1969–70 S.L. Benfica season
| 1969–70 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Duarte Borges Coutinho | ||
| Head coach | Otto Glória (until 8 February 1970) José Augusto | ||
| Stadium | Estádio da Luz | ||
| Primeira Divisão | 2nd | ||
| Taça de Portugal | Winners | ||
| European Cup | Second round | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Eusébio (20) All: Eusébio (25) | ||
| Biggest win | Benfica 8–0 Boavista (25 October 1969) Benfica 8–0 Leixões (30 May 1970) | ||
| Biggest defeat | Celtic 3–0 Benfica (12 November 1969) | ||
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| |||
The 1969–70 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 66st season in existence and the club's 36st consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1969 to 31 July 1970. Domestically, Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão and Taça de Portugal, while internationally participated in the European Cup.
Benfica began the season aiming for a fourth consecutive league title under Otto Glória, but inconsistent results and a mid-season managerial change left the team trailing Sporting, who won the championship. In Europe, Benfica were eliminated by Celtic after a coin toss in the second round of the European Cup. The season ended on a high note, however, as Benfica won the Taça de Portugal, defeating Sporting 3–1 in the final.
Season summary
After winning the league title for the third consecutive year, Benfica aimed for a historic fourth straight championship (tetra), with Otto Glória as head coach. The squad was reinforced with Messias, Carlos Marques, and Artur Jorge, who had already scored 94 goals in 112 matches in Académica. Meanwhile, club legends Cavém and Raul Machado departed.
Pre-season began with a tour of Africa, where Benfica beat Racing 1–0 but lost twice to Sporting, 1–0 and 5–2. Later, in the Taça de Honra, Benfica defeated Atlético 2–1 in the semi-finals and drew 1–1 with Belenenses in the final
The official season opened on 7 September with a 2–0 away defeat to Leixões in the first league match. In the following three rounds, Benfica beat Vitória de Guimarães, Belenenses, and Académica, finishing the month two points behind Sporting.[1] In Europe, Benfica eliminated KB 5–2 on aggregate.[2][3]
In October, Benfica won both league matches, beating CUF 2–0 away and Boavista 8–0 at home. November began with a 1–0 defeat to Sporting,[4] followed by a 3–0 away loss to Celtic in the 1969–70 European Cup.[5] The team responded with a 5–0 win over Braga, a 1–0 away loss to Vitória de Setúbal, and then the second leg against Celtic. Benfica won 3–0, leveling the tie, but with no goals scored in extra time, the outcome was decided by a coin toss. Celtic advanced and went on to reach the final.[6]
In December, Benfica won three league matches and drew one, including a 2–0 home victory against Porto,[7] finishing the first half of the season three points behind Sporting.[8] The new year began with a 3–0 win over Leixões, followed by a 2–1 away defeat to Vitória de Guimarães and a 0–0 draw against Belenenses, leaving Benfica six points adrift of Sporting.[9]
February was disappointing, as Benfica beat Académica 2–0 away but then lost 1–0 at home to CUF. This defeat led to the dismissal of Otto Glória, with José Augusto retiring as a player to take over as manager. The month ended with a 1–1 away draw against Boavista, which left Benfica in third place, eight points behind the leaders.[10] In March, the team drew 1–1 with Sporting in Alvalade,[11] before recording three consecutive wins over Braga, Vitória de Setúbal, and União de Tomar, maintaining the gap at eight points. In the Taça de Portugal, Benfica overturned a 3–2 away defeat to eliminate Vitória de Setúbal with a 2–0 home victory.
