Benfica 5-1 Real Madrid: one of Benfica and Eusébio’s greatest ever European nights revisited | OneFootball

Everyone knows about how Benfica came from behind to beat Real Madrid in the 1962 European Cup final, the night the football world finally understood a change of the guard was underway, and Eusébio had become the biggest star in European football, surpassing the fading genius of Alfredo di Stefano. Few know, however, that two and a half years later, Benfica proved to be even more superior in their duel against the Merengues to amass an unforgettable 5-1 win at the Estádio da Luz on their way to their fourth European Cup final, in Milan.

That was the night when not only did Benfica prove themselves to be the most important football club of the 1960s in European football, but also when Eusébio was revealed to be by far the most brilliant footballer in the world, aside from Pelé. That same Real Madrid side would win the Spanish league for a fourth time in a row at the end of the season and their sixth European Cup the following year, but they were still unable to match the most powerful version of the Eagles in Europe’s biggest football competition.

Front page of A Bola after Benfica's glorious night

Real Madrid’s early dominance of the European Cup

By 1965, nobody in Europe doubted who the strongest side on the continent was. And, guess what, it was not Real Madrid. Los Blancos had been the most dominant side in the history of the European Cup. Invited by L’Equipe when Barcelona declined to take part in the competition’s inaugural edition – despite the Blaugrana not having even won La Liga, something Madrid had just done back-to-back – they won the first five editions of the event in brilliant fashion.

The first edition almost ended for the Spaniards on their visit to Partizan, who had just beaten Sporting in the first round. Madrid won 5-0 at home and thought they everything done and dusted for the following round, but playing on a snowy pitch in Belgrade after spending half a day in customs trying to get clearance just to get in the country – Franco’s Spain did not formally recognise Tito’s Yugoslavia and vice versa – took a toll on the side. They lost 4-0 and were about to suffer a death blow on the dying seconds, but a shot blasted by Milutinovic ended up thudding the crossbar instead of the back of the net.

Madrid beat Stade Reims in the final, after coming back twice on the scoreboard, and then proceeded to win the following years’ finals against Fiorentina, AC Milan, Stade Reims once again, and Eintracht Frankfurt in the most memorable final, played at Hampden Park.

Benfica “troll” Spain’s Big Two

The following season, they were beaten in the first round by Barcelona, but ended up the campaign laughing out loud when their rivals were, in turn, surprised by an almost unknown side on the international stage, coming from neighbouring Portugal. Benfica were European minnows at a time. Portuguese football had never had a side progress beyond the second round of the competition, but the Lisbon outfit took Europe by surprise, rampaging to the 1961 final, which they won brilliantly.

The following season, the Merengue supporters weren’t laughing anymore when that same Benfica side humiliated them in Amsterdam to claim back-to-back continental trophies. The side, which now included Eusébio in the attacking line, had disposed of Tottenham Hotspur in the semis and started the match poorly, with Puskas netting a hat-trick before half-time. With a young Johan Cruyff serving as ball boy at the Amsterdam Olympic ground, the second half turned out to be quite a different affair. Belá Guttman, the Hungarian genius who masterminded Benfica’s European runs, told Mário Coluna that he could stop chasing down Di Stefano because the Argentinean star was now all washed up from the effort, and could concentrate on supporting the attacking front line. Coluna did just that, scoring a goal and helping the side climb to a brilliant win with two goals from Eusébio, one from the spot and another after a typical long-range shot following a quickly studied free-kick.

Benfica lineup at the Estádio da Luz versus Real Madrid on 24 February 1965

Eusébio treasures Di Stefano’s shirt

At the final whistle, Eusébio ran towards Di Stefano to ask for his shirt, a prize he tucked into his own shorts as he was held by the crowd, perhaps thinking at that moment that a prized shirt from the world’s greatest player of his day was worth more than the European Cup trophy itself. After Benfica’s display, everyone agreed they were serious contenders to quickly catch Real Madrid in the number of wins. They could have had, if they had won the other three finals played during the decade, but unfortunately for Eusébio and his teammates, that wouldn’t be the case, although no-one knew it yet.

In the following campaign, Real Madrid were thrashed in the first round by Anderlecht, Benfica reached a third consecutive final, only to be beaten by AC Milan at Wembley. They were then disposed of by Borussia Dortmund in the first round of the 1963/64 campaign, a shock result after a 2-1 home win was followed by a dramatic 5-0 defeat in Dortmund. Real Madrid, however, had licked their wounds and after beating Dinamo Bucaresti, AC Milan and Zurich booked themselves a ticket for their seventh final in nine editions of the competition. They would face Helenio Herrera’s Inter squad. The Argentine had been responsible for ending Madrid’s domestic domination at the end of the previous decade, guiding an attack-minded Barcelona to two consecutive league titles as well as an Inter-City Fairs trophy. Defeat at the hands of Madrid in the 1959/60 European Cup semis proved to much for the Barcelona board, and he was eventually sacked, moving to Italy where he embraced the task of making Inter the strongest side in the land.

