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
1977–78 S.L. Benfica season domestically, after the draw in Bessa, Benfica won all remaining league matches in 1977, finishing the year in first with 21 points, four more than Sporting and Porto, who still had a game in hand. They resumed their league campaign with the reception to Porto in the Clássico on 15 January. They drew 0–0 and kept Porto at bay, retaining a two-point lead over them. Benfica won the next three matches, one of them a Derby against Sporting with a goal from Vítor Baptista, who subsequently lost an earring, an episode he was best remembered. On 19 February, in a