In April, Benfica won all of its league matches: 3–0 against Barreirense at home, 2–1 away against Porto, and 1–0 against Varzim at home. The team also secured a 6–1 victory over Boavista in the first leg of the second round of the Taça de Portugal. Benfica ended the league campaign eight points behind Sporting.[12]
In the Taça de Portugal, Benfica defeated Boavista 3–2 away in the second leg, eliminated Vitória de Guimarães 4–3 on aggregate, and overcame Leixões 9–1 on aggregate to reach the final. There, they faced recently crowned league champions Sporting and won 3–1.[13]
Competitions
Win Draw Loss Postponed
Overall record
| Competition | First match | Last match | Record | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | Source | |||
| Primeira Divisão | 7 September 1969 | 19 April 1970 | 26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 58 | 14 | +44 | 65.38 | [14] |
| Taça de Portugal | 15 February 1970 | 14 June 1970 | 9 | 6 | 1 | 2 | 29 | 11 | +18 | 66.67 | [15] |
| European Cup | 17 September 1969 | 26 November 1969 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 8 | 5 | +3 | 75.00 | [16] |
| Total | 39 | 26 | 5 | 8 | 95 | 30 | +65 | 66.67 | |||
Primeira Divisão
League standings
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sporting CP (C) | 26 | 21 | 4 | 1 | 61 | 17 | +44 | 46 | Qualification to European Cup first round |
| 2 | Benfica | 26 | 17 | 4 | 5 | 58 | 14 | +44 | 38 | Qualification to Cup Winners' Cup first round |
| 3 | Vitória de Setúbal | 26 | 16 | 4 | 6 | 58 | 26 | +32 | 36 | Qualification to Inter-Cities Fairs Cup first round |
| 4 | Barreirense | 26 | 11 | 6 | 9 | 42 | 33 | +9 | 28 | |
| 5 | Vitória de Guimarães | 26 | 12 | 4 | 10 | 38 | 36 | +2 | 28 |
Matches
| 7 September 1969 1 | Leixões | 2–0 | Benfica | Matosinhos |
| 15:00 | Horácio 60' Esteves 70' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio do Mar Referee: Porfírio Silva |
| 14 September 1969 2 | Benfica | 5–0 | Vitória de Guimarães | Lisbon |
| Diamantino Costa 6' Torres 34', 49', 89' Jaime Graça 68' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Ismael Baltazar |
| 21 September 1970 3 | Benfica | 0–1 | Benfica | Belém |
| Report | Eusébio 53' | Stadium: Estádio do Restelo Referee: Américo Barradas |
| 27 September 1969 4 | Benfica | 3–0 | Académica | Lisbon |
| Torres 22', 68' Eusébio 28' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 19 October 1969 5 | CUF | 0–2 | Benfica | Barreiro |
| Report | Torres 16' Artur Jorge 89' |
Stadium: Estádio Alfredo da Silva Referee: Mário Alves |
| 25 October 1969 6 | Benfica | 8–0 | Boavista | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 10', 17', 46', 52', 54', 81' Coluna 35' Torres 40' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Carlos Monteiro |
| 9 November 1969 7 | Sporting | 1–0 | Benfica | Lisbon |
| Marinho 20' | Report | Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade Referee: Francisco Lobo |
| 16 November 1969 8 | Benfica | 5–0 | Braga | Lisbon |
| Torres 8', 24' Raul Águas 22' Artur Jorge 62', 86' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: António Garrido |
| 23 November 1969 9 | Vitória de Setúbal | 1–0 | Benfica | Setúbal |
| Félix Guerreiro 57' | Report | Stadium: Estádio do Bonfim Referee: César Correia |
| 1 December 1969 10 | S.L. Benfica | 6–0 | União de Tomar | Lisbon |
| João Carlos 4' (o.g.) Simões 11' Raul Águas 32' (pen.) Faustino Luís 43' (o.g.) Jaime Graça 76' Vítor Martins 87 |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Ismael Baltazar |
| 14 December 1969 11 | Barreirense | 2–2 | Benfica | Barreiro |
| Farias 14' João Fonseca 32' (o.g.) |
Report | Torres 23' Eusébio 87' |
Stadium: Estádio D. Manuel de Mello Referee: Fernando Leite |
| 21 December 1969 12 | Benfica | 2–0 | Porto | Lisbon |
| Simões 6' Eusébio 27' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Mário Alves |
| 28 December 1969 13 | Varzim | 0–1 | Benfica | Póvoa de Varzim |
| Artur Jorge 13' | Report |
| 4 January 1970 14 | Benfica | 3–0 | Leixões | Lisbon |
| Eusébio 12' Torres 49', 81' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 18 January 1970 15 | Vitória de Guimarães | 2–1 | Benfica | Guimarães |
| Zézinho 34' Manuel de Sousa 40' |
Report | Abel Miglietti 71' | Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques |
