2007–08 S.L. Benfica season
The 2007–08 European football season was the 104th of Sport Lisboa e Benfica's existence and the club's 74th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football. The season ran from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008, and Benfica competed domestically in the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga. The club also participated in the UEFA Champions League after finishing third in the Primeira Liga the previous season.
| 2007–08 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| President | Luís Filipe Vieira | ||
| Head coach | Fernando Santos (until 20 August 2007) José Antonio Camacho (until 9 March 2008) Fernando Chalana (caretaker) | ||
| Stadium | Estádio da Luz | ||
| Primeira Liga | 4th | ||
| Taça de Portugal | Semi-finals | ||
| Taça da Liga | Fourth round | ||
| UEFA Champions League | Group stage | ||
| UEFA Cup | Round of 16 | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Óscar Cardozo (13) All: Óscar Cardozo (22) | ||
| Highest home attendance | 60,116 v Porto (1 December 2007) | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 10,494 v Moreirense (27 February 2008) | ||
| Average home league attendance | 37,558 | ||
| Biggest win | Benfica 6–1 Boavista (11 November 2007) | ||
| Biggest defeat | Benfica 0–3 Académica (11 April 2008) | ||
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Fernando Santos remained for a second season, which saw significant financial investment. To counter-weight the loss of influential players such as Simão, Miccoli, Giorgos Karagounis and Manuel Fernandes, Benfica signed Óscar Cardozo, David Luiz, Ángel Di María, Maxi Pereira, Cristian Rodríguez and more than ten others.
Santos remained for only two games: a UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Copenhagen and the Primeira Liga opener against Leixões. He was sacked and replaced by José Antonio Camacho, who affirmed the club's presence in top European competition and guided them to second place. In October and November, Benfica was eliminated from the Taça da Liga and the Champions League respectively, securing a UEFA Cup berth by finishing third in the latter. Over the next three months, Camacho's team became increasingly erratic, qualifying for the Portuguese Cup semi-finals but losing crucial points in the league race.
In early March, Camacho resigned after three consecutive league draws, citing his inability to motivate the club. His assistant Fernando Chalana then took over, but Benfica continued to disappoint; they were eliminated in the UEFA Cup and mired in second place in mid-March. In April, the situation deteriorated further; Benfica matched their worst league defeat in 60 years, slipped to fourth place and was knocked out of the Portuguese Cup by Sporting CP. An away draw in May's opening game left the club dangerously close to finishing fourth. One week later, fans had the bitter-sweet experience of celebrating Rui Costa's final match and seeing Benfica finish fourth, their worst finish since 2001–02.