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
1979–80 S.L. Benfica season with Vitória de Setúbal on 20 January, losing a point in the race. Two weeks later, in the visit to Estádio das Antas to face Porto, Benfica lost 2–1 and opened a four-point deficit, which Wilson admitted: "is a disadvantage difficult to overcome". But February had also scheduled a Portuguese Cup match against Sporting for the round of 16, which Benfica won by 2–1. Back on the league, despite dropping points with Vitória de Guimarães in early March, Benfica kept the chase to the front two, but could not cut the distance to them, which remained at four points. On