Estádio da Luz

The Estádio da Luz (Portuguese pronunciation: [(ɨ)ˈʃtaðju ðɐ ˈluʃ]), officially named Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica, is a multi-purpose stadium located in Lisbon, Portugal. It is used mostly for association football matches, hosting the home games of Portuguese club S.L. Benfica, its owner.

This article is about the current home ground of S.L. Benfica. For the previous one, see Estádio da Luz (1954). For the home ground of Sunderland A.F.C., see Stadium of Light.

Estádio da Luz
A Catedral
O Inferno da Luz
Full nameEstádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica
AddressAv. Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, 1500-313
LocationLisbon, Portugal
Coordinates
Public transit  Azul  at Colégio Militar/Luz
OwnerS.L. Benfica
OperatorS.L. Benfica
Executive suites156
Capacity64,642
Record attendanceOfficial match: 64,591[1]
(13 May 2017)
All-time: 65,400
(25 October 2003)
Field size105 x 68 m
SurfaceGrass
ScoreboardYes
Construction
Broke ground2003
Opened25 October 2003
Construction cost€162 million[2]
ArchitectHOK Sport (now Populous)
Tenants
S.L. Benfica (2003–present)
S.L. Benfica B (2003–2006, 2012–2013)
Portugal national football team (selected matches)
Website
slbenfica.pt

Opened on 25 October 2003 with an exhibition match between Benfica and Uruguayan club Nacional, it replaced the original Estádio da Luz, which had 120,000 seats. The seating capacity was decreased to 65,647[3][4] and is currently set at 64,642.[5] The stadium was designed by HOK Sport Venue Event and had a construction cost of €162 million.[2]

A UEFA category four stadium and one of the biggest stadiums by capacity in Europe (the biggest of Portugal), Estádio da Luz hosted several matches of the UEFA Euro 2004, including its final, as well the 2014 UEFA Champions League Final and the upcoming 2020 final. Moreover, it was the venue for the New7Wonders of the World announcement ceremony in 2007.[6] In 2014, it was elected as the most beautiful stadium of Europe in an online poll by L'Équipe.[7][8][9]

As of its fifteenth birthday, Estádio da Luz has welcomed more than 17 million spectators.[10]

Naming

While the previous Benfica stadium was also officially named "Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica", both the old and the new stadia are invariably referred to by their unofficial name, Estádio da Luz. Luz is the name of the neighborhood the stadium was built on, on the border between the parishes of Benfica and Carnide, which itself derives its name from the nearby Igreja de Nossa Senhora da Luz (Church of Our Lady of Light). This unofficial name caught on soon after the original stadium's construction;[11] the people of Lisbon used to simply call it a Luz ("the Light"). Therefore, the stadium's common name became "Estádio da Luz", which is usually anglicised to "Stadium of Light".[12] This translation, however, could be argued to be inaccurate, since Luz refers not to "light" but to the original address of the stadium: Estrada da Luz ("Road/Street of Light").[13][14] Like its predecessor, the current stadium is also referred to as a Catedral (the Cathedral) or as o Inferno da Luz.[15]

Characteristics

Architect Damon Lavelle,[16] from HOK Sport Venue Event (now Populous), designed the stadium to focus on light and transparency. Its polycarbonate roof allows the sunlight to penetrate the stadium in order to illuminate it. The roof, which is supported by tie-beams of four steel arches, seems to float on the underlying tribunes. The arches are 43 metres high and help define the look of the stadium, after having been shaped to be similar to the wavy profile of its three tiers.

A panorama of the Estádio da Luz on 30 July 2009

Notable matches

Opening game
Benfica 2–1 Nacional
Nuno Gomes  7', 47' Report Mello  11'
Attendance: 65,400

In the opening match, Benfica beat Uruguayan side Nacional 2–1 with goals from Nuno Gomes, who became the first scorer in the history of Estádio da Luz.

UEFA Euro 2004

UEFA Euro 2004 - Quarter-finals

Portugal 2–2 (a.e.t.) England
Postiga  83'
Rui Costa  110'		 Report Owen  3'
Lampard  115'
Penalties
Deco
Simão
Rui Costa
Ronaldo
Maniche
Postiga
Ricardo 		6–5 Beckham
Owen
Lampard
Terry
Hargreaves
A. Cole
Vassell
Attendance: 65,000

In the first quarter-final ever between England and Portugal, the English side opened the scoring after only two minutes through Michael Owen. Portugal's constant attacking pressure from then on resulted in Hélder Postiga's 83rd-minute equaliser. A controversial incident came in the dying minutes when Michael Owen hit the Portuguese crossbar, resulting in a Sol Campbell header, which appeared to have given England the lead again, but the header was ruled out for what referee Urs Meier deemed a foul on the Portuguese goalkeeper Ricardo. The sides exchanged goals in extra-time, sending the match to penalty kicks, which Portugal eventually won 6–5. Ricardo saved the penalty from Darius Vassell and then scored the winning goal.

UEFA Euro 2004 - Final

Main article: UEFA Euro 2004 Final
Portugal 0–1 Greece
Report Charisteas  57'
Attendance: 62,865
Referee: Markus Merk (Germany)

2014 UEFA Champions League Final
Main article: 2014 UEFA Champions League Final
Real Madrid 4–1 (a.e.t.) Atlético Madrid
Ramos  90+3'
Bale  110'
Marcelo  118'
Ronaldo  120' (pen.)		 Report Godín  36'
Attendance: 60,976[17]

Portugal national football team matches
Entrance of the stadium during the UEFA Euro 2004

The following national team matches were held in the stadium.

