1973–74 S.L. Benfica season consecutive wins and reached second place by early February, while also cutting their gap to Sporting to just one point. In March, a loss in Estádio das Antas with Porto and a draw with Beira-Mar, put Sporting with a four-point lead again. Nonetheless, Benfica beat Sporting at their own home and three weeks later, they got back to a single point difference after their rival dropped points. That gap remained unchanged until the last match-day, when Sporting won the title. In the Portuguese Cup, Benfica reached the Taça de Portugal Final after beating Porto away, but lost the competition on
1979–80 S.L. Benfica season August, but Benfica postponed it four days, so they could play a friendly abroad. On the 29, Benfica won 5–1 and Jorge Gomes made his historical debut. After the 0–0 draw in Clássico on match-day 3, Benfica shared first place with Porto with five points. However, in the UEFA Cup, the campaign was disappointing, with Benfica unexpectedly losing to Aris on the first round. On the league, Benfica dropped to second after a draw with União de Leiria, but managed to recover and catch Porto on match-day 8. A week later, they beat Sporting in the Derby de Lisboa, reaching