A few months on from my World Cup exploits and it was time for my first European Footy Trip of the season. Benfica vs Celtic jumped out as a perfect option. Visiting Lisbon for the 6th time, it is a place I clearly love going to. Let me show you why.
Having previously seen their city rivals Sporting, the wait to see Portugal’s most decorated team at home had been a long time coming. And what better opponent than the Scottish giants returning to the location of Britain’s first European Cup success back in 1967.
My flight over was full of enthusiastic Glaswegians beginning their pilgrimage to commemorate the Lisbon Lions. An unbelievable story where all but one of their starting line up that beat Inter Milan that night were born within 10 miles of Celtic Park. A truly remarkable achievement.
No doubt many of these fans would be making the journey across town this week over to the oval-track at Estádio Nacional.
Exploring Lisbon: Sunsets, History & Bifanas
As soon as you arrive in the centre you are captivated by the striking architecture. This ancient and resilient city predates Rome and is one of the oldest in Europe. Lisbon was founded around 1200 BC by the Phoenicians, and by 1255 it became Portugal’s capital and was the base for launching their global maritime presence with voyages to all corners of the earth starting right here.
In 1755, a deadly earthquake and subsequent Tsunami, flooding and fires killed up to one third of the population and destroyed 85% of the buildings. Thankfully of those that survived, many still exist in all their glory today, making Lisbon a wonderful place to stroll around, particularly when the sun is shining as it was when I arrived in Mid October, a welcome change from the English Autumn rain.
The ‘City of Seven Hills’ as it is known means two things are guaranteed; a tough day on the legs, and beautiful views out to the River Tagus. Wandering around, it’d be rude not to stop for a Super Bock and a Bifana, a Pork sandwich synonymous with the area. Overlooking the incoming cruise ships, it was a great place to break up the afternoon, even if the Bifana didn’t seem to be of the highest quality.
I soon made up for that by trying out the world renowned Pastel de Nata, a cracking little treat that you’ll never be too far away from.
The long river offers the opportunity to stroll along the ports and docks which once helped launch one of the world’s largest empires. The Portuguese reach stretched from Brazil to Goa, Angola and Macau. Astonishing global coverage given the country’s size.
Eventually you reach a selection of bars and restaurants that would no doubt be brimming with revellers in the Summer. Instead the area under the ‘Ponte 25 de Abril’ was full of runners, cyclists and Padel players keeping fit in the Autumn sun.
This famous bridge honours the date of the Carnation Revolution which ended 41 years of Right Wing Dictatorship under António de Oliveira Salazar. It also offers stunning sunset views complimenting the lesser known Cristo Rei which lights up the evening sky across the river.
Keen groundhoppers should also make an effort to check out Almada FC. On a previous visit I was lucky enough to watch a game here under the shadow of the beautiful monument inspired by Rio de Janeiro’s Cristo Redentor. A wonderful spot to watch football looking out over the river with background views of the Portuguese capital.
Evening brought a return to my favourite Lisbon spot. In a place of boundless culture and history, I’m ashamed to say I returned to ‘The Couch Sports Bar’. I’m pretty sure on every one of my previous 5 visits to Lisbon there has been cause to visit here. And when greeted with a multitude of screens covering 5 different Champions League ties, it was certainly the best spot to consume a few Lagunitas before calling it a night.
Picturesque Sintra: Castles & History
One beautiful place I’d not managed to get to previously was Sintra. An idyllic fairytale location just a 40 minute train ride from Lisbon’s Rossio Railway Station. It’s rare to say that the starting point of a day trip is arguably the most stunning thing you will see that day, but for good reason Rossio is recognised as one of the most beautiful stations in the world.
Right in the heart of the town centre, the architecture on this 1890 construction is a work of art, as well as being an engineering marvel.
This picturesque town is dotted with quaint little bars, restaurants and gift shops. But the true beauty is when you make the 1 hour hike up to the ancient buildings of Palácio Nacional da Pena and Castelo dos Mouros.
