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2007–08 S.L. Benfica season

The 2007–08 European football season was the 104th of Sport Lisboa e Benfica's existence and the club's 74th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football. The season ran from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008, and Benfica competed domestically in the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal and Taça da Liga. The club also participated in the UEFA Champions League after finishing third in the Primeira Liga the previous season.

Benfica
2007–08 season
PresidentLuís Filipe Vieira
Head coachFernando Santos
(until 20 August 2007)
José Antonio Camacho
(until 9 March 2008)
Fernando Chalana (caretaker)
StadiumEstádio da Luz
Primeira Liga4th
Taça de PortugalSemi-finals
Taça da LigaFourth round
UEFA Champions LeagueGroup stage
UEFA CupRound of 16
Top goalscorerLeague: Óscar Cardozo (13)
All: Óscar Cardozo (22)
Highest home attendance60,116 v Porto[1]
(1 December 2007)
Lowest home attendance10,494 v Moreirense
(27 February 2008)
Average home league attendance37,558[2]
Biggest winBenfica 6–1 Boavista
(11 November 2007)
Biggest defeatBenfica 0–3 Académica
(11 April 2008)

Fernando Santos remained for a second season, which saw significant financial investment. To counter-weight the loss of influential players such as Simão, Miccoli, Giorgos Karagounis and Manuel Fernandes, Benfica signed Óscar Cardozo, David Luiz, Ángel Di María, Maxi Pereira, Cristian Rodríguez and more than ten others.

Santos remained for only two games: a UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Copenhagen and the Primeira Liga opener against Leixões. He was sacked and replaced by José Antonio Camacho, who affirmed the club's presence in top European competition and guided them to second place. In October and November, Benfica was eliminated from the Taça da Liga and the Champions League respectively, securing a UEFA Cup berth by finishing third in the latter. Over the next three months, Camacho's team became increasingly erratic, qualifying for the Portuguese Cup semi-finals but losing crucial points in the league race.

In early March, Camacho resigned after three consecutive league draws, citing his inability to motivate the club. His assistant Fernando Chalana then took over, but Benfica continued to disappoint; they were eliminated in the UEFA Cup and mired in second place in mid-March. In April, the situation deteriorated further; Benfica matched their worst league defeat in 60 years, slipped to fourth place and was knocked out of the Portuguese Cup by Sporting CP. An away draw in May's opening game left the club dangerously close to finishing fourth. One week later, fans had the bitter-sweet experience of celebrating Rui Costa's final match and seeing Benfica finish fourth, their worst finish since 2001–02.

Season summary edit

Pre-season edit

During Benfica's season-ending North American tour after the last game of 2006–07, Fernando Santos spoke to the media about his plans for the upcoming season.[3] As promised by club president Luís Filipe Vieira, the club would spend more on new players[4] to build a team capable of winning the title.[3] Simão was crucial; according to Santos, "I cannot see myself without Simão".[5] In addition, he wanted to keep Fabrizio Miccoli and sign a new striker who could be a target man.[6] The club's first addition was winger Fábio Coentrão in March,[7] followed by defenders Marco Zoro and David Luiz in May; the latter signed a five-year contract after performing well on loan.[8][9] In June, Benfica began their promised investments, spending over €9 million on Óscar Cardozo from Newell's Old Boys[10] and a reported €2.5 million on Gonzalo Bergessio.[11] Both added options to an offence composed solely of Nuno Gomes and Mantorras, since Fabrizio Miccoli and Derlei did not renew their loan agreements.[12][13] Breaking with tradition, Benfica did not tour abroad; they remained at the club's new training center, Benfica Campus.[14] Santos also decided not to participate in the Teresa Herrera Trophy, since the tournament was too close to Benfica's first league match.[15]

On 2 July, the club began their pre-season preparations, with medical tests in the morning followed by an afternoon training session attended by 3,000 supporters.[16][17] From the beginning, Santos lost players who had been the backbone of the previous season's team; Giorgos Karagounis departed first[18] and Anderson pressed for a transfer, deliberately missing a pre-season match.[19][20] On the pitch, Benfica played RM Hamm Benfica on 8 July[21] and CFR Cluj on the 21st.[22] Santos experienced a major loss with the transfer of Simão to Atlético Madrid on 26 July.[23] The 28-year-old winger had been with the club for six seasons and the top scorer for four; according to Santos, the prospect of losing him was a "horrible nightmare".[24][25] To replace him, Benfica signed the 19-year-old Argentine Ángel Di María from Rosario Central.[26] Before playing in the Guadiana Trophy on 3 and 5 August, Benfica lost 2–1 to Al Ahly in Egypt.[27] At the Guadiana Trophy, Benfica drew with Real Betis[28] and defeated Lisbon rivals Sporting CP,[29] ending their pre-season preparations four days later with a match against Estrela da Amadora.[30]

August–September edit

Benfica's first competitive match hosted Copenhagen on 14 August in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League.[31] Santos was confident in a win due to his familiarity with Copenhagen's style, since Benfica had played them twice in the past tournament.[32] In the match, Rui Costa scored two long-range goals for a 2–1 win.[33] Santos was pleased, despite Copenhagen's goal disconcerting his team.[34] The next day, Benfica accepted an offer for Manuel Fernandes from Everton.[35][36] His departure troubled Santos, since Fernandes had been a growing influence on the team during the pre-season.[37][38] On 18 August, Benfica began their Primeira Liga campaign against Leixões. Without the injured Luisão or Ángel Di María,[39] the club lost their first points in a 1–1 draw after a 94th-minute equaliser.[40] The slip had an immediate impact, with Luís Filipe Vieira sacking Santos two games into the season.[41] Santos, caught off guard, said, "I am not hurt, maybe just surprised".[42] Benfica immediately signed José Antonio Camacho, who had managed the team from 2002 to 2004, to replace him.[43] Camacho was happy to return, acknowledging that his friendship with Vieira played an important role in his quick hiring.[44] In his first game, Camacho could not lead Benfica past Vitória de Guimarães, who earned a scoreless draw at Estádio da Luz.[45] Benfica signed more players: Uruguayans Maxi Pereira and Cristian Rodríguez first,[46] followed by Brazilian centre-back Edcarlos.[47] In the last match of August, Benfica confirmed their place in the group stage of the Champions League with an away win in Parken Stadium.[48] The next day, the club was drawn into group D alongside Milan, Celtic and Shakhtar Donetsk.[49]

 
Benfica celebrate a goal against Naval on 15 September

On 2 September, Benfica played Nacional at the Estádio da Choupana. They scored their first goal in the 17th minute, adding two more in the second half for their first league win.[50] A delighted Camacho said, "I liked the second half a lot. We were much better altogether."[51] After a two-week international break, Benfica resumed competition against Naval on the 15th. Cristian Rodríguez scored the opener in the 22nd minute, followed by Rui Costa a few minutes later. In the second half, Nuno Gomes scored the third and final goal.[52] Although Camacho was pleased with the win, he was concerned about his team's early performance.[53] Three days later, Benfica visited the San Siro to play Milan. Their opening game in the group stage did not go as planned; they conceded an early goal by Andrea Pirlo, who scored again with an assist by Filippo Inzaghi. Nuno Gomes scored in the 92nd minute of the 2–1 loss.[54] Camacho was philosophical: "You pay for every mistake you make against a side like Milan. I don't blame our lack of experience because we were facing the best team in Europe."[55] On 23 September, Benfica played Braga at the Municipal de Braga; both teams failed to convert several goal opportunities for a scoreless draw.[56] Camacho was unconcerned with the result, since the league race had many matches remaining.[57] Benfica played Estrela da Amadora at the Estádio da Reboleira in the third round of the new League Cup the following Wednesday, winning on penalty kicks and advancing to the next round.[58] September ended with the Derby de Lisboa against Sporting CP. For the second time in a week, Benfica could not break their opponent's defence, conceding their fourth draw of the season.[59] Camacho attributed the result to wasted opportunities: "We only failed in scoring. We had many shots; many were good, but football is like this."[60]

October–November edit

October began with the club hosting Shakhtar Donetsk in a 1–0 loss to Mircea Lucescu's team on a goal by Jádson.[61] After the game Camacho said, "We played some decent football and although at times we had five, six, seven men in the area, the ball refused to go in."[62] On 7 October, Benfica visited the Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa to play União de Leiria. Despite conceding an early goal, the partnership of Cardozo and Nuno Gomes was successful; Gomes scored twice to give Benfica the three points.[63] After a two-week break for international matches, Benfica's season resumed on 20 October with a League Cup match against Vitória de Setúbal. Camacho made many changes in the starting eleven, which nearly cost him the game. A 12th-minute Setúbal goal was not matched until the 94th minute, by Freddy Adu.[64] Despite the near-loss, Camacho said, "I am satisfied with our performance. The players worked well and he had many chances to score."[65] The following Wednesday, Benfica hosted Celtic for matchday three of the Champions League. They continued struggling to convert goal opportunities, hitting the goal post twice in quick succession before finally breaking Celtic's defence with an 87th-minute winning goal by Cardozo.[66] Camacho praised his players for not giving up and staying calm under pressure.[67] On 28 October, Benfica hosted Marítimo for the Primeira Liga. Although Kanú scored first for Marítimo in the eighth minute, Cardozo evened the score ten minutes later. Marítimo had an opportunity to regain the lead when Quim incurred a penalty and was sent off but his replacement, Hans-Jörg Butt, stopped the penalty kick. In the second half, Adu scored the winning goal for ten-men Benfica in the 87th minute.[68] Camacho said about teams like Marítimo, "We have to change our mentality and never relax, because for teams like Marítimo or Vitória de Setúbal, their 'Champions League' is facing Benfica."[69] On the last day of October, Benfica visited the Estádio do Bonfim for their second game against Vitória de Setúbal, and the remodelled team led at half-time. During the second half Setúbal, pushing hard, scored twice to knock Benfica out of the League Cup.[70] Camacho said, "We were eliminated because they were better. It was a fair loss."[71]

 
Ángel Di María succeeded Simão as number 20.

November's first game was at the Mata Real against Paços de Ferreira. Benfica scored first with a header by Cristian Rodríguez, but Tiago Valente tied the game a few minutes later for Paços. In the 85th minute, Kostas Katsouranis scored Benfica's winning goal with an assist by Rodríguez.[72] To Camacho, the win was "difficult but very important".[73] On 6 November, Benfica played Celtic on the road. In their second game against the team, Benfica lost 1–0 on a goal by Aiden McGeady.[74] With the loss, Benfica was in last place and needed to defeat Milan to remain in the Champions League. Although Camacho was optimistic, he was aware of the high stakes.[75] On 11 November, Benfica hosted Boavista in search of their fourth consecutive win in the Primeira Liga. Cardozo scored in the first half, with Boavista tying the score in the 58th minute. Benfica then scored five goals in the final 40 minutes for a 6–1 win.[76] After the match, Rui Costa said, "We had our fourth consecutive win in the Primeira Liga, and I think we are on the right track."[77] After a third international break, Benfica resumed on the 24th with an away game against Académica. Lito scored first for Académica, but a free kick by Rui Costa tied the game. Académica goalkeeper Ricardo made two errors, allowing Luisão and Adu to score Benfica's second and third goals,[78] and Camacho credited the late win to his players' perseverance and commitment.[79] November ended with a decisive match against Milan. Andrea Pirlo scored for Benfica, but Maxi Pereira's 23rd-minute shot tied the game. Benfica's fate was determined by events in Glasgow, as Celtic defeated Shakhtar Donetsk with an added-time goal.[80] Camacho bemoaned his team's luck: "We're a bit unhappy. For what we did in this competition I think we should have had more of a chance to go through, so for me football has not been fair to Benfica."[81]

