1961–62 S.L. Benfica season

Benfica
1961–62 season
President Maurício Vieira de Brito
(until 31 March 1962)
António Fezas Vital
Head coach Béla Guttmann
Stadium Estádio da Luz
Primeira Divisão 3rd
Taça de Portugal Winners
European Cup Winners
Intercontinental Cup Runners-up
Top goalscorer League: José Águas (18)
All: Eusébio (29)
Home colours

The 1961–62 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 58th season in existence and the club's 28th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1961 to 31 July 1962. Benfica competed domestically in the Primeira Divisão and Taça de Portugal, and participated in the European Cup after winning the competition in the previous season. As the reigning European Cup holders, they represented the continent in the Intercontinental Cup.

In the third year of Béla Guttmann's stint, Benfica had a slow transfer market, only noted addition was António Simões. The season did not start in the best of ways, with the team losing the Intercontinental Cup and suffering a blip in performance that saw him trail leaders by five points before December. However, the performance in Europe remained unchanged and Benfica progressed to the quarter-finals after beating Austria Wien. The domestic performance remained disappointing in January and February, while in Europe, Benfica lost 3–1 to Nürnberg. A strong second leg put them in the semi-finals, where they met Tottenham Hotspur. A 3–1 win in Lisbon was followed by a 2–1 loss in London, meaning had qualified for their second consecutive European Cup Final. They would face Real Madrid on 2 May 1962. In an entertaining game, Benfica trailed twice, but managed to overcame Madrid in the second half for 5–3 win, retaining the European Cup. They concluded the season with their 11th Taça de Portugal win.

Season summary

After a highly successful season, where Benfica won their first European Cup, and added the league title, Béla Guttmann remained for a third year, with an increased salary.[1] The club released several players but only signed one;[2] instead they promoted António Simões from the youth team.[3] The pre-season began on 25 August and their first game, was on the 28th.[4] They met Atlético CP and Sporting CP in Taça Angola, two short matches in the same day in festival to celebrate Angola.[5] They faced the same teams in the Taça de Honra, finishing runners-up to Sporting.[6][7] Official competition began on 4 September with the first leg of the Intercontinental Cup with Peñarol.[8] A one-nil win in Lisbon followed a 5-0 loss in Montevideo.[8] In the replay, Penãrol won 2–1 and took the Intercontinental Cup.[8]

Domestically, Benfica started their title defence with two wins, but four win-less matches, which included a loss in Coimbra, caused Benfica to fell to sixth place, three points shy of leaders Sporting.[9] However, in the European Cup, Benfica had no problem beating Austria Wien in the first round.[9] In December, the gap to Sporting increased to five points after a 2–1 defeat in the Clássico.[10] The same month, Eusébio had the first of several left knee operations.[10] In the opening month of 1962, Benfica drew to Sporting in the Derby de Lisboa; a result that best served Sporting's interest, who kept a four-point lead.[11] In February, Eusébio returned to action on the 12th,[12] while his teammates were defeated in the snow of Nuremberg, on the first leg of the quarter-finals. Nürnberg won 3–1 with the help of Costa Pereira who had a poor performance.[11][13] Before the second leg of the European tie, Benfica lost to Sporting da Covilhã, complicating their hopes of renewing the league title.[12] They recovered from their domestic disarray and thrashed Nürnberg by 6–0, qualifying for the semi-finals.[12][14]

The following month, Benfica lost more points in the league, with Belenenses, practically ending any chance of retaining the Primeira Divisão badge.[12] Nonetheless, in Europe, the situation was much better, with the team beating Tottenham Hotspur by 3–1 in Lisbon, which gave them a precious advantage to London.[1] On the 5 April, Benfica lost 2–1 on the White Hart Lane, home of Tottenham, but still qualified for their second consecutive European Cup Final on a 4–3 aggregate win.[15][13] Later in the month, they defeated Porto in the third round of the Portuguese Cup.[16]

The 1962 European Cup trophy on display at Museu Cosme Damião

On 2 May, Benfica met Real Madrid in Amsterdam.[15] The Spaniards were the overwhelming favourites, with players like Alfredo Di Stéfano, Ferenc Puskás and Francisco Gento.[15] Madrid started better and by the 23rd minute, Puskás had scored a double. Águas brought it down to 2–1 on the 25th minute after he deflected a powerful shot from Eusébio. Less than 10 minutes later, Eusébio again, cushioned a cross to Cavém who fired into the net. Madrid reacted with another goal from Puskás putting the score at 2–3 at half-time.[17] Five minutes into the second half, Coluna levelled the game again with a strong shot from outside the lines. On the 64th minute, Eusébio was brought down by Pachín inside the box, with the referee signalling a penalty that Eusébio himself converted.[17] Five minutes later, in a free-kick after a mistake by José Santamaría, Coluna served Eusébio who blasted another goal, the 5–3.[18] Benfica had successfully retained the European Cup.[18] May closed with another Derby de Lisboa, with Benfica losing and handing over the title to Sporting.[19] In early June, Benfica embarked on a tour through the Mediterranean,[19] and closed the season with the semi-finals and Final of the Taça de Portugal.[19] On 1 July 1962, Benfica won their 11th Portuguese Cup, with a double from Eusébio and another from Cavém.[19] Guttmann meanwhile, despite winning eight times the amount his players received, resigned, saying "the third year is almost deadly for a manager", adding his famous curse.[1]

