What Was The Biggest Loss Of Benfica? (Ranking Benfica Top 5 Biggest Losses)

Have you ever wanted to know about the biggest loss of Benfica football club?

Ok, It’s time to work you down on another memory line, and this time, I will be discussing the top 5 Benfica’s most crushing defeats in history.

And you will learn about their biggest defeat in:

Campeonato de Lisboa
UEFA Cup
UEFA Europa League

And UEFA Champions League.

So, let’s get started.

1. Benfica 0–8 Império, Campeonato de Lisboa, 30 October 1927

Looking deeply into S.L. Benfica’s history, two matches stood out prominently as the club’s biggest loss ever recorded:

Benfica’s 0-8 loss to Império in the Campeonato de Lisboa on 30 October 1927 and their heavy defeat to Porto in the Campeonato de Portugal (quarterfinals – first leg) on 28 May 1933.

Facing off against Império, an opponent keen on creating history, the Eagles were dipped in a fierce battle that redefined their strength.

In what I can see as an avalanche of goals, Benfica suffered an unusual 0-8 thrashing on their home turf. As painful as they were, these matches became pivotal points of growth, driving Benfica to learn and rise.

Honestly, they have grown over the years, and they boast talented young players in their ranks.

2. Porto 8–0 Benfica, Campeonato de Portugal (quarterfinals – first leg), 28 May 1933

Benfica’s had a brutal 0-8 loss to FC Porto in the Campeonato de Portugal quarterfinals, first leg on 28 May 1933, resulting in one of the club’s biggest defeats in history.

This clash showed Porto’s power and ruthless attacking skills over their rival, Benfica. Benfica’s defense was in shambles all through the match, and they couldn’t just find an answer or even a consolation goal.

It was a bad outing for the Benfica side watching the formidable Valdemar Mota and Acácio Mesquita bag seven goals between them.

Then Armando Lopes Carneiro and Carlos Nunes completed the rout with a goal each, taking the goal count to 8-0 the scoreline in favor of their team.

Benfica’s lack of organization and cohesion at the back proved to be their undoing, allowing Porto’s forwards to exploit the gaps with accuracy.

3. Celta Vigo 7–0 Benfica UEFA Cup (third round – first leg), 25 November 1999

On 25 November 1999, in the third round, the first leg of the UEFA Cup (now known as the Europa League), Benfica encountered RC Celta de Vigo, and what ensued was a football tragedy.

Former German football manager, Jupp Heynckes who was their coach then couldn’t have imagined his side will experience their heaviest defeat ever in the UEFA Cup competition.

Celta Vigo got an early lead which proved to have derailed the visitor’s confidence, and the home side seized the situation, dominating the game.

In the 19th minute, Valeriy Karpin capitalized on a foul committed by Gustavo López and broke the deadlock, putting the Spanish side ahead.

Claude Makélélé added to Benfica’s woes, scoring in the 30th minute to open Celta’s lead. Also, Mario Turdó added to Benfica’s nightmare, netting a third goal for the Sky Blues.

Even four minutes before the break, the home side added a fourth goal, pushing Benfica to flat as they headed for the halftime whistle trailing by a big margin.

We thought we could see more of the Eagles in the second half, but Celta Vigo started from where they ended in the first half. The Spanish team struck three times more to complete their impressive 7-0 triumph.

4. Borussia Dortmund 5–0 Benfica UEFA Europa League (Round 1 – second leg), 4 December 1963

On 4 December 1963, during the 1963-64 season of the UEFA Europa League (formerly known as the European Cup), the Eagles experienced their biggest loss in the tournament, suffering a 5-0 defeat against Dortmund in the first round, second leg encounter.

Dortmund put out a commanding Performance while making use of every opportunity in the Benfica lineup. In the 33rd minute, Reinhard Konietzka broke the logjam, putting Dortmund ahead.

The game got more interesting when the skillful winger Lothar Emmerich took charge, delivering two speedy-fire goals in the 35th and 37th minutes.

You can tell, Benfica’s defense couldn’t cope with Dortmund’s attacking side. With a comfortable lead at half-time, Dortmund did not relent in the second half.

Reinhard ‘Stan’ Brungs made his mark with a stunning hat-trick, scoring in the 47th minute and completing it in the 58th minute.

Brungs’ clinical finishing and ball movement in the final third proved too much for Benfica’s defensive line to handle.

And again, Borussia Dortmund’s 5-0 victory extended beyond the scoreline, as they boasted impressive ball recoveries, corners, and free-kicks.

It was indeed a commanding performance for the home side.

5. Basel 5–0 Benfica UEFA Champions League (group stage), 27 September 2017

On 27 September 2017, S.L. Benfica faced a tough challenge in the UEFA Champions League group stage as they clashed with FC Basel at St. Jakob-Park.

The encounter proved to be one of Benfica’s shadiest moments in the competition, as the Swiss side had an astounding 5-0 victory, marking Benfica’s biggest loss in UEFA Champions League history.

In the 2nd minute, Michael Lang grabbed the first goal in the game, finding the bottom left corner to give the Swiss side an early lead.

Despite the setback, Benfica showed that they can turn the game in their favor, but Basel didn’t stop to press with intensity. Dimitri Oberlin added the second goal in the 20th minute, making use of a fast break produced by Renato Steffen.

10 minutes later, Oberlin score its second goal. The Portuguese side lacked the defensive resilience to hold Basel’s ruthless attacking maneuvers.

However, the half-time whistle signaled a sobering scoreline of 3-0 in favor of Basel. Benfica’s struggle continue in the second half, as Basel kept their eye on the visitor’s net.

In the 59th minute, Ricky van Wolfswinkel converted a penalty to widen the gap between the two sides. A fifth goal followed from Blás Riveros in the 76th minute to cement Basel’s impressive win.

Conclusion

Among S.L. Benfica’s most crushing defeats in history, their biggest loss came at the hands of Império in the Campeonato de Lisboa on 30 October 1927 and Porto in the Campeonato de Portugal (quarterfinals – first leg) on 28 May 1933, with each game ending in 8-0 in.

Also, the match at St. Jakob-Park saw Benfica record their biggest loss in the UEFA Champions League competition as Basel’s commanding performance, led to a resounding 5-0 victory over Benfica.