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
1983–84 S.L. Benfica season Football Federation, that joined the Primeira Divisão and La Liga Champions in a two-legged Super cup. Benfica first visited the San Mamés Stadium on the 17, losing 2–1. A week later, they received Bilbao at home and won by 3–1, thus keeping the trophy. Between that, Benfica played the Portuguese Cup Final with Porto, winning one-nil with a goal from Carlos Manuel. The league campaign started in the best of terms, with four consecutive wins, while in the European Cup, Benfica eliminated Linfield in the first round. In October, they dropped the first points, in a draw with Braga, which