| 25 January 1970 16 | Belenenses | 0–0 | Benfica | Belém |
| Report | Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
| 8 February 1970 18 | Benfica | 0–1 | CUF | Lisbon |
| Report | Madeira 8' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 22 February 1970 19 | Boavista | 1–1 | Benfica | Porto |
| Moura 41' | Report | Eusébio 79' | Stadium: Estádio do Bessa |
| 1 March 1970 20 | Benfica | 1–1 | Sporting | Lisbon |
| Jaime Graça 83' | Report | Nélson Fernandes 29' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Henrique Silva |
| 8 March 1970 21 | Braga | 1–3 | Benfica | Braga |
| João Arlindo 22' | Report | Raul Águas 17' Eusébio 19', 34' |
Stadium: Estádio 28 de Maio Referee: Antonio Saldanha Ribeiro |
| 15 March 1970 22 | Benfica | 2–1 | Vitória de Setúbal | Lisbon |
| Torres 65' Eusébio 89' (pen.) |
Report | Jorge Calado 4' (o.g.) | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Fernando Nunes dos Santos Leite |
| 29 March 1970 23 | Uniao de Tomar | 0–4 | Benfica | Tomar |
| Report | Artur Jorge 34' Eusébio 42', 73', 79' |
| 5 April 1970 24 | Benfica | 3–0 | Barreirense | Lisbon |
| Artur Jorge 65' Jaime Graça 67' Eusébio 76' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 12 April 1970 25 | Porto | 1–2 | Benfica | Porto |
| João 76' | Report | Simões 6' Artur Jorge 24' |
Stadium: Estádio das Antas Referee: Rogério Moreira |
| 19 April 1970 26 | Benfica | 1–0 | Varzim | Lisbon |
| Artur Jorge 27' | Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Saldanha Ribeiro |
Taça de Portugal
First round
| 15 February 1970 First leg | Vitória de Settúbal | 2–3 | Benfica | Setubal |
| Arcanjo 32' Vítor Baptista 40', 80' |
Report | Jaime Graça 53' Simões 85' |
Stadium: Estádio do Bonfim |
| 22 March 1970 Second leg | Benfica | 2–0 (4–3 agg.) | Vitória de Settúbal | Lisbon |
| Torres 59' Eusébio 84' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
Second round
| 26 April 1970 First leg | Benfica | 6–1 | Boavista | Lisbon |
| Artur Jorge 24', 26', 39' Vítor Martins 58' Jaime Graça 65' Torres 81' |
Report | Moinhos 8' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Ismael Baltazar |
| 3 May 1970 Second leg | Boavista | 2–3 | Benfica | Porto |
| António Lemos 17' Manuel Pinha 65' |
Report | Artur Jorge 7', 11', 19' | Stadium: Estádio do Bessa Referee: António Garrido |
Quarter-Finals
| 17 May 1970 First leg | Vitória de Guimarães | 2–0 | Benfica | Guimarães |
| Zézinho 3' Osvaldinho 59' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques Referee: João Gomes |
| 24 May 1970 Second leg | Benfica | 4–1 (4–3 agg.) | Vitória de Guimarães | Lisbon |
| Simões 22' (pen.), 56' (pen.) Torres 40', 68' |
Report | Zézinho 60' | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Francisco Lobo |
Semi-Finals
| 30 May 1970 First leg | Benfica | 8–0 | Leixões | Lisbon |
| Torres 13' Simões 16' Diamantino Costa 30' Artur Jorge 35', 59' Raul Águas 79', 88' Jaime Graça 81' |
Report | Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Manuel Fortunato |
| 7 June 1970 Second leg | Leixões | 1–1 (1–9 agg.) | Benfica | Matosinhos |
| Report | Diamantino Costa 43' | Stadium: Estádio do Mar Referee: Ernesto Borrego |
Final
| 14 June 1970 | Benfica | 3–1 | Sporting | Oeiras |
| Artur Jorge 14' Torres 50' Simões 63' |
Report | Fernando Peres 83' | Stadium: Estádio do Jamor Referee: Henrique Silva |
European Cup
First Round
| 17 September 1969 First leg | Benfica | 2–0 | Kjøbenhavns Boldklub | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| Eusébio 39', 40' | Report | Attendance: 35,928 Referee: Robert Héliès (France) |
| 1 October 1969 Second leg | Kjøbenhavns Boldklub | 2–3 (5–2 agg.) | Benfica | Københavns Idrætspark, Copenhagen |
| Skouborg 30', 90' (pen.) | Report | Eusébio 1', 21' Diamantino 4' |
Attendance: 31,528 Referee: Ronald Jones (Wales) |
Second Round
| 12 November 1969 First leg | Celtic | 3–0 | Benfica | Celtic Park, Glasgow |
| Gemmell 2' Wallace 14' Hood 70' |
Report | Attendance: 74,894 Referee: Concetto Lo Bello (Italy) |
| 26 November 1969 Second leg | Benfica | 3–0 (a.e.t.) | Celtic | Estádio da Luz, Lisbon |
| Eusébio 35' Graça 40' Diamantino 90' |
Report | Attendance: 49,601 Referee: Laurens van Ravens (Netherlands) |
After the 3–3 aggregate on extra-time, Celtic progressed on a coin toss.
