1999–2000 S.L. Benfica season "their worst performance of the season, and seeing Porto close in on the top of the table." On 4 November, Benfica hosted P.A.O.K. for the second leg of their European qualifier. They lost 2–1 in normal time, requiring extra time and a penalty shootout to decide the match. The Lisbon side converted all their shots, progressing into the next round. Four days later, the club defeated S.C. Braga by one goal in a league match to open a three-point lead. After a one-week break for the Taça de Portugal, Benfica visited Estádio das Antas for the Clássico against Porto. They
FC Porto in international football competitions losing the 1964 Portuguese Cup final against champions Benfica. Porto progressed from the first round of a European competition for the first time, after a 4–0 aggregate victory over French Cup winners Lyon, but fell in the next round to 1860 Munich.<ref name="1964/65"></ref> At the end of that season, Porto finished runners-up to Benfica in the league and qualified for the following season's Fairs Cup. The club's performance was similar to that of the previous campaign: a first-round elimination of a French team (Stade Français) followed by a second-round loss to a German team (Hannover 96),<ref name="1965/66"></ref> which included a