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
1980–81 S.L. Benfica season in a row, including a home win against Porto on 14 March in the Clássico, which gave them a four-point lead with seven matches to go. At the same time, in the Cup Winners' Cup, Benfica beat Fortuna Düsseldorf at home, after a 2–2 away draw, qualifying for the semi-final. March closed with another draw, now with Académico de Viseu, removing a point from their lead over Porto. On 8 April, Benfica met Carl Zeiss Jena for the first leg of the semi-finals, losing 2–0. Four days later, they drew with Vitória de Guimarães, and saw his lead drop to