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
1974–75 S.L. Benfica season Ciudad de Sevilla and the Independence Cup in Brazil. Benfica started their league campaign with victories against Belenenses and Farense, reaching top of the table, ex aequo with Porto. On match-day 3, they dropped their first points, in a home draw with Olhanense. They reacted by winning their following two league matches, while also easily progressing in the Cup Winners' Cup. On 13 October, Benfica visited Estádio do Bessa to play Boavista and drew 0–0. That resulted in them being caught in first place by Vitória de Guimarães and Porto. A week later, Benfica lost at home with Porto by