1967–68 S.L. Benfica season
| 1967–68 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Adolfo Vieira de Brito | ||
| Head coach | Fernando Riera (until 30 November 1967) Fernando Cabrita (until 7 April 1968) Otto Glória | ||
| Stadium | Estádio da Luz | ||
| Primeira Divisão | 1st (champions) | ||
| Taça de Portugal | Semi-finals | ||
| European Cup | Runners-up | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Eusébio (43) All: Eusébio (51) | ||
| Biggest win | Benfica 9–0 Montijo (15 October 1967) | ||
| Biggest defeat | Manchester United 4–1 Benfica (29 May 1968) Porto 3-0 Benfica (9 June 1968) | ||
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The 1967–68 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 64st season in existence and the club's 34st consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1967 to 31 July 1968. Domestically, Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão and Taça de Portugal, while internationally participated in the European Cup.
Long-serving players Costa Pereira, Germano and Augusto Silva left the club, while the board decided to maintain Fernando Riera as head coach for a second season. Midway through the campaign Riera left the club, and Otto Glória returned as manager. Benfica won its 16th league title, reached the semi-finals of the Taça de Portugal, and advanced to the European Cup final, where they lost 4–1 after extra time to Manchester United at Wembley Stadium.
Season summary
After reclaiming the league title, the board decided to retain Fernando Riera as coach for another season. Long-time goalkeeper Costa Pereira, defender Germano, and midfielder Augusto Silva all left the club.
Pre-season began with a 3–2 victory over Belenenses, followed by a four-match tour of the Americas: a 2–1 win against Junior Barranquilla, a 4–0 win against Club Guaraní, a 3–2 win against Barcelona S.C., and two 1–1 draws with Boca Juniors.
Later, a 3–1 victory over Sporting CP sent Benfica to the final of the Taça de Honra, where they defeated Atlético 6–0.
The official season began on 9 September with a 2–1 home win against Vitória de Guimarães in the opening league match. In the following three rounds, Benfica recorded victories over Barreirense, Braga, and Vitória de Setúbal, finishing the month level on points with Porto.[1] In Europe, Benfica eliminated Glentoran on away goals, drawing 1–1 away and 0–0 at home.
Next, they played the Costa Pereira tribute match, drawing 2–2 with Atlético Madrid.[2] This was followed by a 13–1 aggregate win over Montijo in the first round of the Taça de Portugal, a 0–0 away draw with Belenenses, and a 6–0 home win against Leixões. November began with a 0–0 away draw against Tirsense, followed by a 2–0 home victory over Saint-Étienne and a 1–0 defeat in France, which was enough to advance to the next round of the European Cup.[3][4] Riera left the club following the 1–0 defeat, after being dismissed by president Adolfo Vieira de Brito, with Fernando Cabrita appointed as caretaker manager. Benfica began December with three consecutive league victories before losing 3–1 away to Sporting CP, ending the month level on points with their rivals.[5] The new year started with a 3–2 home win against Porto,[6] followed by a 1–1 away draw with Varzim.
In February, the team won its first three league matches before falling 3–2 in Setúbal, finishing the month two points behind Sporting.[7] March proved more successful: Benfica won all three of their league games, eliminated Sanjoanense 4–2 on aggregate in the Taça de Portugal, and defeated Vasas SC 3–0 on aggregate in the European Cup quarter-finals.[8] April brought mixed results. Benfica began with a 2–0 away defeat to CUF, after which Otto Glória returned as coach. Under his leadership, the team beat Sanjoanense 6–0, drew 1–1 with Académica in Coimbra, and defeated Sporting 1–0 at home,[9] finishing the month one point clear at the top of the table. In May, Benfica drew 1–1 with Porto at home and beat Varzim 1–0, securing the league title.[10]
Still in May, Benfica overcame Juventus 2–0 at home and 1–0 away to reach the European Cup final. In the Taça de Portugal, they defeated Barreirense 5–3 on aggregate before being eliminated 5–2 on aggregate by Porto in the semi-finals.
On 29 May, Benfica faced Manchester United in the European Cup final at Wembley Stadium, losing 4–1 after extra time.