December–January edit

 
Luisão pressing Tarik Sektioui in the Clássico on 1 December

On 1 December, Benfica played Porto in the Clássico. Ricardo Quaresma took advantage of a 42nd-minute counterattack to dribble past David Luiz and score the winning goal for Porto.[82] It was Benfica's first league loss at Luz since 28 January 2006.[83] Camacho said, "We were inexperienced, failed to retain the ball and allowed counter-attacks."[84] Three days later, Benfica travelled to Donetsk to play Shakhtar in the final match of the Champions League group stage, and Cardozo scored twice in the first 25 minutes to give Benfica the win. The club overtook Shakhtar, finishing third and qualifying for the UEFA Cup,[85] and Camacho was pleased with the result.[86] On 9 December, Benfica began their Portuguese Cup run by hosting Académica. The club won with goals by Luisão and Cardozo; Académica scored a consolation goal after a mistake by Benfica's goalkeeper, Butt.[87] According to Camacho, "We suffered a bit in the second half. Académica's goal complicated things."[88] League play resumed on 15 December, with Benfica commuting to the Estádio do Restelo to face Belenenses. The club failed to stem their hosts' momentum, giving up a 71st-minute goal for their second-straight league loss.[89] Camacho accepted the blame: "When you lose it is always the manager's fault. I failed to pass the message to my players."[90] Benfica ended 2007 by hosting Estrela da Amadora on 20 December, winning 3–0 with all goals scored in the second half.[91] The win placed Benfica seven points behind league leaders Porto, who had their first league loss to Nacional.[92] On 21 December, Benfica participated in the UEFA Cup draw for the round of 32 and was paired with German team 1. FC Nürnberg.[93]

Benfica began the year with a match against Vitória de Setúbal. After trouble penetrating Setúbal's defense, Mantorras scored in the 71st minute. However, Setúbal rallied and tied the game for a point.[94] The result surprised Camacho: "I though we would win. After we scored, we did not retained the ball. A team like Benfica has to do that."[95] Two Benfica players, Luisão and Katsouranis, had a disagreement during the game; they were immediately substituted, and later suspended.[96] On 12 January, Benfica hosted Leixões at the Luz. They struggled to control Leixões, who had the upper hand in a scoreless draw.[97] Camacho was disappointed: "We lacked focus; it's apparent since the Champions League elimination that we do."[98] A week later, Benfica played Feirense in the fifth round of the Portuguese Cup, advancing to the next round on a 52nd-minute goal by Cardozo.[99] Camacho said, "I did not like the game. We are playing differently than we are training. The difference in quality between both teams should have been obvious and it was not."[100] On 26 January, Benfica played Vitória de Guimarães at the Estádio D. Afonso Henriques. They scored in the eighth minute, when Cardozo converted a free kick from 30 meters out. Di María assisted Maxi Pereira on a second goal, with Guimarães scoring in the 60th minute. In extra time, Cardozo scored his second goal on a mistake by Nilson.[101]

February–March edit

February was a busy month for the club. Benfica trailed Porto by 11 points in the Primeira Liga,[102] with crucial European and domestic cup matches between league matches. The first was on 2 February against Nacional. Like past home performances, Benfica failed to score and lost points in another scoreless draw. Camacho tried to explain his team's performance: "We did not lack attitude, but at home, we sometimes feel disturbed, pressured. We played two forwards and we still did not score."[103] He saw his first white handkerchiefs, an action commonly seen as a request for resignation.[104] Benfica regained their feet with a home win against Paços de Ferreira in the Portuguese Cup. An opening goal by Pedrinha in the second minute was answered with an equaliser by Cardozo before half-time. In the second half, Cardozo, Rui Costa and Nuno Assis scored to send Benfica to the quarter-finals.[105] On 14 February, Benfica hosted 1. FC Nürnberg in the first of two games against the German team. Recent acquisition Ariza Makukula scored the only goal in the 43rd minute, a 20-meter strike which fooled goalkeeper Jaromír Blažek.[106] Camacho called the narrow victory important.[107] Three days later, Benfica played Naval at the Municipal José Bento Pessoa. Cristian Rodríguez scored the club's opening goal in the 18th minute, with László Sepsi assisting Nuno Assis on a second goal in the final minute.[108] On 21 February, Benfica played the second leg of their European double-header with Nürnberg. The Bundesliga side scored twice in seven minutes during the second half before Cardozo scored in the 89th minute and Di María tied the game in the 92nd, sending Benfica to the round of 16 with Spanish side Getafe.[109] Camacho said, "Benfica made some defensive errors in the second half that put them in a tough spot. They managed to react and continued their search for goals until they arrived."[110] In domestic-league play, Benfica hosted Braga on 24 January. Braga scored first with a fifth-minute goal by Zé Manel, with Luisão tying the game in the 21sth minute.[111] The draw complicated the league race, with Porto increasing their lead.[112] Camacho said, "Benfica did everything they could win. They tried to score from every way possible, but could not".[113] The club ended the month with a 2–0 victory over Moreirense in the Portuguese Cup, sending them to the semi-finals.[114]

 
The No Name Boys supporting Benfica at the Coliseum Alfonso Pérez on 12 March

Benfica began March competing at three levels: the Primeira Liga, the Portuguese Cup and the UEFA Cup. Their first game was at the Estádio José Alvalade against Sporting CP. Managed by Paulo Bento, the hosts scored the opening goal in the 11th minute with a header by Simon Vukčević. In the 40th minute, Rui Costa's corner kick allowed Cardozo to head in the tying goal.[115] Benfica held second place, five points ahead of Sporting.[116] For Camacho, the result was "very important because we kept our advantage, allowing us to remain in second place".[117] The following Thursday, Benfica hosted Getafe in the UEFA Cup. The match quickly soured for the club when Cardozo was sent off in the ninth minute, and Rubén de la Red scored Getafe's first goal in the 25th minute. During the second half Pablo Hernández added another, and Mantorras scored a 76th-minute consolation goal for Benfica.[118] Camacho said, "We started poorly because Getafe has a good team. With Cardozo's ejection, things got more complicated. In the second half, Benfica was better, the players fought and showed we have a chance to eliminate them."[119] On 9 March, Benfica hosted União de Leiria. They conceded an opening goal in the 42nd minute, scoring two second-half goals in five minutes: one each by Zoro and Cardozo. Serge N'Gal scored a 69th-minute equaliser for the draw.[120] The result had repercussions,[121] as Camacho resigned: "I cannot do anything else to improve this team's performance."[121] His resignation, so late in the season, caught Benfica's management by surprise.[121] They opted to not replace him, nominating his assistant Fernando Chalana as manager.[121] Chalana accepted the challenge: "I am here through thick and thin."[122] His first game as manager was against Getafe on the road on 12 March. Benfica had to score two and allow none to progress; Makukula hit the post in the sixth minute, and Getafe qualified with a 77th-minute goal by Juan Ángel Albín.[123] Four days later, Benfica played Marítimo at Barreiros, with Cardozo scoring his 19th goal of the season in the 26th minute.[124] In the second half, Ytalo scored a 75th-minute equaliser for Marítimo.[125] Chalana said, "We had a great first half. We dominated and honestly I was not expecting Marítimo's goal. I was sad with the way it appeared. We did everything to win."[126] The fourth consecutive draw cost Benfica their lead over Vitória de Guimarães for second place.[127] Back from international break, the club hosted Paços de Ferreira on 30 March in a 4–1 win. At half-time, the score was 1–1, but Cardozo and Rui Costa's second-half goals gave Benfica their first domestic win in March.[128]

April–May edit

 
Rui Costa's last game, on 11 May, attracted over 54,000 fans.

As the season wound down, Benfica was battling for a direct qualification for the Champions League with six matches remaining.[129] On 6 April, the club played Boavista on the road. The hosts were undefeated at home since October, but Benfica had an opportunity to gain ground over Vitória de Guimarães (who had lost points hours earlier).[130] Neither team could penetrate the other's defence, despite Boavista's 24th-minute penalty kick, and the game ended in a scoreless draw.[130] Chalana was highly critical of the refereeing: "What happened here was a disgrace."[131] The following Friday, Benfica hosted Académica. In the fourth minute Luisão lost the ball to Miguel Pedro, who scored for Académica. At the 30-minute mark, Markus Berger added another, and in the second half, Luis Aguiar scored a third.[132] It was the fourth time in Benfica's history that they lost by three goals at home, matching their worst result in the Primeira Liga.[133] They had lost 3–0 to Boavista in 1998–99 and 4–1 to Sporting CP in 1938–39 and 1947–48.[133] Chalana was resigned: "There are days like this."[134] With the loss, Benfica had lost 18 points in Luz, was 21 points behind Porto and fell from second to fourth place.[133][135][136] On 16 April, the club visited the Alvalade for the Portuguese Cup semi-finals. Benfica began the game well, with first-half goals by Rui Costa and Nuno Gomes. Sporting mobilized in the second half, scoring three goals in 12 minutes. Rodríguez tied the game for Benfica before Sporting scored two more goals, eliminating Benfica.[137] Chalana attributed the loss to poor refereeing: "We started strong, scored two goals and could have scored a third if the referee had signalled a penalty over Luisão. It would be the 3–0 and would have killed the game."[138] Four days later, Benfica played Porto at the Estádio do Dragão. Lisandro López scored goals in the seventh and 80th minutes to give Porto a 2–0 win, increasing the difference between them to 24 points.[139][140] Despite amassing five out of a possible 15 points since becoming manager and trailing second-place Vitória de Guimarães by four points, Chalana remained hopeful: "Nothing is lost, Benfica will use all their weapons to win the remaining nine points."[140][141] The club's last April match was a 2–0 victory over Belenenses,[142] with Chalana praising his players' performance against "a very good team".[143]

In May, Benfica had two games in which to overcome a four-point deficit. On the fourth, they played Estrela da Amadora away. Benfica never beat Estrela's goalkeeper, Pedro Alves, drawing 0–0 and losing crucial points.[144] Chalana said, "We started the first half somewhat nervous. Not playing our best. However, the second half was different, we did everything to win, created opportunities but the ball just would not go in."[145] The draw left Benfica dependent on others to reach second place; even if they won, Sporting had to lose and Guimarães had to lose or draw.[146][147] On 11 May, the club hosted Vitória de Setúbal. The match, attracting over 54,000 fans for Rui Costa's last game, was a 3–0 Benfica win.[148][149] Sporting and Guimarães also won and Benfica finished fourth, missing a Champions League berth.[150] It was their fifth finish outside the top three after fourth-place finishes in 1939–40, 1940–41 and 2001–02 and a sixth-place finish in 2000–01.[146] Chalana said, "Benfica is very big. We failed to reach our objectives, but nearly sold out the stadium today."[151] The club's season ended with an African tour in which they defeated a team with players from Sal and São Vicente on 17 May and the Angolan national team two days later.[152][153]

Competitions edit

  Win   Draw   Loss   Postponed

Overall record edit

Competition Started First match Last match Finished Record
G W D L GF GA GD Win % Source
Primeira Liga 18 August 2007 11 May 2008 4th 30 13 13 4 45 21 +24 043.33 [154][155]
Taça de Portugal Fourth round 9 December 2007 16 April 2008 Semi-finals 5 4 0 1 13 7 +6 080.00 [154][155]
Taça da Liga Third round 26 September 2007 31 October 2007 Fourth round 3 0 2 1 3 4 −1 000.00 [154][155]
UEFA Champions League QR3 14 August 2007 4 December 2007 GS / 3rd 8 4 1 3 8 7 +1 050.00 [154][155]
UEFA Cup Round of 32 14 February 2008 12 March 2008 Round of 16 4 1 1 2 4 5 −1 025.00 [154][155]
Total 50 22 17 11 73 44 +29 044.00

Primeira Liga edit

League table edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
2 Sporting CP 30 16 7 7 46 28 +18 55 Qualification to Champions League group stage
3 Vitória de Guimarães 30 15 8 7 35 31 +4 53 Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round
4 Benfica 30 13 13 4 45 21 +24 52 Qualification to UEFA Cup first round
5 Marítimo 30 14 4 12 39 28 +11 46
6 Vitória de Setúbal 30 11 12 7 37 33 +4 45
Source: BDFutbol
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.

