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
1990–91 S.L. Benfica season attentions were pointed on the league title. A strong campaign witnessed Benfica overtake Porto in February and then close the title with an away win in the Clássico, a controversial match because of the tactics employed by Porto to destabilize the team. On late May, Benfica secured their 29th league title, while Rui Águas won the Bola de Prata for league top-scorer. Benfica started the new season after having lost their fifth European Cup Final in the past season, while Porto regained the league title back. Swedish manager Sven-Göran Eriksson made some squad adjustments, releasing established players like Fernando Chalana,