Competitions
Win Draw Loss Postponed
Overall record
| Competition | First match | Last match | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | Source | |||
| Primeira Divisão | 9 September 1967 | 12 May 1968 | 26 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 75 | 19 | +56 | 69.23 | [11] |
| Taça de Portugal | 8 October 1967 | 9 June 1968 | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 24 | 11 | +13 | 62.50 | [12] |
| European Cup | 13 September 1967 | 29 May 1968 | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 6 | +4 | 44.44 | [13] |
| Total | 43 | 27 | 10 | 6 | 109 | 36 | +73 | 62.79 | |||
Primeira Divisão
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Benfica (C) | 26 | 18 | 5 | 3 | 75 | 19 | +56 | 41 | Qualification to European Cup first round |
| 2 | Sporting CP | 26 | 17 | 3 | 6 | 48 | 24 | +24 | 37 | Qualification to Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 3 | Porto | 26 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 60 | 24 | +36 | 36 | Qualification to Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 4 | Académica | 26 | 15 | 5 | 6 | 53 | 24 | +29 | 35 | Qualification to Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 5 | Vitória de Setúbal | 26 | 14 | 6 | 6 | 43 | 20 | +23 | 34 |
Matches
| 9 September 1967 1 | Benfica | 2–1 | Vitória de Guimarães | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 42' Jacinto 87' |
Report | António Mendes 14' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Renato Santos |
| 17 September 1967 2 | Barreirense | 0-3 | Benfica | Barreiro |
| Report | Eusébio 24', 57' Torres 35' |
Stadium: Estádio D. Manuel de Mello Referee: Manuel Fortunato |
| 24 September 1967 3 | Braga | 0–1 | Benfica | Braga |
| Report | Augusto 33' | Stadium: Estádio 28 de Maio Referee: Caetano Nogueira |
| 30 September 1967 4 | Benfica | 2–1 | Vitória de Setúbal | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 74' (penalty) Jaime Graça 79' |
Report | Pedras 19' (penalty) | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: João Pinto Ferreira |
| 22 October 1967 5 | Belenenses | 0–0 | Benfica | Oeiras |
| Report | Stadium: Jamor Referee: Joaquim Campos |
| 29 October 1967 6 | Benfica | 6–0 | Leixões | Lisbon |
| Torres 1', 40', 75' Coluna 71' Eusébio 82' Amaro Vieira 88' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Ismael Baltazar |
| 5 November 1967 7 | Tirsense | 0–0 | Benfica | Santo Tirso |
| Report | Stadium: Estádio Abel Alves de Figueiredo Referee: Diogo Manso |
| 5 December 1967 8 | Benfica | 3–1 | CUF | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 41'
Augusto 49' Coluna 84' |
Report | José Monteiro 83' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 10 December 1967 9 | Sanjoanense | 1–4 | Benfica | São João da Madeira |
| Alvarez 71' | Report | Eusébio 41', 52' (penalty), 60', 90' | Stadium: Estádio Conde Dias Garcia Referee: Marcos Lobato |
| 24 December 1967 10 | Benfica | 3–1 | Académica | Lisbon |
| Torres 38', 77' Eusébio 62' |
Report | Artur Jorge 41' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 31 December 1967 11 | Sporting | 3–1 | Benfica | Lisbon |
| Figueiredo 4' Lourenço 20' José Henrique 90' (o.g.) |
Report | Jacinto 90' (pen.) Coluna |
Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade Referee: Décio de Freitas |
| 7 January 1968 12 | Benfica | 3–2 | Porto | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 20' (penalty) Torres 23', 66' |
Report | Valdir 35', 60' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Porfírio Silva |
| 4 February 1967 14 | Vitória de Guimarães | 0–4 | Benfica | Guimarães |
| Report | Eusébio 11', 49', 82' Torres 34' |
Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques |
| 11 February 1968 15 | Benfica | 8–2 | Barreirense | Estádio da Luz |
| Torres 8', 16', 60' Eusébio 18', 58', 64 65' Augusto 88' |
Report | José Ludovico 24' José Testas 87' |
| 19 February 1968 16 | Benfica | 3–0 | Braga | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 9', 72' José Manuel 28' (o.g.) |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 25 February 1968 17 | Vitória de Setúbal | 2–0 | Benfica | |
| Jacinto João 10' Petita 21' |
Report |
| 3 March 1968 18 | Benfica | 7–0 | Belenenses | Lisbon |
| Torres 20', 81' Augusto 22' Eusébio 33', 65', 76', 84' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 31 March 1968 20 | Benfica | 5–0 | Tirsense | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 8', 59', 87' Simões 63' Coluna 85' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 7 April 1968 21 | CUF | 2–0 | Benfica | Barreiro |
| Fernando 26' Capitão Mor 55' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio Alfredo da Silva |
| 14 April 1968 22 | Benfica | 6–0 | Sanjoanense | Lisbon |
| Torres 12' Eusébio 13', 30' (penalty), 43', 81' Almeida 81' (o.g.) |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 21 April 1968 23 | Académica | 1–1 | Benfica | Coimbra |