#DateScoreOpponentCompetition
1.16 June 20042–0 RussiaEuro 2004 Group Stage
2.24 June 20042–2[18] EnglandEuro 2004 Quarter-Finals
3.4 July 20040–1 GreeceEuro 2004 Final
4.4 June 20052–0 Slovakia2006 World Cup qualification
5.8 September 20072–2 PolandEuro 2008 qualifying
6.10 October 20093–0 Hungary2010 World Cup qualification
7.14 November 20091–0 Bosnia and Herzegovina2010 World Cup UEFA play-offs
8.17 November 20104–0 SpainFriendly
9.4 June 20111–0 NorwayEuro 2012 qualifying
10.15 November 20116–2 Bosnia and HerzegovinaEuro 2012 qualifying play-offs
11.2 June 20121–3 TurkeyFriendly
12.7 June 20131–0 Russia2014 World Cup qualification
13.15 November 20131–0 Sweden2014 World Cup UEFA play-offs
14.29 March 20152–1 SerbiaEuro 2016 qualifying
15.8 June 20167–0 EstoniaFriendly
16.25 March 20173–0 Hungary2018 World Cup qualification
17.10 October 20172–0  Switzerland2018 World Cup qualification
18.7 June 20183–0 AlgeriaFriendly
19.10 September 20181–0 Italy2018–19 UEFA Nations League
20.22 March 20190–0 UkraineEuro 2020 qualifying
21.25 March 20191–1 SerbiaEuro 2020 qualifying

Euro 2004 matches
DateResultRound
13 June 2004 France2–1 EnglandGroup B
16 June 2004 Russia0–2 PortugalGroup A
21 June 2004 Croatia2–4 EnglandGroup B
24 June 2004 Portugal2–2 (6–5 on pen.) EnglandQuarter-finals
4 July 2004 Portugal0–1 GreeceFinal

Benfica matches in European competitions
Further information: S.L. Benfica in European football
As of match played 23 October 2019
89 matches: 56 wins, 16 draws, 17 losses
141 goals scored, 68 goals conceded

References
  1. "History has been made". S.L. Benfica. 13 May 2017. Retrieved 29 April 2018.
  2. "Vender jogadores para gerar receitas" [Selling players to generate revenue]. Record (in Portuguese). 29 April 2015. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
  3. "Stadiums in Portugal". World Stadiums. Archived from the original on 6 June 2012. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  4. "Estadio da Luz". World Stadium Database. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  5. "fsd150611.pdf" (PDF). CMVM (in Portuguese). S.L. Benfica. 14 April 2016. pp. 81–82. Retrieved 25 July 2016.
  6. "Das Sete Novas Maravilhas do Mundo, o Cristo Redentor" [From the New Seven Wonders of the World, Christ the Redeemer]. Expedia.com.br (in Portuguese). 19 November 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2018.
  7. "Estádio da Luz é o mais bonito da Europa" [Estádio da Luz is the most beautiful of Europe]. Record (in Portuguese). 22 October 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2014. Retrieved 18 June 2016.
  8. "Luz considerado o estádio mais bonito" [Luz considered the most beautiful stadium]. SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). 22 October 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  9. Tavares da Silva, Hugo (22 October 2014). "Estádio da Luz é o mais bonito da Europa" [Estádio da Luz is the most beautiful of Europe]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 30 May 2017.
  10. "Luz recebeu mais de 17 milhões de espectadores em 15 anos" [Da Luz welcomed more than 17 million spectators in 15 years]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 25 October 2018. Retrieved 26 October 2018.
  11. Silveira, João Pedro. "Luz: a Catedral" [Luz: the Cathedral]. zerozero (in Portuguese). Retrieved 8 May 2019.
  12. Lutz, Tom (20 March 2012). "Benfica's Stadium of Light to host 2014 Champions League final". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 August 2017.
  13. "Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Luz)". Sport Lisboa e Benfica - Site Oficial. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2016.
  14. Hunter, James (20 April 2017). "The Princess Diana Stadium? Sir Bob Murray reveals request to rename the Stadium of Light". ChronicleLive. Retrieved 28 December 2018.
  15. "Benfica junta a festa de Carnaval ao inferno da Luz" [Benfica join Carnival celebrations to the inferno da Luz]. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 17 April 2018.
  16. "15 Best Football Stadiums in the World". twelfthman blog. 10 December 2019. Retrieved 10 December 2019.
  17. "Full-time report" (PDF). UEFA.com. Union of European Football Associations. 24 May 2014. Retrieved 24 May 2014.
  18. 6–5 after penalty shoot-out.
Preceded by
De Kuip
Rotterdam		 UEFA European Championship
Final venue
2004		 Succeeded by
Ernst-Happel-Stadion
Vienna
Preceded by
Wembley Stadium
London		 UEFA Champions League
Final venue
2014		 Succeeded by
Olympiastadion
Berlin
Preceded by
Wanda Metropolitano
Madrid		 UEFA Champions League
Final venue
2020		 Succeeded by
Atatürk Olympic Stadium
Istanbul
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