Results by round edit

Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930
GroundAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH
ResultDDWWDDWWWWWLLWDDWDWDDDDWDLLWDW
Position694345422222222222222222244444
Source: FootballPortugal.net
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches edit

18 August 2007 1 Leixões 1–1 Benfica Leixões
21:00 Nwoko   90+4' Report Petit   89' Stadium: Estádio do Bessa
Attendance: 12,710
Referee: Jorge Sousa
25 August 2007 2 Benfica 0–0 Vitória de Guimarães Lisbon
19:15 Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 52,464
Referee: Lucílio Baptista
2 September 2007 3 Nacional 0–3 Benfica Funchal
21:15 Report Cardozo   17', 76'
Rui Costa   69'
Stadium: Estádio da Madeira
Attendance: 4,000
Referee: Bruno Paixão
15 September 2007 4 Benfica 3–0 Naval Lisbon
21:15 Rodríguez   22'
Rui Costa   35'
Nuno Gomes   52'
Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 34,712
Referee: Rui Silva
23 September 2007 5 Braga 0–0 Benfica Braga
18:00 Report Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Braga
Attendance: 21,804
Referee: Paulo Costa
29 September 2007 6 Benfica 0–0 Sporting CP Lisbon
19:15 Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 48,222
Referee: Pedro Henriques
7 October 2007 7 União de Leiria 1–2 Benfica Leiria
19:15 Cadu   1' Report Nuno Gomes   15', 65' Stadium: Estádio Dr. Magalhães Pessoa
Attendance: 8,960
Referee: João Ferreira
28 October 2007 8 Benfica 2–1 Marítimo Lisbon
20:45 Cardozo   18'
Quim   31'
Adu   86'
Report Kanú   86' Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 44,312
Referee: Pedro Proença
3 November 2007 9 Paços de Ferreira 1–2 Benfica Paços de Ferreira
19:45 Valente   29' Report Rodríguez   21'
Katsouranis   85'
Stadium: Estádio da Mata Real
Attendance: 3,016
Referee: Bruno Paixão
11 November 2007 10 Benfica 6–1 Boavista Lisbon
18:00 Cardozo   18'
Pereira   62'
Rodríguez   66'
Silva   80' (o.g.)
Nuno Gomes   85', 88' (pen.)
Report Zé Kalanga   27'   55'
Ribeiro   57'
Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 35,379
Referee: Paulo Paraty
24 November 2007 11 Académica 1–3 Benfica Coimbra
21:15 Lito   24' Report Rui Costa   34'
Luisão   86'
Adu   90'
Stadium: Estádio Cidade de Coimbra
Attendance: 16,185
Referee: Olegário Benquerença
1 December 2007 12 Benfica 0–1 Porto Lisbon
19:45 Report Quaresma   42' Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 60,116
Referee: Jorge Sousa
15 December 2007 13 Belenenses 1–0 Benfica Lisbon
19:30 Weldon   70' Report Stadium: Estádio do Restelo
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Paulo Baptista
20 December 2007 14 Benfica 3–0 Estrela da Amadora Lisbon
21:15 Rodríguez   52'
Cardozo   71' (pen.)
Nuno Gomes   90'
Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 24,823
Referee: Hugo Miguel
5 January 2008 15 Vitória de Setúbal 1–1 Benfica Setúbal
19:15 Edinho   88' Report Mantorras   71' Stadium: Estádio do Bonfim
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Paulo Paraty
12 January 2008 16 Benfica 0–0 Leixões Lisbon
19:00 Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 28,930
Referee: Paulo Costa
26 January 2008 17 Vitória de Guimarães 1–3 Benfica Guimarães
21:15 Ghilas   60' Report Cardozo   7', 90'
Pereira   26'
Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques
Attendance: 25,710
Referee: João Ferreira
2 February 2008 18 Benfica 0–0 Nacional Lisbon
21:15 Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 31,694
Referee: Olegário Benquerença
17 February 2008 19 Naval 0–2 Benfica Figueira da Foz
19:15 Report Rodríguez   19'
Nuno Assis   90'
Stadium: Estádio Municipal José Bento Pessoa
Attendance: 4,981
Referee: Rui Costa
24 February 2008 20 Benfica 1–1 Braga Lisbon
20:00 Luisão   20' Report Zé Manel   5' Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 31,220
Referee: Jorge Sousa
2 March 2008 21 Sporting CP 1–1 Benfica Lisbon
20:30 Vukčević   11' Report Cardozo   40'
Nélson   76'
Stadium: Estádio de Alvalade
Attendance: 40,659
Referee: Paulo Paraty
9 March 2008 22 Benfica 2–2 União de Leiria Lisbon
18:00 Zoro   51'
Cardozo   56'
Report Paulo César   42'
N'Gal   69'
Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 29,496
Referee: Vasco Santos
16 March 2008 23 Marítimo 1–1 Benfica Funchal
19:00 Ytalo   74' Report Cardozo   25' Stadium: Estádio dos Barreiros
Attendance: 9,000
Referee: Bruno Paixão
30 March 2008 24 Benfica 4–1 Paços de Ferreira Lisbon
20:15 Rodríguez   24'
Cardozo   69'
Rui Costa   75', 85'
Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 23,772
Referee: Elmano Santos
6 April 2008 25 Boavista 0–0 Benfica Porto
19:45 Report Stadium: Estádio do Bessa
Attendance: 14,341
Referee: Lucílio Baptista
11 April 2008 26 Benfica 0–3 Académica Lisbon
19:30 Report Miguel Pedro   4'
Berger   31'
L. Aguiar   65'
Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 30,222
Referee: Paulo Baptista
20 April 2008 27 Porto 2–0 Benfica Porto
19:30 López   7', 80' Report Binya   17'   90' Stadium: Estádio do Dragão
Attendance: 50,199
Referee: Bruno Paixão
26 April 2008 28 Benfica 2–0 Belenenses Lisbon
18:45 Luisão   41'
Cardozo   65'
Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 33,047
Referee: Artur Soares Dias
4 May 2008 29 Estrela da Amadora 0–0 Benfica Lisbon
18:15 Report Stadium: Estádio da Reboleira
Attendance: 3,112
Referee: Pedro Proença
11 May 2008 30 Benfica 3–0 Vitória de Setúbal Lisbon
19:15 Katsouranis   25'
Cardozo   42'
Nuno Gomes   88'
Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 54,222
Referee: Jorge Sousa

Taça de Portugal edit

9 December 2007 Fourth round Benfica 3–1 Académica Lisbon
20:45 Luisão   40'
Cardozo   45', 80'
Report Ousmane N'Doye   53' Stadium: Estádio da Luz
19 January 2008 Fifth round Benfica 1–0 Feirense Lisbon
16:00 Cardozo   51' Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 15,000
Referee: Bruno Paixão
10 February 2008 Sixth round Benfica 4–1 Paços de Ferreira Lisbon
16:00 Cardozo   40' (pen.), 52' (pen.)
Rui Costa   77'
Nuno Assis   90'
Report Pedrinha   2'
Valente   40'   51'
Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Referee: Augusto Duarte
27 February 2008 Quarter-final Benfica 2–0 Moreirense Lisbon
19:45 Rui Costa   70'
Makukula   87'
Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 10,494
Referee: Elmano Santos
16 April 2008 Semi-final Sporting CP 5–3 Benfica Lisbon
20:30 Djaló   68', 84'
Liédson   76'
Derlei   79'
Vukčević   90+3'
Report Rui Costa   19'
Nuno Gomes   31'
Rodríguez   82'
Stadium: Estádio de Alvalade
Attendance: 37,204
Referee: Jorge Sousa

Taça da Liga edit

Third round edit

26 September 2007 Estrela da Amadora 1–1
(4–5 p)
Benfica Amadora
20:30 Maurício   36' Report   90+3' (pen.) Adu Stadium: Estádio José Gomes
Referee: Duarte Gomes, Lisboa
Penalties
Maurício  
Mateus  
Gomes  
Cardoso  
Fernando  
Yoni  
  Adu
  Rodríguez
  Butt
  Luisão
  Coentrão
  Díaz

Fourth round edit

21 October 2007 First leg Benfica 1–1 Vitória de Setúbal Lisbon
21:00 Adu   90+4' Report   12' Matheus Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 17,278
Referee: Jorge Sousa
31 October 2007 Second leg Vitória de Setúbal 2–1 Benfica Setúbal
20:45 Matheus   67'
Edinho   82'
Report   45' (pen.) Adu Stadium: Estádio do Bonfim
Attendance: 5,000
Referee: Paulo Costa, Porto

UEFA Champions League edit

Third qualifying round edit

14 August 2007 First leg Benfica 2–1 Copenhagen Lisbon
19:45 Rui Costa   25', 85' Report Hutchinson   35' Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 55,722
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)
29 August 2007 Second leg Copenhagen 0–1
(1–3 agg.)
Benfica Copenhagen
19:45 Report Katsouranis   17' Stadium: Parken Stadium
Attendance: 39,711
Referee: Eric Braamhaar (Netherlands)

Group D edit

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1   Milan 6 4 1 1 12 5 +7 13 Advance to knockout stage
2   Celtic 6 3 0 3 5 6 −1 9
3   Benfica 6 2 1 3 5 6 −1 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup
4   Shakhtar Donetsk 6 2 0 4 6 11 −5 6
Source:
18 September 2007 1 Milan 2–1 Benfica Milan
20:45 Pirlo   9'
Inzaghi   24'
Report Nuno Gomes   90+2' Stadium: San Siro
Attendance: 37,929
Referee: Mike Riley (England)
3 October 2007 2 Benfica 0–1 Shakhtar Donetsk Lisbon
20:45 Report Jádson   42' Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 34,647
Referee: Wolfgang Stark (Germany)
24 October 2007 3 Benfica 1–0 Celtic Lisbon
20:45 Cardozo   87' Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 38,512
Referee: Massimo Busacca (Switzerland)
6 November 2007 4 Celtic 1–0 Benfica Glasgow
20:45 McGeady   45' Report Stadium: Celtic Park
Attendance: 58,691
Referee: Martin Hansson (Sweden)
28 November 2007 5 Benfica 1–1 Milan Lisbon
20:45 Pereira   20' Report Pirlo   15' Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 46,034
Referee: Herbert Fandel (Germany)
4 December 2007 6 Shakhtar Donetsk 1–2 Benfica Donetsk
20:45 Lucarelli   30' (pen.) Report Cardozo   6', 22' Stadium: RSK Olimpiyskyi
Attendance: 24,200
Referee: Kyros Vassaras (Greece)

UEFA Cup edit

Round of 32 edit

14 February 2008 First leg Benfica 1–0 1. FC Nürnberg Lisbon
21:45 Makukula   43' Report Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 28,378
Referee: Alexandru Tudor (Romania)
21 February 2008 Second leg 1. FC Nürnberg 2–2
(2–3 agg.)
Benfica Nuremberg
21:00 Charisteas   59'
Saenko   66'
Report Cardozo   90'
Di María   90+2'
Stadium: Frankenstadion
Attendance: 42,846
Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia)

Round of 16 edit

6 March 2008 First leg Benfica 1–2 Getafe Lisbon
21:30 Cardozo   9'
Mantorras   76'
Report De la Red   25'
Hernández   67'
Stadium: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: 26,925
Referee: Grzegorz Gilewski (Poland)
12 March 2008 Second leg Getafe 1–0
(3–1 agg.)
Benfica Getafe
21:00 Albín   77' Report Stadium: Coliseum Alfonso Pérez
Attendance: 14,000
Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

Friendlies edit

8 July 2007 (2007-07-08) Benfica 4–0 RM Hamm Benfica Seixal, Portugal
17:15 CET (UTC+01) Mantorras   12'
Bergessio   15'
Dabao   52'
Katsouranis   63'
Report Stadium: Benfica Campus
21 July 2007 (2007-07-21) CFR Cluj 2–2 Benfica Cluj, Romania
19:30 CET (UTC+01) Dani   48'
Semedo   68'
Report Rui Costa   54'
Cardozo   66'
Stadium: Stadionul Dr. Constantin Radulescu
29 July 2007 (2007-07-29) Al Ahly 2–1 Benfica Cairo, Egypt
19:30 CET (UTC+01) Mohamed   5' (pen.)
Hosni   63'
Report Nuno Assis   53' Stadium: Cairo International Stadium
3 August 2007 (2007-08-03) Guadiana Trophy Benfica 0–0 Real Betis Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal
21:15 CET (UTC+01) Report Stadium: Complexo Desportivo de Vila Real de Santo
Referee: João Ferreira
5 August 2007 (2007-08-05) Guadiana Trophy Benfica 1–0 Sporting CP Vila Real de Santo António, Portugal
21:15 CET (UTC+01) David Luiz   79' Report Stadium: Complexo Desportivo de Vila Real de Santo
Attendance: 10,000
Referee: Pedro Henriques
17 May 2008 (2008-05-17) Benfica 2–0 São Vicente and Sal XXI Espargos, Cape Verde
15:30 CET (UTC+01) Adu   4'
Mantorras   90'
Report Stadium: Estádio Marcelo Leitão
Attendance: 8,000
19 May 2008 (2008-05-19) Benfica 3–2 Angola Luanda, Angola
15:30 CET (UTC+01) Rodríguez   2'
Job   66' (o.g.)
Pereira   71'
Report Love   26'
Amaro   90+3'
Stadium: Estádio da Cidadela
Attendance: 15,000

Player statistics edit

The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Fernando Santos (manager), José António Camacho (manager), Fernando Chalana, (assistant manager and later manager), Jorge Rosário (assistant manager), Pepe Cárcelan (assistant manager), Shéu Han (assistant manager), Bruno Moura (physiotherapist) and Ricardo Santos (scout).[43][122][155][156]

Note 1: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

Note 2: Players with squad numbers marked ‡ joined the club during the 2007–08 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.

