Lisbon Has Been Painted Red!
Lisbon Has Been Painted Red!
By Dominic Vieira, a jubilant Benfica fan
Benfica Won Their 32nd League Title
The wait is finally over. 8 months and 25 days later Benfica were crowned kings of Portugal in a record breaking season.
Last Sunday night, over 64000 fans, including myself, created a diabolic atmosphere at the Estádio da Luz as we watched our team beat Rio Ave 2-1. The title race was decided on the final day with Braga breathing heavily down Benfica’s neck. Before the match Benfica had a three point advantage over them, even though the title was in their hands, a defeat and Braga victory would have made them champions. But that was not the case and the rest was history.
It was a match that I will never forget. I’ve only seen Benfica been crowned champions once, the last time was 5 years ago in Porto. If I thought those celebrations were astronomical, Lisbon stopped functioning on Sunday with over 200,000 men, women and kids celebrating across the city. The streets had turned into a ravishing red roaring sea.
Records Smashed
It has been a terrific season for Benfica, in 30 matches they amassed an astonishing 76 points, a target which has never been achieved before when the league consisted of 16 teams. This has been Benfica’s best performance in the past 20 years, over that period of time the club only won 4 leagues. In total the team won 24 times, tied on 4 occasions and only lost twice.
Their home record was almost perfect, winning 14 and drawing 1 encounter. The home support has been a key reason why the team has been a powerful force; over 1 million fans watched Benfica perform at the Estádio da Luz, one tenth of Portugal’s population.
The goal record is impressive; Os Encarnados scored a total of 78 goals, a 2.6 goal per game average. Benfica’s 17th best attack of all time. Also, the defence has been rock solid, suffering 20 goals making it one of Europe’s best defences.
Veni, Vidi, Vici
When Jorge Jesus was appointed as the manager on the 17th of June 2009, he stated “I came with the certainty and conviction that I will be champion”. He didn’t break his promise and won the league in his own unique style.
Also on that day he told the press “With me the players will play twice as much. Maybe even more than that”. His words were spot on, Benfica have played their best football in years and their style of play has been appreciated throughout Europe. They have become a solid, offensive and highly tactical side. He has changed the dynamics and dimensions of the team as well as giving all the players a chance to shine.
Jorge Jesus is Benfica’s 63rd manager and the fourth Portuguese one to win the league title. His biggest wins were 8-1 against Setúbal, 6-1 against Nacional, 5-0 against Leixões and Marítimo.
Jorge Jesus recently signed a new contract until 2013 which has reassured the 6 million Benfica fans as many clubs were after the talented manager.
Veni, Vidi, Vici – “I came, I saw, I conquered”
Cardozo - The Paraguayan Goal Machine
Benfica’s striking partnership has been lethal this since which is normally composed of Saviola and Óscar Cardozo, the deadly South American duo.
Cardozo scored both goals on Sunday which won them the game. He has been a key component this season and scored 26 league goals in 29 matches, one third of the team’s goals. He was presented the top goal scorer award on Sunday which is a big achievement for both the player and club. The last time a Benfica player won the award was in 1991, Rui Águas scored 25 goals. His scoring ability has also been highly evident in Europe, ‘Tacuara’ was joint top scorer in the Europa League alongside Bremen’s Claudio Pizarro who also scored 9 goals.
The Title Celebrations
Immediately after the final whistle, thousands flocked onto the streets; the majority heading to the Marqus do Pombal, Lisbon’s famous roundabout. An approximate 100,000 were located in that area. It took the team over one hour to arrive as they travelled across Lisbon in an open top bus. The streets were packed.
The scale of the celebrations was monumental, from the North to the South of the country, in all major cities; celebrations were going on through the night. The party did not only take place in Portugal; in Mozambique, Angola, Paris and the USA there were Benfica flags and scarves waved and lifted.
The next day, Benfica completed their title celebrations with their traditional visit to Lisbon’s town hall where they were congratulated by the Mayor. I managed to get to the front row where there were over 8,000 fans singing and celebrating.
The Pope was arriving to Lisbon the next day for his 4 day visit, but who cares because Benfica are champions!
The Champions
Goalkeepers: Quim, Moreira, Júlio César
Defenders: David Luiz, Luisão, Sidnei, Maxi Pereira, César Peixoto, Miguel Vítor, Fábio Coentrão, Shaffer, Luís Filipe
Midfielders: Javi García, Airton, Di María, Ramires, Aimar, Rúben Amorim, Carlos Martins, Felipe Menezes, Urreta
Forwards: Cardozo, Saviola, Weldon, Nuno Gomes, Alan Kardec, Éder Luís, Keirrison
Next Step: European Success?
Benfica need to build from this success and continue their winning form. Their domestic goals will be to retain the league title as well as to win the Portuguese Cup and their third consecutive Carlsberg Cup. But, the players, manager and club president have bigger ambitions, European success. Benfica is a European historic club, participating in 7 Champions League finals and their last appearance was 20 years ago. Maybe we’ll be seeing Benfica at another next year as they have guaranteed themselves a place in the Champions League group stages.
In order to achieve their targets, the club need to do two things: a) keep the core of the team and b) strengthen the squad. Many of Benfica’s main players are subject to numerous bids from European cubs, despite the tempting offers the team don’t aim on selling their players. However, Di María is set to depart this season to Real Madrid or Barcelona being the likely destination. Our solid top class centre back David Luiz stated after winning the title that he will stay with the club.
Benfica have already started constructing their team for next year. Nicolás Gaìtán from Boca Juniors, Franco Jara from Arsenal de Sarandí and Fabio Faria from Rio Ave have all signed with the league champions. The club are still looking for more players. The future certainly looks promising for Benfica.