Competitions

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

Overall record

Competition First match Last match Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win % Source
Primeira Divisão 24 September 1961 27 May 1962 26 14 8 4 69 38 +31 053.85 [20]
Taça de Portugal 26 November 1961 1 July 1962 12 9 2 1 52 14 +38 075.00 [20]
European Cup 31 October 1961 2 May 1962 7 4 1 2 22 11 +11 057.14 [20]
Intercontinental Cup 4 September 1961 19 September 1961 3 1 0 2 2 7 −5 033.33 [20]
Total 48 28 11 9 145 70 +75 058.33

Primeira Divisão

League table

Pos
 Team
 Pld
 W
 D
 L
 GF
 GA
 GD
 Pts
Qualification or relegation
1 Sporting CP (C) 26 19 5 2 66 17+49 43 1962–63 European Cup Preliminary round
2 Porto 26 18 5 3 57 16+41 41 1962–63 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
3 Benfica 26 14 8 4 69 38+31 36 1962–63 European Cup Preliminary round

Source: [20]
Rules for classification: 1st points, 2nd head-to-head, 3rd goals average
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Results by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526
GroundAHAHAHHAHAHAHHAHAHAAHAHAHA
ResultWWDDLDWLWWWWDWWWLWDWDWDDWL
Position31125524433333333333333333

Source: ForaDeJogo
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

Taça de Portugal

First round

Second round

Third round

Quarter-final

Semi-final

Final

European Cup

First round

Quarter-final

Semi-final

Final

Intercontinental Cup

Friendlies

[21]

Player statistics

The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Béla Guttman (manager), Fernando Cabrita (assistant manager).[20][33][34][upper-alpha 1]

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 1961-62 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.

No. Pos Nat Player TotalPrimeira DivisãoTaça de PortugalEuropean CupIntercontinental Cup
AppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
1 GK Portugal Costa Pereira 430240907030
1 GK Portugal José Barroca 4020200000
1 GK Portugal Armando Ramalho 2000200000
2 DF Portugal Fernando Cruz 450260907030
2 DF Portugal Manuel Serra 11060203000
3 DF Portugal Mário João 311151905020
3 DF Portugal Ângelo Martins 370220606030
4 DF Portugal Germano de Figueiredo 243132615000
4 DF Portugal Sidónio Manhiça 3010200000
5 DF Portugal Jorge Nogueira 2000200000
5 DF Portugal José Neto 230130601030
5 DF Portugal Manuel Pinto 2000200000
5 DF Portugal Humberto Fernandes 170110302010
6 DF Portugal António Fonseca 2010100000
6 MF Portugal Mário Coluna 409246607231
7 FW Portugal José Augusto 39192313627430
7 MF Portugal António Saraiva 10040400020
7 MF Portugal António Simões 248113745110
7 MF Portugal Jorge Calado 3200320000
8 MF Portugal Domiciano Cavém 4010243657230
9 FW Portugal José Águas 36262218527620
9 FW Portugal José Torres 815226130000
10 FW Portugal Santana 2911196632220
10 FW Portugal Eusébio 312917127116511
11 FW Portugal António Mendes 6411430010
11 DF Portugal Amândio Gonçalves 3020100000
11‡ FW Portugal Carlos Angeja 8430540000
11 FW Portugal Nartanga 2100210000
11 FW Portugal Alfredo Espirito Santo 4000400000

Transfers

In

Entry date Position Player From club Fee Ref
28 August 1961 FW Carlos Angeja Atlético CP Undisclosed [2]

Out

Exit date Position Player To club Fee Ref
31 July 1961 DF Artur Santos None Retired [35]
5 August 1961 MF Francisco Palmeiro Atlético CP Undisclosed [36]
14 August 1961 GK José de Bastos Beira-Mar Undisclosed [37]
17 August 1961 FW Jorge Lopes Académica Undisclosed [38]
28 August 1961 MF Álvaro Inácio Atlético CP Undisclosed [5]
28 August 1961 MF Peres Atlético CP Undisclosed [5]

Notes

  1. ↑ There were no fixed numbers assigned, and the positions used by the players may not have a modern equivalence, the tactic was closely matched for a 3–4–3