No. Pos Nat Player Total Primeira Liga Taça de Portugal Taça da Liga Europe[A]
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK   POR José Moreira 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2 DF   POR Luís Filipe 32 0 19 0 3 0 2 0 8 0
3 DF   BRA Edcarlos 27 0 16 0 4 0 1 0 6 0
4 DF   BRA Luisão 35 4 19 3 4 1 3 0 9 0
5 DF   BRA Léo 42 0 27 0 3 0 0 0 12 0
6 MF   POR Petit 26 1 17 1 2 0 0 0 7 0
7 FW   PAR Óscar Cardozo 45 22 29 13 5 5 0 0 11 4
8 DF   GRE Kostas Katsouranis 43 3 27 2 3 0 1 0 12 1
9 FW   ANG Pedro Mantorras 14 1 9 1 2 0 1 0 2 0
10 MF   POR Rui Costa 45 10 29 5 4 3 0 0 12 2
11 DF   POR Miguelito 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
12 GK   POR Quim 44 -39 30 -21 1 -5 1 -1 12 -12
14 MF   URU Maxi Pereira 36 2 23 2 4 0 1 0 8 0
15 MF   ARG Andrés Díaz 6 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 0
16 MF   POR Fábio Coentrão 7 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 0
17 DF   CIV Marco Zoro 7 1 2 1 1 0 3 0 1 0
18 MF   CMR Gilles Binya 25 0 16 0 2 0 3 0 4 0
19 FW   ARG Gonzalo Bergessio 9 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 4 0
20 MF   ARG Ángel Di María 45 0 26 0 5 0 3 0 11 0
21 FW   POR Nuno Gomes 36 9 25 7 3 1 0 0 8 1
22 DF   POR Nélson Marcos 30 0 19 0 4 0 1 0 6 0
23 DF   BRA David Luiz 14 0 8 0 2 0 0 0 4 0
24 GK   GER Hans-Jörg Butt 7 -6 1 -1 4 -2 2 -3 0 0
25 MF   POR Nuno Assis 30 2 17 1 4 1 2 0 7 0
26 MF   URU Cristian Rodríguez 36 7 24 6 2 1 2 0 8 0
27 MF   CHN Yu Dabao 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 0
28 DF   POR Miguel Vítor 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 0
30 MF   USA Freddy Adu 21 5 11 2 3 0 3 3 4 0
32 DF   POR Romeu Ribeiro 6 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
33 DF   ROU László Sepsi 12 0 7 0 2 0 0 0 3 0
38 MF   POR Ariza Makukula 8 2 3 0 2 1 0 0 3 1
  1. ^ Includes 8 matches in the Champions League and 4 in the UEFA Cup

Transfers edit

In edit

Entry date Position Player From club Fee Ref
29 March 2007 LW Fábio Coentrão Rio Ave Undisclosed [7]
19 May 2007 CB Marc Zoro Messina Free [8]
30 May 2007 CB David Luiz Vitória Undisclosed [9]
21 June 2007 ST Óscar Cardozo Newell's Old Boys €9.1M [10]
22 June 2007 FW Gonzalo Bergessio Racing Club Undisclosed [11]
29 June 2007 CB Sreten Sretenović Rad Undisclosed [157]
17 July 2007 GK Hans-Jörg Butt Bayer Leverkusen Free [158]
27 July 2007 LW Ángel Di María Rosario Central €6M [159]
27 July 2007 CM Andrés Díaz Rosario Central Free [159]
30 July 2007 AM Freddy Adu Real Salt Lake €1.9M [160]
2 August 2007 RB Luís Filipe Braga Undisclosed [161]
2 August 2007 ST Jaílson Corinthians Undisclosed [162]
10 August 2007 DM Gilles Binya MC Oran Undisclosed [163]
26 August 2007 RW Maxi Pereira Defensor Sporting €3M [164]
30 August 2007 CB Edcarlos São Paulo Undisclosed [47]
14 January 2008 LB László Sepsi Gloria Bistrița Undisclosed [165]
30 January 2008 ST Ariza Makukula Sevilla €3.5M [166]
30 January 2008 CB Rafik Halliche NA Hussein Dey Undisclosed [167]

In by loan edit

Entry date Position Player From club Exit date Ref
26 August 2007 LW Cristian Rodríguez Paris Saint-Germain 30 June 2008 [168]

Out edit

Entry date Position Player From club Fee Ref
18 May 2007 LW Gustavo Manduca AEK Athens Undisclosed [169]
2 June 2007 CB Eurípedes Amoreirinha CFR Cluj Undisclosed [170]
5 June 2007 GK Rui Nereu Académica Undisclosed [171]
11 June 2007 CM Beto Sion Undisclosed [172]
25 June 2007 ST Derlei Dynamo Moscow Loan return [13]
1 July 2007 LW Hélio Roque AEL Free [173]
3 July 2007 AM Giorgos Karagounis Panathinaikos Free [18]
5 July 2007 FW Fabrizio Miccoli Juventus Loan return [12]
14 July 2007 RW Carlitos Basel Undisclosed [174]
26 July 2007 LW Simão Atlético Madrid €20M [23]
24 August 2007 CB Anderson Lyon €4M [175]
25 August 2007 ST Azar Karadas Brann Undisclosed [176]
27 August 2007 CM Manuel Fernandes Valencia €18M [177]
3 December 2007 AM Andrei Karyaka Saturn Ramenskoye Undisclosed [178]
11 January 2008 AM Diego de Souza Palmeiras Undisclosed [179]
6 February 2008 FW Gonzalo Bergessio San Lorenzo Undisclosed [180]

Out on loan edit

Entry date Position Player From club Return date Ref
5 June 2007 CM João Coimbra Nacional 30 June 2008 [181]
2 July 2007 LB Tiago Gomes Zagłębie Lubin 30 June 2008 [182]
13 July 2007 GK Marcelo Moretto AEK Athens 30 June 2008 [183]
20 July 2007 ST Marcel Grêmio 30 June 2008 [184]
20 July 2007 RB Pedro Correia Olhanense 30 June 2008 [185]
21 July 2007 RW Paulo Jorge Málaga 30 June 2008 [186]
31 July 2007 LW José Fonte Crystal Palace 30 June 2008 [187]
2 August 2007 ST Jaílson Braga 30 June 2008 [162]
23 August 2007 CB Sreten Sretenović Zagłębie Lubin 30 June 2008 [188]
28 August 2007 RW Manú AEK Athens 30 June 2008 [189]
31 August 2007 RW Marco Ferreira Leicester City 30 June 2008 [190]
1 January 2008 CB Miguel Vítor Desportivo das Aves 30 June 2008 [191]
1 January 2008 DM Romeu Ribeiro Desportivo das Aves 30 June 2008 [191]
1 January 2008 CB Yu Dabao Desportivo das Aves 30 June 2008 [191]
2 January 2008 LB Miguelito Braga 30 June 2008 [192]
2 January 2008 LW Fábio Coentrão Nacional 30 June 2008 [193]
6 January 2008 CM Andrés Díaz Banfield 30 June 2009 [194]
11 January 2008 ST Marcel Cruzeiro 30 June 2008 [195]
20 January 2008 RW Marco Ferreira Belenenses 30 June 2008 [196]
31 January 2008 CB Rafik Halliche Nacional 30 June 2008 [197]

