The flying Eagles of Benfica of the early 1960s
There have been many outstanding European football teams over the years. However, one team that sometimes gets overlooked is Bela Guttmann’s Benfica team of the early 1960s.
An impressive record in the Portuguese top-flight
The story of Benfica’s historic campaign in 1960/61 actually began the season before, as Guttmann guided the Eagles to the Portuguese top flight.
Benfica, 1960/61 — Manager, Bela Guttmann. pic.twitter.com/RuBuZF0k4e
— A Football Archive* (@FootballArchive) March 11, 2023
The club from the country’s capital beat city rivals Sporting CP to the title by two points. This was just the start of what would be a great few years for the Eagles. By winning the league title in 1960, Benfica qualified for the following season’s European Cup.
The competition was relatively new, as it had only started five years earlier, in 1955, and Real Madrid had won it in all five years of its existence.
Benfica made a sensational start to the season, winning 14 of their first 15 matches in the Portuguese top flight. The only game they failed to win in that run was when they drew 3-3 with Atletico Clube de Portugal.
The Eagles certainly knew where the net was, as they scored at least two goals in 13 of those 15 matches. The team were outstanding in the Portuguese top flight in the end, claiming 22 victories, picking up two draws and suffering just two defeats.
The first loss of the league campaign came against Vitoria Guimaraes in January, a defeat that ended their stellar run of form. Benfica remained unbeaten until April, when they suffered a 3-2 loss at Porto.
They were superb both going forward, scoring an impressive 92 league goals, a league-high. Forward Jose Aguas was in particularly prolific form, scoring 27 league goals. Overall, he scored 47 goals in all competitions.
Meanwhile, they conceded just 21 goals, a defensive record bettered only by city rivals Sporting CP, who finished as runners-up, four points behind the Eagles.
Making his history in the European Cup
While winning the league is always a great achievement, Benfica’s exploits in the European Cup really caught the eye in 1960/61. The Eagles made history by ending Real Madrid’s stranglehold on the competition.
Benfica was outstanding in European football’s elite competition. They hammered Scottish side Hearts 5-1 on aggregate in the preliminary round. Next up was Hungarian outfit Ujpesti Dozsa, who were dispatched 7-4 on aggregate.
The victory happened despite the fact that Ujpesti recorded a 2-1 win in their home leg. The loss in Budapest was the only defeat of their successful campaign.
AGF of Denmark were the Eagles’ next victims, as Guttmann’s team recorded a 7-2 aggregate victory. In the semi-finals, they faced Austrians Rapid Wein, who they defeated 3-0 on home soil before a 1-1 draw in Austria.
The two-legged victory set up a final meeting with Catalan giants Barcelona in Bern. It turned out to be a classic. Sandor Kocsis opened the scoring for Barcelona. However, Benfica stormed back with an Aguas goal, an own goal by goalkeeper Antoni Ramallets and a strike from Mario Coluna.
Zoltan Czibor pulled a goal back with 15 minutes left on the clock to make it slightly nervous towards the end. However, Benfica held on to claim their first European Cup, ending Real Madrid’s run of triumphs, which was a significant achievement.
They had made history by becoming the first team other than the Spanish giants to win the European Cup. The Eagles’ winning seven of their nine games in the competition made this achievement even more impressive. They won the trophy in style, with attacking play being their main strength.
Aguas’ scoring form was just as good in the European Cup as it was in the league, as the Angola-born forward scored an impressive 11 goals in the Eagles’ nine games in European football’s primary competition.
Guttmann’s Benfica is severely underrated
Maybe the midst of time has slightly taken a shine off Benfica’s team. However, the Eagles team of season 1960/61 was sensational.
That was proven when, the following season, they retained the European Cup with a 5-3 victory over formerly dominant force Real Madrid in the final. It is still considered one of the most entertaining European finals of all time.
The 1962 final showed that the Eagles were not just a one-hit wonder in the European Cup. The team could have gone on to further domination but for the exit of Bela Guttmann after the 1962 final.
The highly rated Hungarian boss reportedly requested a pay raise, but his request was refused. When leaving the club, Guttmann allegedly said, “Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champions again.”
However, in a 1963 interview with Portuguese publication A Bola, Guttmann said, “Benfica, at this moment, are well served and do not need me. They will win the Campeonato Nacional and will be champions of Europe again.”
Later, it was claimed that Guttmann had not ‘cursed’ the team, and the so-called curse was just a combination of bad translations and rumour-mongering.
Although it’s unlikely that the former Benfica boss cursed the team, the Eagles appeared in five European Cup finals from 1963 until 1990 and failed to win any of them.
Unsurprisingly, no Benfica team in the history of the club has reached the same heights as Guttmann’s team. They should be regarded as one of the most significant teams that has ever featured in the European Cup.