| Artur Jorge 60' | Report | Jacinto 22' | Stadium: Estádio Cidade de Coimbra Referee: Manuel Fortunato |
| 28 April 1968 24 | Benfica | 1–0 | Sporting | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 8' | Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 80,000 Referee: Aníbal Oliveira |
| 5 May 1968 25 | Porto | 1–1 | Benfica | Porto |
| Djalma 84' | Report | Eusébio 86' | Stadium: Estádio das Antas Referee: Marcos Mateus Pereira |
| 12 May 1968 26 | Benfica | 8–0 | Varzim | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 45', 52', 63', 80', 87', 89' Torres 19', 39' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
Taça de Portugal
First round
| 8 October 1967 First leg | Montijo | 1–4 | Benfica | Montijo |
| Report | Camolas 7', 16' Yaúca 59', 60' |
Stadium: Campo Luís de Almeida Fidalgo Referee: Mário Alves |
| 15 October 1967 Second leg | Benfica | 9–0 (13–1 agg.) | Montijo | Lisbon |
| Yaúca 9', 25', 30', 64' Camolas 29', 80' Diamantino Costa 46' Amaro Vieira 67', 70' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Saldanha Ribeiro |
Second round
| 17 March 1968 First leg | Benfica | 2–1 | Sanjoanense | Lisbon |
| Augusto 10', 28' | Report | Walter Ferreira 32' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 24 March 1968 Second leg | Sanjoanense | 2–4 (1–2 agg.) | Benfica | São João da Madeira |
| José Henrique 37' (o.g.) | Report | Eusébio 23' Augusto 74' |
Stadium: Estádio Conde Dias Garcia Referee: Fernando Leite |
Quarter-Finals
| 19 May 1968 First leg | Barreirense | 2–2 | Benfica | Barreiro |
| António Garrido 52' José Ludovico 54' |
Report | Raul Águas 34' Jacinto 75' (penalty) |
Stadium: Estádio D. Manuel de Mello Referee: Décio de Freitas |
| 23 May 1968 Second leg | Benfica | 3–1 (5–3 agg.) | Barreirense | Lisbon |
| Augusto 25' (penalty), 59' Raul Águas 54' |
Report | António Garrido 12' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: João Calado |
Semi-Finals
| 2 June 1968 First leg | Benfica | 2–2 | Porto | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 11' Jaime Graça 56' |
Report | Djalma 44', 61' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Saldanha Ribeiro |
| 9 June 1968 Second leg | Porto | 3–0 (5–2 agg.) | Benfica | Porto |
| Djalma 47', 70' Pavão 83' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio das Antas Referee: Ismael Baltazar |
European Cup
First Round
| 13 September 1967 | Glentoran | 1–1 | Benfica | The Oval, Belfast |
| Colrain 10' (pen.) | Report | Eusébio 86' | Attendance: 24,750 Referee: Roger Barde (France) |
| 4 October 1967 | Benfica | 0–0 (1–1 agg.) | Glentoran | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| Report | Attendance: 36,844 Referee: Robert Schaut (Belgium) |
Second Round
| 16 November 1967 | Benfica | 2–0 | Saint-Étienne | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| José Augusto 28' Eusébio 59' (pen.) |
Report | Attendance: 22,804 Referee: John Adair (Northern Ireland) |
| 30 November 1967 | Saint-Étienne | 1–0 (2–1 agg.) | Benfica | Stade Geoffroy-Guichard, Saint-Étienne |
| Bereta 10' | Report | Attendance: 24,480 Referee: Marian Środecki (Poland) |
Quarter-Finals
| 6 March 1968 | Vasas | 0–0 | Benfica | Népstadion, Budapest |
| Report | Attendance: 36,394 Referee: Kurt Waldemar Tschenscher (West Germany) |
| 14 March 1968 | Benfica | 3–0 (3–0 agg.) | Vasas | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| Eusébio 48', 70' Torres 77' |
Report | Attendance: 49,336 Referee: Laurens van Ravens (Netherlands) |
Semi-Finals
| 9 May 1968 | Benfica | 2–0 | Juventus | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| Torres 64' Eusébio 70' |
Report | Attendance: 69,375 Referee: Roger Barde (France) |
| 15 May 1968 | Juventus | 0–1 (0–3 agg.) | Benfica | Stadio Comunale, Turin |
| Report | Eusébio 66' | Attendance: 62,570 Referee: Rudolf Glöckner (East Germany) |
Final
| 29 May 1968 | Manchester United | 4–1 (a.e.t.) | Benfica | Wembley Stadium, London |
| Charlton 53', 99' Best 92' Kidd 94' |
Report | Graça 79' | Attendance: 92,225 Referee: Concetto Lo Bello (Italy) |
Friendlies
| 5 August 1967 | Benfica | 3–2 | Belenenses | Lisbon |
| Augusto Eusébio Torres |
Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 13 August 1967 | Junior Barranquilla | 1–2 | Benfica | Barranquilla |
| Eusébio Torres |
Stadium: Estadio Romelio Martínez |
| 15 August 1967 | Club Guaraní | 0–4 | Benfica | Asunción |
| Torres Eusébio |
Stadium: Estadio Defensores del Chaco |
| 20 August 1967 | Barcelona S.C. | 2–3 | Benfica | Guayaquil |
| Eusébio Simões |
Stadium: Estadio Modelo Alberto Spencer Herrera |
| 23 August 1967 | Benfica | 1–1 | Boca Juniors | San Francisco |
| Eusébio | Stadium: Kezar Stadium |
| 26 August 1967 | Benfica | 1–1 | Boca Juniors | Los Angeles |
| Eusébio | Stadium: Memorial Coliseum |
| 30 August 1967 Taça de Honra[16] Semi-Finals | Benfica | 3–1 | Sporting | Belém |
| Coluna 6' Torres 21' Eusébio 28' |
Peres 70' | Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
