1978–79 S.L. Benfica season three losses in a month, severely hindered the title race. Nevertheless, despite dropping out of the UEFA Cup at the hands of Borussia Mönchengladbach, domestically, Benfica won all league matches for three months, reaching the first place in the league. A home draw with Porto stopped their winning run, but it was a loss to Marítimo that compromised their title race. That loss followed another with Braga for the Taça de Portugal. Despite dropping points again in March, Benfica kept an entertaining battle with Porto, which came to an end when they drew again in match-day 29. Two consecutive seasons
1972–73 S.L. Benfica season from Eusébio. With the win, Benfica opened a two-point lead over their rivals. They continued on their winning run, beating Belenenses at home by 5–0 on match-day 7. With seven wins in seven matches, their lead was now three points. Back on the European stage, Benfica visited Baseball Ground to face Derby County on 25 October. Three first-half goals from Derby County surprised Benfica, who failed to react and lost 3–0. Before the second leg, Benfica played the Clássico with Porto for the Primeira Divisão. Porto scored first and was winning by 2–0 until the 78th minute, when Benfica scored