References edit

Specific
  1. ^ [Attendance list per match]. ligaportugal.pt (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  2. ^ [Attendance list per club]. ligaportugal.pt (in Portuguese). Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  3. ^ a b "Santos: "Equipa para o título"" [Santos: "Team to win the title"]. Record (in Portuguese). 26 May 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  4. ^ "Vieira: "Vamos investir na equipa"" [Vieira: "We will invest in the team"]. Record (in Portuguese). 24 May 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Fernando Santos: "Não me imagino sem Simão"" [Fernando Santos: "I can not see myself without Simão"]. Record (in Portuguese). 6 June 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  6. ^ "Fernando Santos: "Espero que Miccoli fique"" [Fernando Santos: "I hope that Miccoli stays"]. Record (in Portuguese). 6 June 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  7. ^ a b "Presidente do Rio Ave confirma Coentrão na Luz" [Rio Ave's President confirms Coentrão at Benfica]. Record (in Portuguese). 1 April 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  8. ^ a b "Vieira assume contratação de Zoro" [Vieira confirms signing of Zoro]. Record (in Portuguese). 19 May 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  9. ^ a b "David Luiz já assinou" [David Luiz has signed]. Record (in Portuguese). 30 May 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Comunicado" (PDF). SL Benfica (in Portuguese). CMVM. 21 June 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  11. ^ a b "Bergessio 4 épocas de águia ao peito" [Bergessio 4 years at Benfica]. Record (in Portuguese). 22 June 2006. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Adeus Miccoli" [Goodbye Miccoli]. Record (in Portuguese). 5 July 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Derlei oficialmente leão" [Derlei officially a Sporting player]. Record (in Portuguese). 25 June 2007. Retrieved 18 January 2016.
  14. ^ "Internato no Seixal" [Benfica will stay in Seixal]. Record (in Portuguese). 30 June 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  15. ^ "Tudo pela Champions" [Everything for the Champions League]. Record (in Portuguese). 26 May 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  16. ^ "Arrancou a nova época" [The season has started]. Record (in Portuguese). 2 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  17. ^ "Águias já treinaram" [Eagles have started training sessions]. Record (in Portuguese). 2 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  18. ^ a b "Karagounis rescindiu" [Karagounis departs]. Record (in Portuguese). 3 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  19. ^ "Anderson reforça desagrado no regresso" [Anderson dissatisfied in return]. Record (in Portuguese). 2 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  20. ^ "Anderson suspenso" [Anderson suspended]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  21. ^ "Águias goleiam equipa do Luxemburgo (4-0)" [Eagles thrash team from Luxembourg (4–0)]. Record (in Portuguese). 8 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  22. ^ "CFR Cluj-Benfica, 2-2 (Dani 50'', Semedo 70''; Rui Costa 55'', Cardozo 67'')". Record (in Portuguese). 21 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  23. ^ a b "Comunicado" [Announcement] (PDF). SL Benfica (in Portuguese). CMVM. 26 July 2007. Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  24. ^ "Fernando Santos: "Perder Simão seria pesadelo horrível"" [Fernando Santos: "Losing Simão would be a nightmare"]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  25. ^ "O inevitável adeus de Simão" [The inevitable loss of Simão]. Record (in Portuguese). 26 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  26. ^ "Di Maria é o substituto de Simão" [Di María to replace Simão]. Record (in Portuguese). 27 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  27. ^ "Al-Ahly-Benfica, 2-1 (Shady 5'', Hossny 65''; Nuno Assis 54'')". Record (in Portuguese). 29 July 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  28. ^ "Benfica-Betis, 0-0". Record (in Portuguese). 3 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  29. ^ "Benfica-Sporting, 1-0 (David Luiz 79'')". Record (in Portuguese). 5 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  30. ^ "Nuno Gomes na vitória frente ao Estrela" [Nuno Gomes in the win against Estrela]. Record (in Portuguese). 9 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  31. ^ "Luz recebe 3.ª pré-eliminatória da Champions a 14 de Agosto" [Luz will receive third qualifying round of the Champions League at 14 August]. Record (in Portuguese). 6 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  32. ^ "Santos: "Grande confiança"" [Santos: "Big confidence"]. Record (in Portuguese). 13 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  33. ^ . UEFA.com. 14 August 2007. Archived from the original on 15 November 2015. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  34. ^ "Fernando Santos: "Substituição de Luisão marcou o jogo"" [Fernando Santos: "Luisão exit changed the game"]. Record (in Portuguese). 14 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  35. ^ "David Moyes confirma Manuel Fernandes" [David Moyes confirms Manuel Fernandes]. Record (in Portuguese). 15 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  36. ^ "Manuel Fernandes: "Há coisas que não esqueço"" [Manuel Fernandes: "There are things I do not forget"]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  37. ^ "Santos pede reforços" [Santos asks for reinforcements]. Record (in Portuguese). 16 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  38. ^ "Santos em desvantagem" [Santos in disadvantage]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  39. ^ "Quatro indisponíveis para o Bessa" [Four unavailable to Bessa]. Record (in Portuguese). 17 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  40. ^ "Leixões-Benfica, 1-1 (Nwoko 90''+4; Petit 89'')". Record (in Portuguese). 18 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  41. ^ "Encarnados confirmam saída de Santos" [Benfica confirms departure of Santos]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  42. ^ "Fernando Santos: "Não saio magoado"" [Fernando Santos: "I am not hurt"]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  43. ^ a b "José Antonio Camacho é o escolhido" [José Antonio Camacho is the chosen one]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  44. ^ "Camacho: "Estou muito contente"" [Camacho: "I am very happy"]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  45. ^ "Benfica-V. Guimarães, 0-0". Record (in Portuguese). 25 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  46. ^ "SAD confirma reforços à CMVM" [SAD confirms signings to CMVM]. Record (in Portuguese). 27 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  47. ^ a b "Edcarlos: "Vou realizar um sonho"" [Edcarlos: "I will make a dream come true"]. Record (in Portuguese). 28 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  48. ^ . UEFA.com. 29 August 2007. Archived from the original on 21 December 2014. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  49. ^ "Liga dos Campeões: Sorteio em directo" [Champions League: Live Draw]. Record (in Portuguese). 30 August 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  50. ^ "Nacional-Benfica, 0-3 (Cardozo 18'', 77'' gp, Rui Costa 69'')". Record (in Portuguese). 3 September 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  51. ^ "Um Óscar para Di María" [An Oscar to Di María]. Correio da Manhã (in Portuguese). 3 September 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  52. ^ "Benfica-Naval, 3-0 (Rodríguez 23'', Rui Costa 35'', Nuno Gomes 52'')". Record (in Portuguese). 15 September 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  53. ^ "Camacho: "Não estamos a entrar bem nos jogos"" [Camacho: "We are not starting well"]. Record (in Portuguese). 15 September 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  54. ^ . UEFA.com. 18 September 2007. Archived from the original on 25 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  55. ^ "Ancelotti hails one of a kind". UEFA.com. 18 September 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
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  57. ^ "Camacho: "FC Porto não me preocupa"" [Camacho: "FC Porto does not worry me"]. Record (in Portuguese). 24 September 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  58. ^ . Record (in Portuguese). 26 September 2007. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  59. ^ "Benfica-Sporting, 0-0". Record (in Portuguese). 29 September 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  60. ^ "Camacho: "Faltou apenas o golo"" [Camacho: "We only lacked in goals"]. Record (in Portuguese). 29 September 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  61. ^ . UEFA.com. 3 October 2007. Archived from the original on 21 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  62. ^ "Lucescu enjoys 'deserved result'". UEFA.com. 3 October 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  63. ^ "U. Leiria-Benfica, 1-2 (Cadú 2''; Nuno Gomes 16'', 65'')". Record (in Portuguese). 7 October 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  64. ^ . Record (in Portuguese). 20 October 2007. Archived from the original on 14 February 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  65. ^ [Camacho: "I am happy with my players work"]. Record (in Portuguese). 20 October 2007. Archived from the original on 7 March 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  66. ^ . UEFA.com. 24 October 2007. Archived from the original on 19 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  67. ^ "Camacho relief as belief pays off". UEFA.com. 24 October 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  68. ^ "Benfica-Marítimo, 2-1 (Cardozo 18'' g.p. Adu 87''; Kanu 8'')". Record (in Portuguese). 28 October 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  69. ^ "Camacho: "Podíamos ter mais 3-4 golos na Champions"" [Camacho: "We could have scored 3–4 more goals in the Champions League"]. Record (in Portuguese). 29 October 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  70. ^ . Record (in Portuguese). 31 October 2007. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  71. ^ "Camacho: "Perdemos bem"" [Camacho: "It was a fair loss"]. Record (in Portuguese). 31 October 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  72. ^ . Record (in Portuguese). 3 November 2007. Archived from the original on 16 February 2016. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  73. ^ "Camacho: "Importante vitória mas muito sofrida"" [Camacho: "A difficult but important win"]. Record (in Portuguese). 3 October 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  74. ^ "McGeady's Celtic art baffles Benfica". UEFA.com. 6 November 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  75. ^ "Strachan thrilled by 'fantastic' Celtic". UEFA.com. 6 November 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  76. ^ "Benfica-Boavista, 6-1 (Cardozo 18'', Pereira 62'', Rodríguez 66''>, R. Silva 79'' pb, N. Gomes 85'' gp e 89''; J. Ribeiro 58'')". Record (in Portuguese). 11 November 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  77. ^ "Rui Costa: "No caminho certo"" [Rui Costa: "We are on the right track"]. Record (in Portuguese). 11 November 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  78. ^ "Académica-Benfica, 1-3 (Lito 24''; Rui Costa 33'', Luisão 87'', Adu 90''+3)". Record (in Portuguese). 24 November 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  79. ^ "Camacho: "Nunca damos o braço a torcer"" [Camacho: "We never gave up"]. Record (in Portuguese). 24 October 2007. Retrieved 20 January 2016.
  80. ^ . UEFA.com. 28 November 2007. Archived from the original on 16 August 2015. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  81. ^ "Camacho confounded by Benfica exit". UEFA.com. 28 November 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  82. ^ "Benfica-FC Porto, 0-1 (Quaresma 42'')". Record (in Portuguese). 1 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  83. ^ "Invencibilidade acaba" [Invincibility ends]. Record (in Portuguese). 2 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  84. ^ "Camacho: "Fomos uma equipa inexperiente"" [Camacho: "We were an inexperient team"]. Record (in Portuguese). 1 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  85. ^ "Shakhtar despair at early exit". UEFA.com. 4 December 2007. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  86. ^ "Missed opportunities torment Lucescu". UEFA.com. 4 December 2007. Retrieved 20 August 2016.
  87. ^ "Benfica-Académica, 3-1 (Luisão 40' e Cardozo 45' e 86'; N'Doye 53')". Record (in Portuguese). 9 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  88. ^ "Camacho: "Temos de jogar sempre para ganhar"" [Camacho: "We always have to play to win"]. Record (in Portuguese). 9 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  89. ^ "Belenenses-Benfica, 1-0 (Weldon 71')". Record (in Portuguese). 15 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  90. ^ "Camacho: "A culpa é sempre do treinador"" [Camacho: "The blame is always from the manager"]. Record (in Portuguese). 15 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  91. ^ "Benfica-E. Amadora, 3-0 (Rodríguez 52', Cardozo 70' gp e Nuno Gomes 90')". Record (in Portuguese). 20 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  92. ^ "Jesualdo: "Foi um erro grande de Pedro Henriques"" [Jesualdo: "It was a big error from Pedro Henriques"]. Record (in Portuguese). 21 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  93. ^ "Sporting-Basileia, Benfica-Nuremberga e W. Bremen-Sp. Braga" [Sporting-Basileia, Benfica-Nuremberga and W. Bremen-Sp. Braga]. Record (in Portuguese). 21 December 2007. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
