1986–87 S.L. Benfica season

The 1986–87 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 83rd season in existence and the club's 53rd consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football, covering the period from 1 July 1986 to 30 June 1987. Benfica competed domestically in the Primeira Divisão, Taça de Portugal and the Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira, and participated in the Cup Winners' Cup after winning the Taça de Portugal in the previous season.

Benfica
1987–88 season
PresidentFernando Martins
(until 27 March 1987)
João Santos
Head coachJohn Mortimore
StadiumEstádio da Luz
Primeira Divisão1st
Taça de PortugalWinners
Cup Winners' CupSecond round
Supertaça Cândido de OliveiraRunners-up
Top goalscorerLeague: Rui Águas (13)
All: Rui Águas (20)

Following a close-call title race in the past season, Benfica sought to win the title that escaped since 1984. Only small adjustments were made to the squad, a new forward, Chiquinho Carlos, and two new centre-backs, Dito and Edmundo, countered the loss of Nené. Despite a slow start, by early November, Benfica was leading the league by two points after six consecutive wins. A shocking 7–1 defeat to Sporting saw Porto match them in first place, but the team reacted with a 3–1 win against their challengers, bringing back first place isolated. A draw and five wins in a row followed, with Benfica finally securing the title on 24 May, after three consecutive draws that threatened the lead. The season closed with another Taça de Portugal win, the third in a row and the sixth in eight years, therefore completing the double, a feat the club would have to wait nearly 30 years to repeat.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.