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
1999–2000 S.L. Benfica season benefited from the points-share and Benfica fell to six points behind Porto. On 12 January the club hosted Amora for the Portuguese Cup, scoring seven goals against the third-tier team. Three days later, Benfica visited Funchal and nearly lost; "Record" labelled Enke's performance as crucial for Benfica, illustrating, "In the key moment of the game, when Enke defended a penalty in the 10th minute, he saved Benfica from leaving Funchal with a defeat. In a sluggish performance, only new signings Uribe and Machairidis showed good form." On Matchday 18, Benfica hosted Rio Ave, winning their first league game in a