References

  1. 1 2 3 Simões 2008, p. 57.
  2. 1 2 "Confidências e Inconfidências do desporto" [Secrets of football]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13904): 24. 28 August 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  3. ↑ "Pelos Clubes" [Through the clubs]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13886): 14. 10 August 1961. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  4. ↑ "O Benfica galardoou e ovacionou" [Benfica awarded and applauded]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13901): 11. 25 August 1961. Retrieved 9 March 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "Meia duzia de "estreias"" [Half a dozen premieres]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13904): 20. 28 August 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  6. 1 2 "Futebol sem luz e um pouco de Inverno" [Football without light and a little of Winter]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13908): 6. 1 September 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  7. 1 2 "O Sporting venceu o Benfica na final da Taça de Honra" [Sporting beats Benfica in Taça de Honra Finall]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13917): 1–16. 10 September 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  8. 1 2 3 Simões 1994, p. 107.
  9. 1 2 Simões 1994, p. 108.
  10. 1 2 Simões 1994, p. 109.
  11. 1 2 Simões 1994, p. 110.
  12. 1 2 3 4 Simões 1994, p. 111.
  13. 1 2 Simões 2008, p. 54.
  14. ↑ Miguéns 2005, p. 24.
  15. 1 2 3 Miguéns 2005, p. 25.
  16. ↑ Simões 1994, p. 112.
  17. 1 2 Miguéns 2005, p. 26.
  18. 1 2 Miguéns 2005, p. 27.
  19. 1 2 3 4 Simões 1994, p. 113.
  20. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Tovar 2012, p. 301.
  21. ↑ António Manuel Morais; Carlos Perdigão; João Loureiro; José de Oliveira Santos (1994). Benfica: 90 Anos de História (in Portuguese). SOGAPAL. pp. 250–251.
  22. ↑ Melo, Afonso de (November 2007). 100 anos: 1907-2007, Benfica-Sporting x Sporting Benfica...pior do que inimigos, eram irmãos [100 years: 1907-2007, Benfica-Sporting x Sporting-Benfica...worst than enemies, they were friends] (in Portuguese). Portugal: PrimeBooks. p. 146. ISBN 978-989-8028-52-5.
  23. ↑ "A personalidade dos Campeõs Europeus impôs-se ao estilo ardoroso dos Belgas" [Benfica's personality imposes itself over Belgians]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13915): 17. 8 September 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  24. ↑ "Perdeu bem o Benfica contra o excelente Eintracht" [Benfica lost with Eintracht]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13942): 16. 6 October 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  25. ↑ "O Benfica desfalcado chegou para bater os suiços do Chaux-de-Fonds" [Second grade Benfica enough to beat Swiss team Chaux-de-Fonds]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13945): 17–18. 9 October 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  26. ↑ "Eusébio, Águas e Costa Pereira são de categoria invulgar" [Eusebio, Àguas and Costa Pereira are a special breed of players]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13948): 7–12. 12 October 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  27. ↑ "O Benfica foi uma equipa certa ontem em Nou Camp" [Benfica drew yesterday in Nou Camp]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13990): 7. 23 October 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  28. ↑ "O Benfica manteve-se sempre em luta." [Benfica kept on fighting...]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (4099): 7. 15 March 1962. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  29. ↑ "Espírito de Campeonato na base da vitória dos egpicios" [Spirit of championship in motive for beating Benfica]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (14177): 7. 2 June 1962. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  30. ↑ "Vitória do Benfica em Nicosia" [Benfica wins in Nicosia]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (14179): 20–21. 4 June 1962. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  31. ↑ "Exibição de categoria do Benfica que derrotou Omonia" [Benfica defeated Omonia]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (14182): 13. 7 June 1962. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  32. ↑ "Os campeões turcos sofreram uma das maiores derrotas perante o seu público" [Turkish champions defeated at home by Benfica]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (14184): 6. 9 June 1962. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  33. ↑ Centenarium Benfica 100 Nomes 100 Histórias (in Portuguese). Portugal: Correio da Manhã. January 2004. p. 53. ISBN 972-99026-15.
  34. ↑ Miguéns 2005, p. 27-117.
  35. ↑ Malheiro, João (July 2006). Memorial Benfica 100 Glórias [Benfica Memorial, 100 glories] (in Portuguese) (Third ed.). Portugal: QuidNovi. p. 27. ISBN 978-972-8998-26-4.
  36. ↑ "Notícias do Futebol" [Football news]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13881): 6. 5 August 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  37. ↑ "Confidências e inconfidências do desporto" [Secrets of football]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13890): 22. 14 August 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  38. ↑ "Noticias de futebol" [Football news]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese) (13893): 6. 17 August 1961. Retrieved 8 March 2017.

Bibliography

  • Tovar, Rui Miguel (2012). Almanaque do Benfica. Portugal: Lua de Papel. ISBN 978-989-23-2087-8.
  • Miguéns, Alberto (2005). 100 anos 100 troféus. Portugal: Prime Books. ISBN 972-8820-34-8.
  • Simões, António (2008). Equipamentos com história. 3. Portugal: A Bola. ISBN 972-99134-6-3.
  • Simões, António (1994). História de 50 anos do Desporto Português. Portugal: A Bola.
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