| 4 September 1967 Taça de Honra[17] Finals | Benfica | 6–0 | Atlético | Belém |
| Torres 34', 37', 44' Simões 52' Jaime Graça 63' Eusébio 78' |
Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
| 11 October 1967 Costa Pereira tribute | Benfica | 2–2 | Atlético Madrid | Lisbon |
| Eusébio Augusto |
Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 1 November 1967 | Atlético Madrid | 1–2 | Benfica | Madrid |
| Eusébio | Stadium: Estádio Vicente Calderón |
| 25 January 1968 | São Paulo FC | 3–2 | Benfica | São Paulo |
| Renato Jacaré 51' (penalty) Ismael 78' |
Eusébio | Stadium: Estádio Cícero Pompeu de Toledo |
| 13 June 1968 | LR Vicenza | 2–1 | Benfica | Vicenza |
| Jacinto | Stadium: Stadio Romeo Menti |
Player statistics
The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Fernando Riera (manager), Otto Glória (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 1967–68 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 | Alfredo Nascimento | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | POR | José Henrique | 39 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| DF | POR | Augusto Matine | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Fernando Severino | 4 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Kiki Barros | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Malta da Silva | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 2 | DF | POR | Adolfo Calisto | 24 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 2 | DF | POR | Domiciano Cavém | 18 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | MF | POR | Humberto Fernandes | 31 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | POR | Jacinto | 32 | 4 | 21 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 8 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | POR | Raul Machado | 29 | 0 | 20 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | POR | Fernando Cruz | 38 | 0 | 24 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| MF | POR | Amaro Vieira | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | António Paula | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Camolas | 3 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Diamantino Costa | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | MF | POR | José Ferreira Pinto | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| MF | POR | Jorge Calado | 5 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Nélson Fernandes | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Raul Águas | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 6 | MF | POR | Jaime Graça | 33 | 3 | 21 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| 7 | MF | POR | Mário Coluna | 33 | 3 | 20 | 3 | 5 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| 8 | FW | POR | José Augusto | 40 | 10 | 25 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 1 |
| 8 | FW | POR | Santana | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | POR | José Torres | 29 | 19 | 22 | 17 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| 9 | FW | POR | Iaúca | 7 | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 1 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | POR | Eusébio | 35 | 51 | 24 | 43 | 2 | 2 | 9 | 6|} |
| 11 | FW | POR | António Simões | 31 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 5 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
References
- ^ "Os Campeões sofreram..." Diário de Lisboa. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-09-14.
- ^ "Costa Pereira despede-se do futebol". Diário de Lisboa. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Benfica 2-0 Saint-Étienne". UEFA. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Saint-Étienne 1-0 Benfica". UEFA. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Sporting 3-1 Benfica". Diário de Lisboa. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "O Benfica guia isolado do campeonato". Diário de Lisboa. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Classificação Primeira Divisão". Diário de Lisboa. p. 15. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Benfica: Vulcão Encarnado". Diário de Lisboa. p. 27. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Benfica 1-0 Sporting". Diário de Lisboa. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Benfica é Campeão Nacional". Diário de Lisboa. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "1967-68 Primeira Divisão". RSSSF. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "1967-68 Taça de Portugal". RSSSF. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "European Cup 1967-68". UEFA. Retrieved 2025-09-18.
- ^ "Portugal 1967-68 - RSSSF (Jorge Miguel Teixeira)". RSSSF. 2001. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ "Portuguese League 1967/68 - footballzz.co.uk". ZeroZero. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ Official AFL tournament.
- ^ Official AFL tournament.