Eusébio Cup

Coordinates: 38°45′13″N 9°10′57.5″W / 38.75361°N 9.182639°W / 38.75361; -9.182639

Eusébio Cup
Eusébio Cup logo
Organising body Benfica
Founded 2008
Number of teams 2
Current champions France Lyon (1st title)
Most successful club(s) Portugal Benfica (3 titles)
Television broadcasters Benfica TV
Eusébio with the trophy of the fourth edition (2011)
Poster for the ninth edition of the Eusébio Cup (2016)

The Eusébio Cup is an annual pre-season friendly football match hosted by Portuguese sports club S.L. Benfica. It has been played at their stadium, Estádio da Luz, with the exception of the 2015 and 2018 editions. The two-team competition was inaugurated in 2008 and is named after Portuguese international and former Benfica player Eusébio,[1][2] who presented the trophy to the winning team until 2013, as he died in January 2014.

The invitational match takes place in early-mid August, one or two weeks before the regular season kicks off, and is usually Benfica's last pre-season match. So far, Benfica's opponents have been Inter Milan, A.C. Milan, Tottenham, Arsenal, Real Madrid, São Paulo, Ajax, Monterrey (at the Estadio BBVA Bancomer), Torino, and Lyon (at the Estádio Algarve), respectively.

Despite being played yearly, there was no Eusébio Cup in 2017 because the Brazilian Football Confederation did not authorise Chapecoense's match against Benfica on 22 July.[3] A year later, the Eusébio Cup was played as part of the 2018 International Champions Cup.

Trophy

The Eusébio Cup trophy is made out of glass and bears the name of the match and its winners. Moreover, it features a figure of Eusébio, on the top, performing his trademark shooting technique. The figure is similar to Eusébio's statue outside Estádio da Luz. The trophy is symbolic because it is dedicated to Eusébio, who is considered one of the greatest footballers of all time.

Broadcasters

The Eusébio Cup editions of 2008, 2009 and 2010 were broadcast on SIC, the 2011 edition on TVI,[4] the 2012 edition on RTP1,[5] and the 2013 edition on Benfica's own channel, Benfica TV, which then broadcast the next three editions.

Matches

2008

2009

2010

Benfica Portugal0–1England Tottenham Hotspur
Report Bale  55'
Attendance: 30,215
Referee: Pedro Proença (Portugal)

2011

Benfica Portugal2–1England Arsenal
Aimar  49'
Nolito  60'		 Report Van Persie  34'
Attendance: 40,833
Referee: Duarte Gomes (Portugal)

2012

Benfica Portugal5–2Spain Real Madrid
García  4'
Witsel  22'
Pérez  53', 85'
Martins  58'		 Report Callejón  18', 20'
Attendance: 35,476
Referee: Bruno Paixão (Portugal)

2013

Benfica Portugal0–2Brazil São Paulo
Report Aloísio  53'
Rafael Tolói  63'
Attendance: 30,638
Referee: Duarte Gomes (Portugal)

2014

Benfica Portugal0–1Netherlands Ajax
Report Kishna  41'
Attendance: 25,240
Referee: Hugo Miguel (Portugal)

2015

Monterrey Mexico3–0Portugal Benfica
Montes  49'
Funes Mori  58' (pen.)
Rivera  81'		 Report
Attendance: 51,000
Referee: Francisco Chacón (Mexico)

2016

Benfica Portugal1–1Italy Torino
Vives  11' (o.g.) Report Ljajić  32'
Penalties
 5–6
Attendance: 45,818
Referee: Fábio Veríssimo (Portugal)

2018

Benfica Portugal2–3France Lyon
 Report
Attendance: 17,510
Referee: Hélder Malheiro (Portugal)

Performance by team

Team Winners Runners-up Year(s) won Year(s) runners-up
Portugal Benfica 3 7 2009, 2011, 2012 2008, 2010, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018
Italy Inter Milan 1 — 2008 —
England Tottenham Hotspur 1 — 2010 —
Brazil São Paulo 1 — 2013 —
Netherlands Ajax 1 — 2014 —
Mexico Monterrey 1 — 2015 —
Italy Torino 1 — 2016 —
France Lyon 1 — 2018 —
Italy Milan — 1 — 2009
England Arsenal — 1 — 2011
Spain Real Madrid — 1 — 2012

References

  1. ↑ "Planet Benfica: Eusébio Cup 2008". Planet Benfica. 1 August 2008. Archived from the original on 24 October 2008. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  2. ↑ Mira, Luís (7 August 2008). "Eusébio Cup Preview: SL Benfica – AC Milan". Goal. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  3. ↑ "CBF "inviabiliza" Chapecoense" [CBF make Chapecoense "infeasible"]. S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). 14 June 2017. Retrieved 25 June 2017.
  4. ↑ Lourenço, Tiago (4 August 2011). "TVI transmite Eusébio Cup" [TVI broadcasts Eusébio Cup]. Propagandista Social (in Portuguese). Retrieved 26 June 2018.
  5. ↑ "Eusébio Cup: SL Benfica x Real Madrid". RTP Desporto (in Portuguese). July 2012. Retrieved 26 June 2018.
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