  94. ^ "V. Setúbal-Benfica, 1-1 (Edinho 88'; Mantorras 72')". Record (in Portuguese). 5 January 2008. Retrieved 21 January 2016.
2007, benfica, season, 2007, european, football, season, 104th, sport, lisboa, benfica, existence, club, 74th, consecutive, season, flight, portuguese, football, season, from, july, 2007, june, 2008, benfica, competed, domestically, primeira, liga, taça, portu. The 2007 08 European football season was the 104th of Sport Lisboa e Benfica s existence and the club s 74th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football The season ran from 1 July 2007 to 30 June 2008 and Benfica competed domestically in the Primeira Liga Taca de Portugal and Taca da Liga The club also participated in the UEFA Champions League after finishing third in the Primeira Liga the previous season Benfica2007 08 seasonPresidentLuis Filipe VieiraHead coachFernando Santos until 20 August 2007 Jose Antonio Camacho until 9 March 2008 Fernando Chalana caretaker StadiumEstadio da LuzPrimeira Liga4thTaca de PortugalSemi finalsTaca da LigaFourth roundUEFA Champions LeagueGroup stageUEFA CupRound of 16Top goalscorerLeague oscar Cardozo 13 All oscar Cardozo 22 Highest home attendance60 116 v Porto 1 1 December 2007 Lowest home attendance10 494 v Moreirense 27 February 2008 Average home league attendance37 558 2 Biggest winBenfica 6 1 Boavista 11 November 2007 Biggest defeatBenfica 0 3 Academica 11 April 2008 Home coloursAway colours 2006 072008 09 Fernando Santos remained for a second season which saw significant financial investment To counter weight the loss of influential players such as Simao Miccoli Giorgos Karagounis and Manuel Fernandes Benfica signed oscar Cardozo David Luiz Angel Di Maria Maxi Pereira Cristian Rodriguez and more than ten others Santos remained for only two games a UEFA Champions League qualifying match against Copenhagen and the Primeira Liga opener against Leixoes He was sacked and replaced by Jose Antonio Camacho who affirmed the club s presence in top European competition and guided them to second place In October and November Benfica was eliminated from the Taca da Liga and the Champions League respectively securing a UEFA Cup berth by finishing third in the latter Over the next three months Camacho s team became increasingly erratic qualifying for the Portuguese Cup semi finals but losing crucial points in the league race In early March Camacho resigned after three consecutive league draws citing his inability to motivate the club His assistant Fernando Chalana then took over but Benfica continued to disappoint they were eliminated in the UEFA Cup and mired in second place in mid March In April the situation deteriorated further Benfica matched their worst league defeat in 60 years slipped to fourth place and was knocked out of the Portuguese Cup by Sporting CP An away draw in May s opening game left the club dangerously close to finishing fourth One week later fans had the bitter sweet experience of celebrating Rui Costa s final match and seeing Benfica finish fourth their worst finish since 2001 02 Contents 1 Season summary 1 1 Pre season 1 2 August September 1 3 October November 1 4 December January 1 5 February March 1 6 April May 2 Competitions 2 1 Overall record 2 2 Primeira Liga 2 2 1 League table 2 2 2 Results by round 2 2 3 Matches 2 3 Taca de Portugal 2 4 Taca da Liga 2 4 1 Third round 2 4 2 Fourth round 2 5 UEFA Champions League 2 5 1 Third qualifying round 2 5 2 Group D 2 6 UEFA Cup 2 6 1 Round of 32 2 6 2 Round of 16 2 7 Friendlies 3 Player statistics 4 Transfers 4 1 In 4 2 In by loan 4 3 Out 4 4 Out on loan 5 ReferencesSeason summary editPre season edit During Benfica s season ending North American tour after the last game of 2006 07 Fernando Santos spoke to the media about his plans for the upcoming season 3 As promised by club president Luis Filipe Vieira the club would spend more on new players 4 to build a team capable of winning the title 3 Simao was crucial according to Santos I cannot see myself without Simao 5 In addition he wanted to keep Fabrizio Miccoli and sign a new striker who could be a target man 6 The club s first addition was winger Fabio Coentrao in March 7 followed by defenders Marco Zoro and David Luiz in May the latter signed a five year contract after performing well on loan 8 9 In June Benfica began their promised investments spending over 9 million on oscar Cardozo from Newell s Old Boys 10 and a reported 2 5 million on Gonzalo Bergessio 11 Both added options to an offence composed solely of Nuno Gomes and Mantorras since Fabrizio Miccoli and Derlei did not renew their loan agreements 12 13 Breaking with tradition Benfica did not tour abroad they remained at the club s new training center Benfica Campus 14 Santos also decided not to participate in the Teresa Herrera Trophy since the tournament was too close to Benfica s first league match 15 On 2 July the club began their pre season preparations with medical tests in the morning followed by an afternoon training session attended by 3 000 supporters 16 17 From the beginning Santos lost players who had been the backbone of the previous season s team Giorgos Karagounis departed first 18 and Anderson pressed for a transfer deliberately missing a pre season match 19 20 On the pitch Benfica played RM Hamm Benfica on 8 July 21 and CFR Cluj on the 21st 22 Santos experienced a major loss with the transfer of Simao to Atletico Madrid on 26 July 23 The 28 year old winger had been with the club for six seasons and the top scorer for four according to Santos the prospect of losing him was a horrible nightmare 24 25 To replace him Benfica signed the 19 year old Argentine Angel Di Maria from Rosario Central 26 Before playing in the Guadiana Trophy on 3 and 5 August Benfica lost 2 1 to Al Ahly in Egypt 27 At the Guadiana Trophy Benfica drew with Real Betis 28 and defeated Lisbon rivals Sporting CP 29 ending their pre season preparations four days later with a match against Estrela da Amadora 30 August September edit Benfica s first competitive match hosted Copenhagen on 14 August in the third qualifying round of the UEFA Champions League 31 Santos was confident in a win due to his familiarity with Copenhagen s style since Benfica had played them twice in the past tournament 32 In the match Rui Costa scored two long range goals for a 2 1 win 33 Santos was pleased despite Copenhagen s goal disconcerting his team 34 The next day Benfica accepted an offer for Manuel Fernandes from Everton 35 36 His departure troubled Santos since Fernandes had been a growing influence on the team during the pre season 37 38 On 18 August Benfica began their Primeira Liga campaign against Leixoes Without the injured Luisao or Angel Di Maria 39 the club lost their first points in a 1 1 draw after a 94th minute equaliser 40 The slip had an immediate impact with Luis Filipe Vieira sacking Santos two games into the season 41 Santos caught off guard said I am not hurt maybe just surprised 42 Benfica immediately signed Jose Antonio Camacho who had managed the team from 2002 to 2004 to replace him 43 Camacho was happy to return acknowledging that his friendship with Vieira played an important role in his quick hiring 44 In his first game Camacho could not lead Benfica past Vitoria de Guimaraes who earned a scoreless draw at Estadio da Luz 45 Benfica signed more players Uruguayans Maxi Pereira and Cristian Rodriguez first 46 followed by Brazilian centre back Edcarlos 47 In the last match of August Benfica confirmed their place in the group stage of the Champions League with an away win in Parken Stadium 48 The next day the club was drawn into group D alongside Milan Celtic and Shakhtar Donetsk 49 nbsp Benfica celebrate a goal against Naval on 15 SeptemberOn 2 September Benfica played Nacional at the Estadio da Choupana They scored their first goal in the 17th minute adding two more in the second half for their first league win 50 A delighted Camacho said I liked the second half a lot We were much better altogether 51 After a two week international break Benfica resumed competition against Naval on the 15th Cristian Rodriguez scored the opener in the 22nd minute followed by Rui Costa a few minutes later In the second half Nuno Gomes scored the third and final goal 52 Although Camacho was pleased with the win he was concerned about his team s early performance 53 Three days later Benfica visited the San Siro to play Milan Their opening game in the group stage did not go as planned they conceded an early goal by Andrea Pirlo who scored again with an assist by Filippo Inzaghi Nuno Gomes scored in the 92nd minute of the 2 1 loss 54 Camacho was philosophical You pay for every mistake you make against a side like Milan I don t blame our lack of experience because we were facing the best team in Europe 55 On 23 September Benfica played Braga at the Municipal de Braga both teams failed to convert several goal opportunities for a scoreless draw 56 Camacho was unconcerned with the result since the league race had many matches remaining 57 Benfica played Estrela da Amadora at the Estadio da Reboleira in the third round of the new League Cup the following Wednesday winning on penalty kicks and advancing to the next round 58 September ended with the Derby de Lisboa against Sporting CP For the second time in a week Benfica could not break their opponent s defence conceding their fourth draw of the season 59 Camacho attributed the result to wasted opportunities We only failed in scoring We had many shots many were good but football is like this 60 October November edit October began with the club hosting Shakhtar Donetsk in a 1 0 loss to Mircea Lucescu s team on a goal by Jadson 61 After the game Camacho said We played some decent football and although at times we had five six seven men in the area the ball refused to go in 62 On 7 October Benfica visited the Estadio Dr Magalhaes Pessoa to play Uniao de Leiria Despite conceding an early goal the partnership of Cardozo and Nuno Gomes was successful Gomes scored twice to give Benfica the three points 63 After a two week break for international matches Benfica s season resumed on 20 October with a League Cup match against Vitoria de Setubal Camacho made many changes in the starting eleven which nearly cost him the game A 12th minute Setubal goal was not matched until the 94th minute by Freddy Adu 64 Despite the near loss Camacho said I am satisfied with our performance The players worked well and he had many chances to score 65 The following Wednesday Benfica hosted Celtic for matchday three of the Champions League They continued struggling to convert goal opportunities hitting the goal post twice in quick succession before finally breaking Celtic s defence with an 87th minute winning goal by Cardozo 66 Camacho praised his players for not giving up and staying calm under pressure 67 On 28 October Benfica hosted Maritimo for the Primeira Liga Although Kanu scored first for Maritimo in the eighth minute Cardozo evened the score ten minutes later Maritimo had an opportunity to regain the lead when Quim incurred a penalty and was sent off but his replacement Hans Jorg Butt stopped the penalty kick In the second half Adu scored the winning goal for ten men Benfica in the 87th minute 68 Camacho said about teams like Maritimo We have to change our mentality and never relax because for teams like Maritimo or Vitoria de Setubal their Champions League is facing Benfica 69 On the last day of October Benfica visited the Estadio do Bonfim for their second game against Vitoria de Setubal and the remodelled team led at half time During the second half Setubal pushing hard scored twice to knock Benfica out of the League Cup 70 Camacho said We were eliminated because they were better It was a fair loss 71 nbsp Angel Di Maria succeeded Simao as number 20 November s first game was at the Mata Real against Pacos de Ferreira Benfica scored first with a header by Cristian Rodriguez but Tiago Valente tied the game a few minutes later for Pacos In the 85th minute Kostas Katsouranis scored Benfica s winning goal with an assist by Rodriguez 72 To Camacho the win was difficult but very important 73 On 6 November Benfica played Celtic on the road In their second game against the team Benfica lost 1 0 on a goal by Aiden McGeady 74 With the loss Benfica was in last place and needed to defeat Milan to remain in the Champions League Although Camacho was optimistic he was aware of the high stakes 75 On 11 November Benfica hosted Boavista in search of their fourth consecutive win in the Primeira Liga Cardozo scored in the first half with Boavista tying the score in the 58th minute Benfica then scored five goals in the final 40 minutes for a 6 1 win 76 After the match Rui Costa said We had our fourth consecutive win in the Primeira Liga and I think we are on the right track 77 After a third international break Benfica resumed on the 24th with an away game against Academica Lito scored first for Academica but a free kick by Rui Costa tied the game Academica goalkeeper Ricardo made two errors allowing Luisao and Adu to score Benfica s second and third goals 78 and Camacho credited the late win to his players perseverance and commitment 79 November ended with a decisive match against Milan Andrea Pirlo scored for