FC Porto Nuno Valente and Derlei, Porto won the 2002–03 Primeira Liga with relative comfort, finishing 11 points ahead of second-placed Benfica. The club also won the UEFA Cup, defeating Celtic in a dramatic extra-time final, to win its second major European title. Mourinho then secured an unprecedented treble for Porto by winning the Taça de Portugal final against his previous club. The 2003–04 season began with another 1–0 win over União de Leiria, which gave the club its 13th Supertaça. Weeks later, Porto failed to repeat this result in the 2003 UEFA Super Cup, losing 1–0 to Milan. The departure of
2006–07 S.L. Benfica season from three losses and a draw before December. In Europe, the situation was similar; Benfica never recovered a five-point deficit to Celtic by day three, ending with seven points and demotion to the UEFA Cup. From December until April, Benfica regained lost ground in the Primeira Liga, climbing to second place—a point away from Porto, which was also advancing until the quarter-finals of UEFA Cup In April, Benfica had the opportunity to reach the league's top place if they won the Clássico with Porto; however, they only managed a 1–1 draw. It was the first of five winless games that