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 with the same points, although Porto remained leader with a better goal-average. On the final match-day, Benfica won, but so did Porto, which celebrated their first title in 19 years. Despite going unbeaten all season and only conceding 11 goals, they had lost the title by a 15-goal deficit. The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member John Mortimore (manager), Rui Silva (assistant manager). Bibliography 1977–78 S.L. Benfica season The 1977–78 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 74th season in existence and the club's 44th consecutive season in the