Real Madrid rebuilds ahead of Benfica reencounter

Herrera’s Inter were everything his Barcelona was not, a cunning defensive side that played on the counter like no other, and Di Stefano was aware of that. Leader of an ageing side that included Ferenc Puskás and Francisco Gento, who were in their late thirties by then, he proposed to the manager and former club captain Miguel Muñoz that they should stick to their usual attacking plan, while the manager believed they should hold back and play on the counter themselves. Di Stefano disagreed, aware of how the lack of physicality had hurt them in the final against Benfica two years prior, but Muñoz proved unconvinced and got away with his game plan. Inter won the final, Di Stefano protested to the board, only to hear from Santiago Bernabéu, the man he considered a father figure, that he was out of the club.

The end of the most important connection between player and chairman in the history of the game was bitter and, for some, meant Real Madrid would be out of contention for the following years, as Puskás was also far from his best. Underestimating Madrid, however, was a mistake. Bernabeu had been preparing the changing of the guard by signing promising Spanish players as Franco decided in 1962 to close the borders, which in turn made it impossible for his dream of signing Eusébio from Benfica after the Amsterdam final. The likes of Amancio Amaro, Grosso, Pirri or Zoco were key, and they came in full force the following year, beating Boldklubben 1909 from Denmark and Dukla Prague from Czechoslovakia before the draw pitted them against Benfica in the last eight. It was supposed to be a titanic affair between the only two sides deemed strong enough to fight Herrera’s Inter, who were once again cruising.

Eusébio and Puskas pre-match

Benfica in rude health

Benfica arrived at the match at the height of their game. They were flying in the league, and neither FC Porto nor CUF proved a match for the Eagles, who won their third consecutive trophy with their two strikers, Eusébio and Torres, topping the goal charts with fifty-one goals between the two of them. Benfica would win the league, netting 88 times in 26 matches, averaging more than three goals per match. Elek Schwartz had inherited a brilliant side that had only lost the iconic presence of José Águas from the 1962 winning final, who had retired from the game.

José Augusto and António Simões had by them established themselves as two of the best wingers in the history of the game, while Torres proved to be a worthy replacement of Águas alongside Eusébio in the frontline. Coluna still bossed the midfield like no other player in the world could, and the likes of Cruz, Germano and Cavém remained cornerstones for the side. Pérides was the only addition to the squad, although the Mozambican, signed from their city rivals Sporting, never really imposed himself in the midfield of the Eagles. Benfica had thrashed Aris of Luxembourg, and La Chaux-de-Fonds of Switzerland in the previous rounds and were pretty much eyeing a place in their fourth final.

Trepidation ahead of another heavyweight duel

Despite everything they had achieved by then, the prospect of facing Europe’s most renowned side engendered a mix of expectation and fear. Real Madrid were, after all, the kings of European football, and even if Di Stefano was no more, they were still looked upon as a formidable force, both on and off the pitch. The draw dictated that the first match would be played in Lisbon, something Benfica supporters distrusted as the Bernabéu was already known, back then, to exert extra pressure on any visiting side. It was clear that, if Benfica wanted to progress to the semi-finals, they needed to get themselves a good result at home, but few were expecting what came next.

It was a cold late February night, but the Estádio da Luz stadium was packed full to experience first-hand what would become one of the greatest European nights, not only in Benfica’s history, but in the entire history of Portuguese football. Schwartz picked the expected starting eleven, with Costa Pereira in goal, accompanied by Germano, Cavém, Raúl and Cruz. Pérides and Coluna patrolled the midfield, and the magic quartet of Augusto, Simões, Torres and Eusébio had the mission to lay siege to the Madrid defensive line.

The Spanish champions also brought their star-studded first eleven, with Muñoz picking Betancort in goal, alongside Pachin, Sanchis, Santamaria and Miera in defence. Zoco and Ruiz were in midfield with Pirri supporting the attacking trio of Gento, Puskas and Amancio Amaro. If Gento was about sheer speed and Puskas was by now ageing but still able to score from any position, Amaro had become one of the most talented players on the ball in the history of Spanish football and was the side’s main threat.

