rosaleda |
| 21 August 1966 | Benfica | 0–4 | Santos | New York |
| Stadium: Downing Stadium Attendance: 25,671 Referee: John Di Salvatore |
| 23 August 1966 | Club América | 0–3 | Benfica | Mexico City |
| Eusébio Simões |
Stadium: Estadio Azteca |
| 28 August 1966 | Benfica | 2–2 | A.E.K | New York |
| Stadium: Downing Stadium |
| 30 August 1966 | Italian Falcons | 0–1 | Benfica | Toronto |
| Stadium: Varsity Stadium |
| 7 September 1966 Taça de Honra[13] Semi-Finals | Benfica | 3–2 | Atlético | Belém |
| Diamantino Costa 8' Diamantino Costa 29' Baptista 51' |
Report | Cravo 58' Marinho 80' |
Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
| 14 September 1966 Taça de Honra[14] Finals | Benfica | 2–0 | Sporting | Belém |
| Amaro Vieira Nélson Fernandes |
Report | Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
| 19 October 1966 | Benfica | 1–0 | Barcelona | Lisbon |
| Augusto | Stadium: Estádio da Luz (1954) |
| 6 November 1966 | Belgrade Selection | 1–2 | Benfica | Bagdad |
| Albert 53' | Torres 35' Simões 81' |
Stadium: Al-Shaab Stadium Referee: El-Kaimabji |
| 22 January 1967 | Benfica | 1–1 | Sporting | Belém |
| Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
| 25 January 1967 | Universidad Católica | 2–2 | Benfica | Santiago |
| Eusébio Augusto |
Stadium: Estádio Julio Martínez Prádanos |
| 28 January 1967 | Mixed Universidad Chile/Un.Católica | 2–1 | Benfica | Santiago |
| Eusébio | Stadium: Estádio Julio Martínez Prádanos |
| 12 May 1967 | Universitario | 2–2 | Benfica | Lima |
| José Augusto | Stadium: Estadio Nacional de Lima |
| 17 May 1967 | Benfica | 3–1 | Manchester United | Los Angeles |
| Eusébio Jorge Calado |
Stadium: Memorial Coliseum |
| 21 May 1967 | Mexico | 4–0 | Benfica | Mexico City |
| Stadium: Estadio Azteca |
| 15 June 1967 | Angers | 0–1 | Benfica | Paris |
| Eusébio | Stadium: Parc des Princes |
| 15 June 1967 | Angrense | 1–6 | Benfica | Angra do Heroísmo |
| Eusébio Iaúca Augusto Nélson Fernandes |
Stadium: Campo Municipal de Futebol de Angra do Heroísmo |
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 1966–67 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | Primeira Divisão | Taça de Portugal | Fairs Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| 1 | GK | POR | Costa Pereira | 9 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | POR | Alfredo Nascimento | 24 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | POR | José Henrique | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | POR | José Melo | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | ANG | Manuel Abrantes | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DF | POR | Adolfo Calisto | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Augusto Silva | 5 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Fernando Severino | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Jacinto | 29 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Luciano | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Malta da Silva | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | DF | POR | Domiciano Cavém | 35 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | POR | Germano | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | POR | Raul Machado | 31 | 2 | 24 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | POR | Fernando Cruz | 28 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| MF | POR | António Paula | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Carmo Pais | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Diamantino Costa | 3 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | MF | POR | José Ferreira Pinto | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MF | POR | Jorge Calado | 10 | 1 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Nélson Fernandes | 15 | 5 | 12 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Humberto Fernandes | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | POR | Amaro Vieira | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | POR | Camolas | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | MF | POR | Jaime Graça | 31 | 2 | 24 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | POR | José Augusto | 31 | 12 | 23 | 9 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | MF | POR | Mário Coluna | 23 | 2 | 19 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | POR | Santana | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | POR | José Torres | 18 | 13 | 13 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 |
| 9 | FW | POR | Yaúca | 14 | 4 | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | POR | Eusébio | 33 | 42 | 26 | 31 | 3 | 7 | 4 | 4 |
| 11 | FW | POR | António Simões | 28 | 4 | 22 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
References
- ^ "Robusta Vitória do Benfica". Diário de Lisboa. p. 21. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "O Braga inflingiu a 1.ª derrota ao Benfica, que continua «líder»". Diário de Lisboa. p. 25. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "O Benfica venceu o Porto". Diário de Lisboa. p. 25. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Luciano: a morte no Estádio da Luz numa manhã de dezembro". Mais Futebol. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- ^ "O Benfica empatou no Porto". Diário de Lisboa. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- ^ "Benfica Campeão e Académica no 2.º Lugar". Diário de Lisboa. p. 21. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Aplausos ao jogo da Luz". Diário de Lisboa. p. 25. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "1966-67 Primeira Divisão". RSSSF. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "1966-67 Taça de Portugal". RSSSF. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "Inter-Cities Fairs Cup". UEFA. Retrieved 2025-09-17.
- ^ "Portugal 1966-67 - RSSSF (Jorge Miguel Teixeira)". RSSSF. 2001. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ "Portuguese League 1966/67 - footballzz.co.uk". ZeroZero. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ Official AFL tournament.
- ^ Official AFL tournament.