A lightly strenuous walk through the forested woodland is required, but it is well worth the effort. Views out from the ruins of the 1,200 year old castle go as far as Lisbon and even to the Atlantic Coast on a clear day. The perfect spot for the Moors to build their lookout defence all those years ago.
One highlight is the procession of flags along the castle walls, tracking the evolution of Portugal’s national identity from its inception right up to the modern day—‘A Bandeira de Portugal’.
Matchday Logistics & Pre-Game Vibes
We returned from Sintra for the week’s main event at Estádio da Luz. Weeks earlier when I signed up as a free member I was unable to purchase tickets for European nights for obvious reasons. However my friend Andreina knew a local who could sort us out a couple of tickets for £30 each—bargain.
A simple enough 30 minute journey from the centre by Metro along the Linha Azul popped us straight out amongst the fans enjoying beers and a much higher quality Bifana. A staple of the Benfica matchday experience. We immediately joined the hundreds of Benfiquistas making the most of the warm sunny evening.
This was more like it, the overpriced restaurant had the views and could serve what they like, but this was the heart of the action. The people, the tradition, the atmosphere. The true Bifana. Stood amongst a sea of red, washed down with a pint of Superbock. Can’t beat it.
I imagine there was a safer route, but we saw others in red walking along the motorway in the direction of the imposing Estádio da Luz and followed accordingly arriving safely short time later.
The home team had made a positive start to the season under Marco Silva, returning to Portugal after a decade in the Premier League. An opening win in the Europa League and 6 domestic wins meant there were reasons for positivity, even if they trailed their perennial rivals Porto who had started the season on fire with a 100% record.
Opponents Celtic were looking to carry over their domestic form onto the continent, easier said than done.
European Royalty, Eusébio & The Béla Guttmann Curse
Celtic had their Lisbon Lions in ’67, but by this point, Sport Lisboa e Benfica had already experienced their biggest successes.
By 1961, they had already wrapped up 11 of their 38 titles. But their grandest day was about to come. Hungarian Coach Béla Guttmann led ‘Os Encarnados’ to victory in the European Cup Final, coming from behind to beat favourites Barcelona.
Not a bad time to then sign one of the greatest players ever to set foot on a football pitch—more to come on him later. The following year, Benfica came up against the mighty Real Madrid who had won the previous 5 titles before Benfica knocked them off their perch.
Lining up with all-time greats like Alfredo Di Stéfano, Paco Gento, and a small matter of Ferenc Puskás whose first half hat-trick had them leading 3-2. Enter the aforementioned legend… Eusébio!! His two goals in the second half led ‘The Eagles’ to a 5-3 win and back-to-back European titles. Incredible.
You’d be forgiven for thinking that with this new addition they could go on to dominate European football. Portuguese football, yes. But Europe? Not quite so simple.
Holocaust survivor Guttmann demanded a pay rise after leading the club to consecutive European victories. His demands were rejected and when he eventually left the club he was alleged to have laid a curse on Benfica:
“Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champions again.”
And so far, he’s not wrong. A small matter of 8 European finals have been and gone since then, all ending the same way: in Benfica defeat. Only 30-odd years to go guys, hang on in there!
That man Eusébio deserves a little mention. Making his debut for Benfica the day after the 1961 European Cup Final, he had a controversial transfer from his homeland of Mozambique, but that was soon forgotten as the goals started to flow.
He ended up with 727 goals in 715 games for Benfica, claimed the Ballon d’Or in 1965 and set a whole plethora of records. Today he still remains second only behind a certain Cristiano Ronaldo for European Cup goals for Portuguese players. One of the true footballing greats who will forever be synonymous with this club.
And what a club—officially the second largest in the world by membership. Their 436k members leaves them just a few short of Bayern Munich. Not only that, Benfica are also represented in another 28 sports. In a nod to the club’s history and the merger between football and cycling clubs way back in 1908, the wheel is still a significant part of the Benfica crest to this day.
Inside Estádio da Luz: The Match
Once we got over the disappointment of zero-percent beer we took our seats pretty much on the halfway line with a cracking view of the arena.