Ferocious assault from the kick-off

Yet, even he proved hapless as the Estádio da Luz roared in the first half an hour as it had never done before. The match started with Benfica storming the visitors’ defence time and time again, taking control of the ball and never allowing breathing space for a Madrid side that clearly were not expecting such a ferocious first few minutes. As they were still trying to get a grip on events, Benfica drew first blood. After a corner, Eusébio tried to shoot on goal at the near post but the ball was deflected by Santamaria. Luckily for the home side, it ended up meeting José Augusto’s head, who simply nodded it into the net.

Eusébio a man possessed

Three minutes later, Eusébio, who probably never played so brilliantly as on that night with the Benfica shirt in the European Cup, scored the second. Dropping into own midfield, as he usually did, operating from an almost number ten position, he started cavalcading into the opposition half, disposing of Madrid’s defenders as if they were amateur footballers. Then, he blasted his trademark rocket of a shot from long range and had no trouble beating Betancort. Twelve minutes later, he added another to his personal tally, also shooting from distance, this time coming from the right of Benfica’s attacking line, after a thirty-yard run with no-one in a white shirt able to match his speed on the ball.

It was one of the most memorable halves in the history of the club, but the party wasn’t over yet, even if the Real Madrid players looked to the heavens to plead for the half-time break to come as soon as it could. The stands pulsated in the immense cauldron of emotions but the second half proved to be as enthralling as the first, even if a little bit more dramatic.

Madrid threaten fightback

Real Madrid came back with a different attitude in the second half, as was expected. They held onto the ball and tried to convince themselves that if they got one goal back, not everything was lost. There was still a match to play at the Bernabéu, which could be as intimidating as any football ground in the world. Little by little, they started to get closer to Costa Pereira’s goal, and a minute before the hour, they got what they came for. A fast movement from the right found Pirri in the middle of the attack and, as he quickly glanced to the left, Puskas came into his eyesight. He swiftly passed the ball to the Hungarian, who shot from afar, only for the ball to be blocked by Germano before bouncing to Gento’s feet. The Madrid captain fired a shot that wasn’t going anywhere until Amancio appeared out of nowhere and, with a delicate backheel, tricked everyone and directed the ball into the net.

For a brief instant, the Luz went mute, as if the sheer name of Madrid was enough to conjure doubt into the supporters’ hearts. But the Spanish juggernaut was to be subjugated like perhaps never before in their history that night. It was Eusébio’s hour of glory, and soon enough the number 10 started to dictate play once again and push Madrid back into their defensive line for the final half hour, with Benfica searching for a fourth goal that would put the crowd more at ease.

Benfica show no mercy

They got it on the 75th minute, with a thunderous shot by Simões, taking advantage of a poor clearance from the Madrid defence. The night wasn’t over yet. Three minutes before the end, Eusébio was fouled on the right, and he himself crossed the ball into the box where Coluna headed in a fifth. The captain raised his arms in delight, and the Benfica supporters couldn’t believe their eyes. They had just scored five against Real Madrid again, after that memorable 1962 final, a goal for each of the European Cup trophies won by Los Blancos. Not only that, they had shown Europe that they, Benfica, not Madrid, were the dominant force of the new decade. There was now no doubt about it.

In the return leg, Real Madrid won 2-1, but Benfica’s place in the semis was never in dispute. Eusébio’s goal just before half-time cancelled out Grosso’s early effort, and Gento scored a second with twenty minutes remaining, when the Madrid faithful were already aware of their destiny. In the semi-finals, as Inter overcame Liverpool, after a dreadful set of controversial decisions by the Spanish referee Ortiz de Mendibil in the return leg at San Siro, Benfica overcame Gyori Vasas of Hungary to schedule a showdown against the Italians.

Heartbreak in finals

The final would be played at Inter’s own stadium, despite Benfica’s protests, only the second time a side would play the final in their home town, after Madrid did the same in the competition’s second edition. The night turned out to be a nightmare for the Eagles, with Costa Pereira making a dreadful blunder that allowed Inter to score in one of the very few shots they had on target, and he was later forced off injured. With no substitutions available, Germano was moved to play in goal, but even then Herrera told his men to hold positions as Benfica tried, to no avail, to score an equaliser under the pouring rain. It was their second European Cup defeat in the final, the second against a side from Milan.

Two years later, they would play the final against Manchester United, not at Old Trafford but at Wembley, where they had also lost the 1963 final against AC Milan. A series of misfortunes made it impossible for the Eagles to equal Madrid’s tally of European Cups in the 1960s, and the Merengues added a sixth the following campaign, by beating Partizan 2-1 in the 1966 final against all odds.

Kings of the Sixties

Still, while the Merengues were the dominant force in European football in the 1950s, there was never a doubt, despite the best efforts of Inter, AC Milan and Manchester United, Benfica were universally recognised as the best club side in the 1960s. Nights like the one when they trounced the mighty Spanish champions still serve today as a recollection of how great and admired they once were.