The 1966–67 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 63st season in existence and the club's 33st consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 August 1966 to 31 July 1967. Domestically, Benfica competed in the Primeira Divisão and Taça de Portugal, while internationally participated in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup.
After finishing the season without silverware for the first time in eight years, the Benfica board opted to bring back former manager Fernando Riera. José Neto, José Pérides, Domingos Fernandes, Pedras and Serafim departed, while Adolfo Calisto, José Henrique, Jaime Graça and Diamantino Costa joined the squad. The league title race was closely contested with Académica, but Benfica ultimately secured its 15th league championship. In the Taça de Portugal Benfica was eliminated by Académica, while in Europe they exited in the third round against Lokomotive Leipzig.
Season summary After a trophyless campaign, the first in eight years, the board opted to bring back manager Fernando Riera. The squad underwent several changes: José Neto, José Pérides, Domingos Fernandes and Serafim departed, while Pedras, Arcanjo and Félix Guerreiro were included in a deal to bring Jaime Graça. Adolfo Calisto, José Henrique and Diamantino Costa also joined the club.
Pre-season began with participation in the Torneio Costa do Sol, where Benfica defeated Atlético Madrid 2–0 in the semi-finals before losing 2–1 to Tottenham Hotspur in the final. The team then embarked on a tour of the Americas, losing 4–0 to Santos in New York, defeating Club América 3–0 at the Estadio Azteca, drawing 2–2 with AEK in New York, and beating the Italian Falcons 1–0 in Toronto.
Later, a 3–2 victory over Atlético sent Benfica to the final of the Taça de Honra, where they defeated Sporting 2–0.
The official season began on 18 September with a 1–0 away win over Vitória de Guimarães in their first league match. In the following five rounds Benfica collected four wins and one draw, including a 3–0 home victory over Sporting, ending October with a three-point lead.
In the Fairs Cup they faced Spartak Plovdiv, drawing 1–1 away and winning 3–0 at home. In the Taça de Portugal a 9–0 aggregate victory secured progression to the next round. In the league Benfica played only two matches in November, losing 4–0 away to Braga and defeating Porto 3–0 at home, maintaining a two-point advantage. In December, three wins over Sanjoanense, CUF and Vitória de Setúbal kept Benfica top of the table with a two-point lead, while in Europe they suffered a 3–1 defeat to Lokomotive Leipzig in the first leg.
On 5 December, defender Luciano died after being electrocuted in a hot tub in the team's locker room due to an electrical malfunction.
Benfica began the new year with a 2–1 away defeat to Belenenses, followed by a 2–0 win over Beira-Mar and an 11–1 aggregate victory against Lusitano de Évora in the Taça de Portugal. In February, Benfica won its first three league matches before ending the month with a 1–1 draw against Sporting, finishing level on points with Académica.
In March, Benfica won all four of its league fixtures: 2–0 against Atlético, 1–0 away against Académica, 4–0 against Braga (avenging the earlier away loss), and 2–1 over Lokomotive Leipzig. The team ended the month with a four-point lead but was eliminated from European competitions.
April opened with a 1–1 away draw against Porto, followed by two victories over Sanjoanense and CUF. A defeat in Setúbal was offset by further wins against Belenenses and Beira-Mar, securing Benfica's 15th league title. The season concluded with a 4–3 elimination in the Taça de Portugal quarter-finals against Académica.
Competitions
Overall record Competition First match Last match RecordGWDLGFGAGDWin %Source Primeira Divisão 18 September 1966 7 May 1967 Taça de Portugal 30 October 1966 18 June 1967 Inter-Cities Fairs Cup 26 October 1966 7 March 1967 Total
Primeira Divisão
League standings
Results by round Matches
Taça de Portugal
First round
Second round
Quarter-Finals
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
Second round
Third Round
Friendlies
Player statistics The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Fernando Riera (manager), Fernando Cabrita (assistant manager).
References