Benfica but Maxi Pereira s 23rd minute shot tied the game Benfica s fate was determined by events in Glasgow as Celtic defeated Shakhtar Donetsk with an added time goal 80 Camacho bemoaned his team s luck We re a bit unhappy For what we did in this competition I think we should have had more of a chance to go through so for me football has not been fair to Benfica 81 December January edit nbsp Luisao pressing Tarik Sektioui in the Classico on 1 DecemberOn 1 December Benfica played Porto in the Classico Ricardo Quaresma took advantage of a 42nd minute counterattack to dribble past David Luiz and score the winning goal for Porto 82 It was Benfica s first league loss at Luz since 28 January 2006 83 Camacho said We were inexperienced failed to retain the ball and allowed counter attacks 84 Three days later Benfica travelled to Donetsk to play Shakhtar in the final match of the Champions League group stage and Cardozo scored twice in the first 25 minutes to give Benfica the win The club overtook Shakhtar finishing third and qualifying for the UEFA Cup 85 and Camacho was pleased with the result 86 On 9 December Benfica began their Portuguese Cup run by hosting Academica The club won with goals by Luisao and Cardozo Academica scored a consolation goal after a mistake by Benfica s goalkeeper Butt 87 According to Camacho We suffered a bit in the second half Academica s goal complicated things 88 League play resumed on 15 December with Benfica commuting to the Estadio do Restelo to face Belenenses The club failed to stem their hosts momentum giving up a 71st minute goal for their second straight league loss 89 Camacho accepted the blame When you lose it is always the manager s fault I failed to pass the message to my players 90 Benfica ended 2007 by hosting Estrela da Amadora on 20 December winning 3 0 with all goals scored in the second half 91 The win placed Benfica seven points behind league leaders Porto who had their first league loss to Nacional 92 On 21 December Benfica participated in the UEFA Cup draw for the round of 32 and was paired with German team 1 FC Nurnberg 93 Benfica began the year with a match against Vitoria de Setubal After trouble penetrating Setubal s defense Mantorras scored in the 71st minute However Setubal rallied and tied the game for a point 94 The result surprised Camacho I though we would win After we scored we did not retained the ball A team like Benfica has to do that 95 Two Benfica players Luisao and Katsouranis had a disagreement during the game they were immediately substituted and later suspended 96 On 12 January Benfica hosted Leixoes at the Luz They struggled to control Leixoes who had the upper hand in a scoreless draw 97 Camacho was disappointed We lacked focus it s apparent since the Champions League elimination that we do 98 A week later Benfica played Feirense in the fifth round of the Portuguese Cup advancing to the next round on a 52nd minute goal by Cardozo 99 Camacho said I did not like the game We are playing differently than we are training The difference in quality between both teams should have been obvious and it was not 100 On 26 January Benfica played Vitoria de Guimaraes at the Estadio D Afonso Henriques They scored in the eighth minute when Cardozo converted a free kick from 30 meters out Di Maria assisted Maxi Pereira on a second goal with Guimaraes scoring in the 60th minute In extra time Cardozo scored his second goal on a mistake by Nilson 101 February March edit February was a busy month for the club Benfica trailed Porto by 11 points in the Primeira Liga 102 with crucial European and domestic cup matches between league matches The first was on 2 February against Nacional Like past home performances Benfica failed to score and lost points in another scoreless draw Camacho tried to explain his team s performance We did not lack attitude but at home we sometimes feel disturbed pressured We played two forwards and we still did not score 103 He saw his first white handkerchiefs an action commonly seen as a request for resignation 104 Benfica regained their feet with a home win against Pacos de Ferreira in the Portuguese Cup An opening goal by Pedrinha in the second minute was answered with an equaliser by Cardozo before half time In the second half Cardozo Rui Costa and Nuno Assis scored to send Benfica to the quarter finals 105 On 14 February Benfica hosted 1 FC Nurnberg in the first of two games against the German team Recent acquisition Ariza Makukula scored the only goal in the 43rd minute a 20 meter strike which fooled goalkeeper Jaromir Blazek 106 Camacho called the narrow victory important 107 Three days later Benfica played Naval at the Municipal Jose Bento Pessoa Cristian Rodriguez scored the club s opening goal in the 18th minute with Laszlo Sepsi assisting Nuno Assis on a second goal in the final minute 108 On 21 February Benfica played the second leg of their European double header with Nurnberg The Bundesliga side scored twice in seven minutes during the second half before Cardozo scored in the 89th minute and Di Maria tied the game in the 92nd sending Benfica to the round of 16 with Spanish side Getafe 109 Camacho said Benfica made some defensive errors in the second half that put them in a tough spot They managed to react and continued their search for goals until they arrived 110 In domestic league play Benfica hosted Braga on 24 January Braga scored first with a fifth minute goal by Ze Manel with Luisao tying the game in the 21sth minute 111 The draw complicated the league race with Porto increasing their lead 112 Camacho said Benfica did everything they could win They tried to score from every way possible but could not 113 The club ended the month with a 2 0 victory over Moreirense in the Portuguese Cup sending them to the semi finals 114 nbsp The No Name Boys supporting Benfica at the Coliseum Alfonso Perez on 12 MarchBenfica began March competing at three levels the Primeira Liga the Portuguese Cup and the UEFA Cup Their first game was at the Estadio Jose Alvalade against Sporting CP Managed by Paulo Bento the hosts scored the opening goal in the 11th minute with a header by Simon Vukcevic In the 40th minute Rui Costa s corner kick allowed Cardozo to head in the tying goal 115 Benfica held second place five points ahead of Sporting 116 For Camacho the result was very important because we kept our advantage allowing us to remain in second place 117 The following Thursday Benfica hosted Getafe in the UEFA Cup The match quickly soured for the club when Cardozo was sent off in the ninth minute and Ruben de la Red scored Getafe s first goal in the 25th minute During the second half Pablo Hernandez added another and Mantorras scored a 76th minute consolation goal for Benfica 118 Camacho said We started poorly because Getafe has a good team With Cardozo s ejection things got more complicated In the second half Benfica was better the players fought and showed we have a chance to eliminate them 119 On 9 March Benfica hosted Uniao de Leiria They conceded an opening goal in the 42nd minute scoring two second half goals in five minutes one each by Zoro and Cardozo Serge N Gal scored a 69th minute equaliser for the draw 120 The result had repercussions 121 as Camacho resigned I cannot do anything else to improve this team s performance 121 His resignation so late in the season caught Benfica s management by surprise 121 They opted to not replace him nominating his assistant Fernando Chalana as manager 121 Chalana accepted the challenge I am here through thick and thin 122 His first game as manager was against Getafe on the road on 12 March Benfica had to score two and allow none to progress Makukula hit the post in the sixth minute and Getafe qualified with a 77th minute goal by Juan Angel Albin 123 Four days later Benfica played Maritimo at Barreiros with Cardozo scoring his 19th goal of the season in the 26th minute 124 In the second half Ytalo scored a 75th minute equaliser for Maritimo 125 Chalana said We had a great first half We dominated and honestly I was not expecting Maritimo s goal I was sad with the way it appeared We did everything to win 126 The fourth consecutive draw cost Benfica their lead over Vitoria de Guimaraes for second place 127 Back from international break the club hosted Pacos de Ferreira on 30 March in a 4 1 win At half time the score was 1 1 but Cardozo and Rui Costa s second half goals gave Benfica their first domestic win in March 128 April May edit nbsp Rui Costa s last game on 11 May attracted over 54 000 fans As the season wound down Benfica was battling for a direct qualification for the Champions League with six matches remaining 129 On 6 April the club played Boavista on the road The hosts were undefeated at home since October but Benfica had an opportunity to gain ground over Vitoria de Guimaraes who had lost points hours earlier 130 Neither team could penetrate the other s defence despite Boavista s 24th minute penalty kick and the game ended in a scoreless draw 130 Chalana was highly critical of the refereeing What happened here was a disgrace 131 The following Friday Benfica hosted Academica In the fourth minute Luisao lost the ball to Miguel Pedro who scored for Academica At the 30 minute mark Markus Berger added another and in the second half Luis Aguiar scored a third 132 It was the fourth time in Benfica s history that they lost by three goals at home matching their worst result in the Primeira Liga 133 They had lost 3 0 to Boavista in 1998 99 and 4 1 to Sporting CP in 1938 39 and 1947 48 133 Chalana was resigned There are days like this 134 With the loss Benfica had lost 18 points in Luz was 21 points behind Porto and fell from second to fourth place 133 135 136 On 16 April the club visited the Alvalade for the Portuguese Cup semi finals Benfica began the game well with first half goals by Rui Costa and Nuno Gomes Sporting mobilized in the second half scoring three goals in 12 minutes Rodriguez tied the game for Benfica before Sporting scored two more goals eliminating Benfica 137 Chalana attributed the loss to poor refereeing We started strong scored two goals and could have scored a third if the referee had signalled a penalty over Luisao It would be the 3 0 and would have killed the game 138 Four days later Benfica played Porto at the Estadio do Dragao Lisandro Lopez scored goals in the seventh and 80th minutes to give Porto a 2 0 win increasing the difference between them to 24 points 139 140 Despite amassing five out of a possible 15 points since becoming manager and trailing second place Vitoria de Guimaraes by four points Chalana remained hopeful Nothing is lost Benfica will use all their weapons to win the remaining nine points 140 141 The club s last April match was a 2 0 victory over Belenenses 142 with Chalana praising his players performance against a very good team 143 In May Benfica had two games in which to overcome a four point deficit On the fourth they played Estrela da Amadora away Benfica never beat Estrela s goalkeeper Pedro Alves drawing 0 0 and losing crucial points 144 Chalana said We started the first half somewhat nervous Not playing our best However the second half was different we did everything to win created opportunities but the ball just would not go in 145 The draw left Benfica dependent on others to reach second place even if they won Sporting had to lose and Guimaraes had to lose or draw 146 147 On 11 May the club hosted Vitoria de Setubal The match attracting over 54 000 fans for Rui Costa s last game was a 3 0 Benfica win 148 149 Sporting and Guimaraes also won and Benfica finished fourth missing a Champions League berth 150 It was their fifth finish outside the top three after fourth place finishes in 1939 40 1940 41 and 2001 02 and a sixth place finish in 2000 01 146 Chalana said Benfica is very big We failed to reach our objectives but nearly sold out the stadium today 151 The club s season ended with an African tour in which they defeated a team with players from Sal and Sao Vicente on 17 May and the Angolan national team two days later 152 153 Competitions edit Win Draw Loss Postponed Overall record edit Competition Started First match Last match Finished RecordG W D L GF GA GD Win SourcePrimeira Liga 18 August 2007 11 May 2008 4th 30 13 13 4 45 21 24 0 43 33 154 155 Taca de Portugal Fourth round 9 December 2007 16 April 2008 Semi finals 5 4 0 1 13 7 6 0 80 00 154 155 Taca da Liga Third round 26 September 2007 31 October 2007 Fourth round 3 0 2 1 3 4 1 00 0 00 154 155 UEFA Champions League QR3 14 August 2007 4 December 2007 GS 3rd 8 4 1 3 8 7 1 0 50 00 154 155 UEFA Cup Round of 32 14 February 2008 12 March 2008 Round of 16 4 1 1 2 4 5 1 0 25 00 154 155 Total 50 22 17 11 73 44 29 0 44 00Primeira Liga edit Main article 2007 08 Primeira Liga League table edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation2 Sporting CP 30 16 7 7 46 28 18 55 Qualification to Champions League group stage3 Vitoria de Guimaraes 30 15 8 7 35 31 4 53 Qualification to Champions League third qualifying round4 Benfica 30 13 13 4 45 21 24 52 Qualification to UEFA Cup first round5 Maritimo 30 14 4 12 39 28 11 466 Vitoria de Setubal 30 11 12 7 37 33 4 45Source BDFutbolRules for classification 1 points 2 goal difference 3 number of goals scored Results by round edit Round123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627282930GroundAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHResultDDWWDDWWWWWLLWDDWDWDDDDWDLLWDWPosition694345422222222222222222244444Source FootballPortugal netA Away H Home W Win D Draw L Loss Matches edit Leixoes v Benfica 18 August 2007 1Leixoes1 