1985–86 S.L. Benfica season lapped the first round of the league in first place, after recovering five points since September. After an event-less January, in which Benfica retained their one-point lead over Sporting; in February, Benfica faced Porto again, this time for the round of 16 of the Taça de Portugal, winning 2–1. Meanwhile, in the Primeira Divisão, they added another point in their lead over their closest competitors. In March, Benfica was eliminated of the Cup Winners' Cup by Dukla Prague, while in the Portuguese Cup, they thrashed Sporting by 5–0 in the quarter-finals. They finished the month with a replay of the
2002–03 S.L. Benfica season in such a display of power ... ", allowing them to manage the game in the second half, ensuring a 2–0 win and reducing the distance to Porto to 10 points. Benfica won their third consecutive match on 22 February; a 6–2 away win against Vitória Setúbal. The opponents took an early lead in the 18th minute when Pascal scored a goal, and doubled their advantage five minutes later; however, in a strong second half, Benfica overturned the game. Simão scored a hat-trick, aided by Tiago and Tomo Šokota, who also scored goals. On 4 March, Benfica played Porto on