Their anthem ‘Ser Benfiquista’ rang passionately around the stands and Águia Vitória, the victory eagle, impressively completed a lap of the stadium—a lovely novelty. One I had to assure Andreina doesn’t happen with every team, as she was attending her first ever football match.
Five minutes in and the away side were already up against it. Jhon Durán had been felled in the box and gathered himself to cheekily Panenka the resulting penalty over the hapless Celtic keeper.
Gianluca Prestianni laid a couple more opportunities on a plate for Benfica and they were duly converted to leave the home side 3-0 up after 36 minutes. Game over. Celtic responded by hitting the woodwork twice before half time and eventually getting one back on 63 minutes after Camilo Durán converted a perfectly weighted cross.
If his next shot hadn’t rebounded off the woodwork it could have been a very nervy ending, but as it was, Pavlidis added a 4th in injury time to give the scoreline a harsh look to it.
Benfica no doubt deserved the win but it was never a 4-1. The class of Prestianni shone through and made the difference between the two sides. I’ve no doubt the 20-year-old Argentinean winger will be playing at an even bigger club in the very near future, continuing their tradition of buying South American youngsters and selling on to bigger clubs for huge profit.
The atmosphere was good throughout—a constant wall of noise behind either goal with regular chants praising ‘O Glorioso’, all sung in that deeper, more guttural Portuguese tone compared to the Brazilian version I’m used to.
A successful evening to tick off one of the best stadiums in Europe, rebuilt in 2003 for Euro 2004 where it hosted the ultimately disastrous final where the host nation fell to Greece in one of football’s great upsets.
Sadly the trip ended rather abruptly due to bad news back home and part of the second half was spent on the phone scrambling to find a route back. Post match it was pretty much straight to the bus stop, 3 hours to Faro to get the next flight back in the early hours.
Footy Trip Rating: Benfica & Lisbon
That just leaves the usual question. How does Benfica compare to others as a Footy Trip? Let’s see:
- Team Ability: 17th best team in Europe and the most successful team in Portuguese history — 8/10
- Atmosphere: Good vibes throughout, ultras behind kept the singing going which flowed through the ground — 7.5/10
- Stadium Quality: An immense 65,000-seater, Euro 2004 Final host and 2 further Champions League finals. Up there with the best in Europe — 9/10
- Beer/Food at Stadium: A decent selection of food but the dreaded zero-percent beer — 6/10
- Tourism: 6 visits from me and the winner of ‘Europe’s Leading City Destination’. Enough said — 9.5/10
- Accessibility: Winter trips from Manchester can easily be snapped up for £50 return and cheap beers and food can be found once there. Hard to beat — 9/10
- People: As with all European capitals, quite a multicultural spot but no issues were had anywhere — 7/10
- Stadium Surroundings: Lovely pre-match spot 5 minutes from the ground to enjoy a Bifana and a Super Bock — 7.5/10
- History: Formed in 1904, two-time European Cup winner and countless other finals. The long-time home of Ballon d’Or winner Eusébio and still strutting their stuff in Europe. Imagine what could have been achieved without the ‘Guttmann Curse’ — 8.5/10
- Ease/Cost of Ticket Purchase: With over 400k members, there’s half a chance you’ll have a pal who can sort you out. If not, tickets can quite easily be accessed on the website for most fixtures. £30 for European Football, can’t knock it — 8/10
TOTAL SCORE: 80 / 100
Wow, well there you go. Of the 29 Footy Trips I have rated, Benfica jumps in comfortably above all of them, knocking Anderlecht of top spot. What can I say, there are no weaknesses to this trip. Cheap and easy to get to, great city, tourism, and football. There really is nothing more you could want for here.
An absolute pleasure as always to travel around the world enjoying the delights on offer. Thanks again for joining me and until the next footy trip, take it easy!
Ever been to the Estadio Da Luz yourself? Or spotted any hidden gems in Portugal? If so, let me know below and if you learned anything or enjoyed the post then feel free to chuck a couple of quid in the kitty for the next Footy Trip. Cheers.