Friendlies
| 2 August 1969 | Benfica | 1–0 | Racing | Matola |
| Praia | Stadium: Estádio da Machava |
| 6 August 1969 | Benfica | 0–1 | Sporting | Matola |
| Stadium: Estádio da Machava |
| 15 August 1969 | Benfica | 2–5 | Sporting | Luanda |
| Torres | Stadium: Estádio dos Coqueiros |
| 27 August 1969 Taça de Honra[19] Semi-Finals | Benfica | 2–1 | Atlético | Belém |
| Raúl Águas 44', 50' | Raimundo | Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
| 3 September 1969 Taça de Honra[20] Finals | Belenenses | 1–1 | Benfica | Belém |
| Abel Miglietti 41' | Saporiti 58' | Stadium: Estádio do Restelo |
| 7 December 1969 | Benfica | 3–1 | Académica | Torres Novas |
| Stadium: Estadio Municipal Dr. António Alves Vieira |
| 11 January 1970 | Benfica | 5–0 | Rapid Wien | Lisbon |
| Eusébio Torres Abel Miglietti |
Stadium: Estádio da Luz |
| 21 April 1970 | Dinamo Zagreb | 2–0 | Benfica | Zagreb |
| Stadium: Stadion Maksimir |
| 23 April 1970 | Hajduk Split | 1–1 | Benfica | Split |
| Torres 35' | Stadium: Stari plac |
Player statistics
The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Otto Glória (manager), José Augusto (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 1969–70 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 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | POR | José Henrique | 32 | 0 | 19 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 1 | GK | POR | João Fonseca | 8 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| DF | POR | Augusto Matine | 17 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Carlos Marques | 7 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Carlos Tomás | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Fernando Cruz | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Jacinto | 22 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| 2 | DF | POR | Malta da Silva | 33 | 0 | 22 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 3 | MF | POR | Humberto Coelho | 37 | 0 | 25 | 0 | 9 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 3 | DF | POR | Messias | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 4 | DF | POR | Zeca | 27 | 0 | 16 | 0 | 8 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 5 | MF | POR | Humberto Fernandes | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 5 | DF | POR | Adolfo Calisto | 19 | 0 | 14 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| MF | POR | Antoninho | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | POR | Diamantino Costa | 16 | 6 | 8 | 1 | 4 | 2 | 4 | 3 | |
| MF | POR | Jorge Calado | 5 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Vitor Martins | 9 | 2 | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | |
| 6 | MF | POR | Jaime Graça | 33 | 8 | 23 | 4 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| 7 | MF | POR | Mário Coluna | 19 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| 7 | FW | POR | José Augusto | 7 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| 8 | MF | POR | Toni | 35 | 0 | 26 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | POR | Artur Jorge | 31 | 18 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | POR | José Torres | 29 | 19 | 20 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 3 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | POR | Abel Miglietti | 8 | 1 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 9 | FW | POR | Praia | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10 | FW | POR | Eusébio | 28 | 25 | 22 | 20 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 4|} |
| 10 | FW | POR | Raul Águas | 15 | 5 | 10 | 3 | 4 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | POR | Nené | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 11 | FW | POR | António Simões | 34 | 8 | 23 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 0 |
References
- ^ "Classificação do Campeonato Nacional". Diário de Lisboa. p. 14. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Taça dos Clubes Campeões Europeus de 1969/70". UEFA. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Taça dos Clubes Campeões Europeus de 1969/70". UEFA. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Vitória do Sporting". Diário de Lisboa. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Quem remata no Benfica". Diário de Lisboa. p. 21. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "O salário do esforço perdeu-se no casino". Diário de Lisboa. p. 24. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Benfica 2-0 Porto". Diário de Lisboa. p. 9. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Classificação do Campeonato Nacional". Diário de Lisboa. p. 9. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Classificação do Campeonato Nacional". Diário de Lisboa. p. 17. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Classificação do Campeonato Nacional". Diário de Lisboa. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Benfica 1-1 Sporting". Diário de Lisboa. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Classificação do Campeonato Nacional". Diário de Lisboa. p. 8. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "O Benfica conquistou a Taça". Diário de Lisboa. p. 1. Retrieved 2025-09-19.
- ^ "1969-70 Primeira Divisão". RSSSF. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "1969-70 Taça de Portugal". RSSSF. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "European Cup 1969-70". UEFA. Retrieved 2025-09-20.
- ^ "Portugal 1969-70 - RSSSF (Jorge Miguel Teixeira)". RSSSF. 2001. Archived from the original on 2012-04-14. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ "Portuguese League 1969/70 - footballzz.co.uk". ZeroZero. Retrieved 2012-04-24.
- ^ Official AFL tournament.
- ^ Official AFL tournament.