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
1982–83 S.L. Benfica season the title race. Benfica remained erratic, having two more draws in March, followed by a win. In Europe, Benfica faced Roma, one of strongest Italian teams of his era; beating them 2–1 on the Stadio Olimpico. At home, Benfica drew one-equal and eliminate them on aggregate. Filipovic had scored all of Benfica's goals in the tie. Domestically, in late March, Benfica visited the Estádio das Antas in the Clássico with Porto. A 0–0 draw better suited Benfica, who kept the four point lead over his rival. A few days later, Benfica beat Sporting by 3–0 in the quarter-final of the