1BenficaLeixoes21 00 Nwoko nbsp 90 4 Report Petit nbsp 89 Stadium Estadio do Bessa Attendance 12 710Referee Jorge Sousa Benfica v Vitoria de Guimaraes 25 August 2007 2Benfica0 0Vitoria de GuimaraesLisbon19 15 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 52 464Referee Lucilio Baptista Nacional v Benfica 2 September 2007 3Nacional0 3BenficaFunchal21 15 Report Cardozo nbsp 17 76 Rui Costa nbsp 69 Stadium Estadio da Madeira Attendance 4 000Referee Bruno Paixao Benfica v Naval 15 September 2007 4Benfica3 0NavalLisbon21 15 Rodriguez nbsp 22 Rui Costa nbsp 35 Nuno Gomes nbsp 52 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 34 712Referee Rui Silva Braga v Benfica 23 September 2007 5Braga0 0BenficaBraga18 00 Report Stadium Estadio Municipal de Braga Attendance 21 804Referee Paulo Costa Benfica v Sporting CP 29 September 2007 6Benfica0 0Sporting CPLisbon19 15 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 48 222Referee Pedro Henriques Uniao de Leiria v Benfica 7 October 2007 7Uniao de Leiria1 2BenficaLeiria19 15 Cadu nbsp 1 Report Nuno Gomes nbsp 15 65 Stadium Estadio Dr Magalhaes Pessoa Attendance 8 960Referee Joao Ferreira Benfica v Maritimo 28 October 2007 8Benfica2 1MaritimoLisbon20 45 Cardozo nbsp 18 Quim nbsp 31 Adu nbsp 86 Report Kanu nbsp 86 Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 44 312Referee Pedro Proenca Pacos de Ferreira v Benfica 3 November 2007 9Pacos de Ferreira1 2BenficaPacos de Ferreira19 45 Valente nbsp 29 Report Rodriguez nbsp 21 Katsouranis nbsp 85 Stadium Estadio da Mata Real Attendance 3 016Referee Bruno Paixao Benfica v Boavista 11 November 2007 10Benfica6 1BoavistaLisbon18 00 Cardozo nbsp 18 Pereira nbsp 62 Rodriguez nbsp 66 Silva nbsp 80 o g Nuno Gomes nbsp 85 88 pen Report Ze Kalanga nbsp 27 nbsp 55 Ribeiro nbsp 57 Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 35 379Referee Paulo Paraty Academica v Benfica 24 November 2007 11Academica1 3BenficaCoimbra21 15 Lito nbsp 24 Report Rui Costa nbsp 34 Luisao nbsp 86 Adu nbsp 90 Stadium Estadio Cidade de Coimbra Attendance 16 185Referee Olegario Benquerenca Benfica v Porto 1 December 2007 12Benfica0 1PortoLisbon19 45 Report Quaresma nbsp 42 Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 60 116Referee Jorge Sousa Belenenses v Benfica 15 December 2007 13Belenenses1 0BenficaLisbon19 30 Weldon nbsp 70 Report Stadium Estadio do Restelo Attendance 5 000Referee Paulo Baptista Benfica v Estrela da Amadora 20 December 2007 14Benfica3 0Estrela da AmadoraLisbon21 15 Rodriguez nbsp 52 Cardozo nbsp 71 pen Nuno Gomes nbsp 90 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 24 823Referee Hugo Miguel Vitoria de Setubal v Benfica 5 January 2008 15Vitoria de Setubal1 1BenficaSetubal19 15 Edinho nbsp 88 Report Mantorras nbsp 71 Stadium Estadio do Bonfim Attendance 5 000Referee Paulo Paraty Benfica v Leixoes 12 January 2008 16Benfica0 0LeixoesLisbon19 00 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 28 930Referee Paulo Costa Vitoria de Guimaraes v Benfica 26 January 2008 17Vitoria de Guimaraes1 3BenficaGuimaraes21 15 Ghilas nbsp 60 Report Cardozo nbsp 7 90 Pereira nbsp 26 Stadium Estadio D Afonso Henriques Attendance 25 710Referee Joao Ferreira Benfica v Nacional 2 February 2008 18Benfica0 0NacionalLisbon21 15 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 31 694Referee Olegario Benquerenca Naval v Benfica 17 February 2008 19Naval0 2BenficaFigueira da Foz19 15 Report Rodriguez nbsp 19 Nuno Assis nbsp 90 Stadium Estadio Municipal Jose Bento Pessoa Attendance 4 981Referee Rui Costa Benfica v Braga 24 February 2008 20Benfica1 1BragaLisbon20 00 Luisao nbsp 20 Report Ze Manel nbsp 5 Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 31 220Referee Jorge Sousa Sporting CP v Benfica 2 March 2008 21Sporting CP1 1BenficaLisbon20 30 Vukcevic nbsp 11 Report Cardozo nbsp 40 Nelson nbsp 76 Stadium Estadio de Alvalade Attendance 40 659Referee Paulo Paraty Benfica v Uniao de Leiria 9 March 2008 22Benfica2 2Uniao de LeiriaLisbon18 00 Zoro nbsp 51 Cardozo nbsp 56 Report Paulo Cesar nbsp 42 N Gal nbsp 69 Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 29 496Referee Vasco Santos Maritimo v Benfica 16 March 2008 23Maritimo1 1BenficaFunchal19 00 Ytalo nbsp 74 Report Cardozo nbsp 25 Stadium Estadio dos Barreiros Attendance 9 000Referee Bruno Paixao Benfica v Pacos de Ferreira 30 March 2008 24Benfica4 1Pacos de FerreiraLisbon20 15 Rodriguez nbsp 24 Cardozo nbsp 69 Rui Costa nbsp 75 85 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 23 772Referee Elmano Santos Boavista v Benfica 6 April 2008 25Boavista0 0BenficaPorto19 45 Report Stadium Estadio do Bessa Attendance 14 341Referee Lucilio Baptista Benfica v Academica 11 April 2008 26Benfica0 3AcademicaLisbon19 30 Report Miguel Pedro nbsp 4 Berger nbsp 31 L Aguiar nbsp 65 Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 30 222Referee Paulo Baptista Porto v Benfica 20 April 2008 27Porto2 0BenficaPorto19 30 Lopez nbsp 7 80 Report Binya nbsp 17 nbsp 90 Stadium Estadio do Dragao Attendance 50 199Referee Bruno Paixao Benfica v Belenenses 26 April 2008 28Benfica2 0BelenensesLisbon18 45 Luisao nbsp 41 Cardozo nbsp 65 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 33 047Referee Artur Soares Dias Estrela da Amadora v Benfica 4 May 2008 29Estrela da Amadora0 0BenficaLisbon18 15 Report Stadium Estadio da Reboleira Attendance 3 112Referee Pedro Proenca Benfica v Vitoria de Setubal 11 May 2008 30Benfica3 0Vitoria de SetubalLisbon19 15 Katsouranis nbsp 25 Cardozo nbsp 42 Nuno Gomes nbsp 88 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 54 222Referee Jorge Sousa Taca de Portugal edit Main article 2007 08 Taca de Portugal Benfica v Academica 9 December 2007 Fourth roundBenfica3 1AcademicaLisbon20 45 Luisao nbsp 40 Cardozo nbsp 45 80 Report Ousmane N Doye nbsp 53 Stadium Estadio da Luz Benfica v Feirense 19 January 2008 Fifth roundBenfica1 0FeirenseLisbon16 00 Cardozo nbsp 51 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 15 000Referee Bruno Paixao Benfica v Pacos de Ferreira 10 February 2008 Sixth roundBenfica4 1Pacos de FerreiraLisbon16 00 Cardozo nbsp 40 pen 52 pen Rui Costa nbsp 77 Nuno Assis nbsp 90 Report Pedrinha nbsp 2 Valente nbsp 40 nbsp 51 Stadium Estadio da Luz Referee Augusto Duarte Benfica v Moreirense 27 February 2008 Quarter finalBenfica2 0MoreirenseLisbon19 45 Rui Costa nbsp 70 Makukula nbsp 87 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 10 494Referee Elmano Santos Sporting CP v Benfica 16 April 2008 Semi finalSporting CP5 3BenficaLisbon20 30 Djalo nbsp 68 84 Liedson nbsp 76 Derlei nbsp 79 Vukcevic nbsp 90 3 Report Rui Costa nbsp 19 Nuno Gomes nbsp 31 Rodriguez nbsp 82 Stadium Estadio de Alvalade Attendance 37 204Referee Jorge Sousa Taca da Liga edit Main article 2007 08 Taca da Liga Third round edit Estrela da Amadora v Benfica 26 September 2007Estrela da Amadora1 1 4 5 p BenficaAmadora20 30 Mauricio nbsp 36 Report nbsp 90 3 pen Adu Stadium Estadio Jose Gomes Referee Duarte Gomes LisboaPenaltiesMauricio nbsp Mateus nbsp Gomes nbsp Cardoso nbsp Fernando nbsp Yoni nbsp nbsp Adu nbsp Rodriguez nbsp Butt nbsp Luisao nbsp Coentrao nbsp Diaz Fourth round edit Benfica v Vitoria de Setubal 21 October 2007 First legBenfica1 1Vitoria de SetubalLisbon21 00 Adu nbsp 90 4 Report nbsp 12 Matheus Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 17 278Referee Jorge Sousa Vitoria de Setubal v Benfica 31 October 2007 Second legVitoria de Setubal2 1BenficaSetubal20 45 Matheus nbsp 67 Edinho nbsp 82 Report nbsp 45 pen Adu Stadium Estadio do Bonfim Attendance 5 000Referee Paulo Costa Porto UEFA Champions League edit Main article 2007 08 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round edit Benfica v Copenhagen 14 August 2007 First legBenfica2 1CopenhagenLisbon19 45 Rui Costa nbsp 25 85 Report Hutchinson nbsp 35 Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 55 722Referee Viktor Kassai Hungary Copenhagen v Benfica 29 August 2007 Second legCopenhagen0 1 1 3 agg BenficaCopenhagen19 45 Report Katsouranis nbsp 17 Stadium Parken Stadium Attendance 39 711Referee Eric Braamhaar Netherlands Group D edit Pos Teamvte Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification1 nbsp Milan 6 4 1 1 12 5 7 13 Advance to knockout stage2 nbsp Celtic 6 3 0 3 5 6 1 93 nbsp Benfica 6 2 1 3 5 6 1 7 Transfer to UEFA Cup4 nbsp Shakhtar Donetsk 6 2 0 4 6 11 5 6Source RSSSF Milan v Benfica 18 September 2007 1Milan2 1BenficaMilan20 45 Pirlo nbsp 9 Inzaghi nbsp 24 Report Nuno Gomes nbsp 90 2 Stadium San Siro Attendance 37 929Referee Mike Riley England Benfica v Shakhtar Donetsk 3 October 2007 2Benfica0 1Shakhtar DonetskLisbon20 45 Report Jadson nbsp 42 Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 34 647Referee Wolfgang Stark Germany Benfica v Celtic 24 October 2007 3Benfica1 0CelticLisbon20 45 Cardozo nbsp 87 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 38 512Referee Massimo Busacca Switzerland Celtic v Benfica 6 November 2007 4Celtic1 0BenficaGlasgow20 45 McGeady nbsp 45 Report Stadium Celtic Park Attendance 58 691Referee Martin Hansson Sweden Benfica v Milan 28 November 2007 5Benfica1 1MilanLisbon20 45 Pereira nbsp 20 Report Pirlo nbsp 15 Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 46 034Referee Herbert Fandel Germany Shakhtar Donetsk v Benfica 4 December 2007 6Shakhtar Donetsk1 2BenficaDonetsk20 45 Lucarelli nbsp 30 pen Report Cardozo nbsp 6 22 Stadium RSK Olimpiyskyi Attendance 24 200Referee Kyros Vassaras Greece UEFA Cup edit Main article 2007 08 UEFA Cup Round of 32 edit Benfica v 1 FC Nurnberg 14 February 2008 First legBenfica1 01 FC NurnbergLisbon21 45 Makukula nbsp 43 Report Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 28 378Referee Alexandru Tudor Romania 1 FC Nurnberg v Benfica 21 February 2008 Second leg1 FC Nurnberg2 2 2 3 agg BenficaNuremberg21 00 Charisteas nbsp 59 Saenko nbsp 66 Report Cardozo nbsp 90 Di Maria nbsp 90 2 Stadium Frankenstadion Attendance 42 846Referee Ivan Bebek Croatia Round of 16 edit Benfica v Getafe 6 March 2008 First legBenfica1 2GetafeLisbon21 30 Cardozo nbsp 9 Mantorras nbsp 76 Report De la Red nbsp 25 Hernandez nbsp 67 Stadium Estadio da Luz Attendance 26 925Referee Grzegorz Gilewski Poland Getafe v Benfica 12 March 2008 Second legGetafe1 0 3 1 agg BenficaGetafe21 00 Albin nbsp 77 Report Stadium Coliseum Alfonso Perez Attendance 14 000Referee Viktor Kassai Hungary Friendlies edit Benfica v RM Hamm Benfica 8 July 2007 2007 07 08 Benfica4 0RM Hamm BenficaSeixal Portugal17 15 CET UTC 01 Mantorras nbsp 12 Bergessio nbsp 15 Dabao nbsp 52 Katsouranis nbsp 63 Report Stadium Benfica Campus CFR Cluj v Benfica 21 July 2007 2007 07 21 CFR Cluj2 2BenficaCluj Romania19 30 CET UTC 01 Dani nbsp 48 Semedo nbsp 68 Report Rui Costa nbsp 54 Cardozo nbsp 66 Stadium Stadionul Dr Constantin Radulescu Al Ahly v Benfica 29 July 2007 2007 07 29 Al Ahly2 1BenficaCairo Egypt19 30 CET UTC 01 Mohamed nbsp 5 pen Hosni nbsp 63 Report Nuno Assis nbsp 53 Stadium Cairo International Stadium Benfica v Real Betis 3 August 2007 2007 08 03 Guadiana TrophyBenfica0 0Real BetisVila Real de Santo Antonio Portugal21 15 CET UTC 01 Report Stadium Complexo Desportivo de Vila Real de Santo Referee Joao Ferreira Benfica v Sporting CP 5 August 2007 2007 08 05 Guadiana TrophyBenfica1 0Sporting CPVila Real de Santo Antonio Portugal21 15 CET UTC 01 David Luiz nbsp 79 Report Stadium Complexo Desportivo de Vila Real de Santo Attendance 10 000Referee Pedro Henriques Benfica v Sao Vicente and Sal XXI 17 May 2008 2008 05 17 Benfica2 0Sao Vicente and Sal XXIEspargos Cape Verde15 30 CET UTC 01 Adu nbsp 4 Mantorras nbsp 90 Report Stadium Estadio Marcelo Leitao Attendance 8 000 Benfica v Angola 19 May 2008 2008 05 19 Benfica3 2AngolaLuanda Angola15 30 CET UTC 01 Rodriguez nbsp 2 Job nbsp 66 o g Pereira nbsp 71 Report Love nbsp 26 Amaro nbsp 90 3 Stadium Estadio da Cidadela Attendance 15 000Player statistics editThe squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below as well as staff member Fernando Santos manager Jose Antonio Camacho manager Fernando Chalana assistant manager and later manager Jorge Rosario assistant manager Pepe Carcelan assistant manager Sheu Han assistant manager Bruno Moura physiotherapist and Ricardo Santos scout 43 122 155 156 Note 1 Note Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules Players may hold more than one non FIFA nationality Note 2 Players with squad numbers marked joined the club during the 2007 08 season via transfer with more details in the following section No Pos Nat Player Total Primeira Liga Taca de Portugal Taca da Liga Europe A Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals1 GK nbsp POR Jose Moreira 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 02 DF nbsp POR Luis Filipe 32 0 19 0 3 0 2 0 8 03 DF nbsp BRA Edcarlos 27 0 16 0 4 0 1 0 6 04 DF nbsp BRA Luisao 35 4 19 3 4 1 3 0 9 05 DF nbsp BRA Leo 42 0 27 0 3 0 0 0 12 06 MF nbsp POR Petit 26 1 17 1 2 0 0 0 7 07 FW nbsp PAR oscar Cardozo 45 22 29 13 5 5 0 0 11 48 DF nbsp GRE Kostas Katsouranis 43 3 27 2 3 0 1 0 12 19 FW nbsp ANG Pedro Mantorras 14 1 9 1 2 0 1 0 2 010 MF nbsp POR Rui Costa 45 10 29 5 4 3 0 0 12 211 DF nbsp POR Miguelito 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 012 GK nbsp POR Quim 44 39 30 21 1 5 1 1 12 1214 MF nbsp URU Maxi Pereira 36 2 23 2 4 0 1 0 8 015 MF nbsp ARG Andres Diaz 6 0 1 0 0 0 2 0 3 016 MF nbsp POR Fabio Coentrao 7 0 3 0 0 0 3 0 1 017 DF nbsp CIV Marco Zoro 7 1 2 1 1 0 3 0 1 018 MF nbsp CMR Gilles Binya 25 0 16 0 2 0 3 0 4 019 FW nbsp ARG Gonzalo Bergessio 9 0 3 0 0 0 2 0 4 020 MF nbsp ARG Angel Di Maria 45 0 26 0 5 0 3 0 11 021 FW nbsp POR Nuno Gomes 36 9 25 7 3 1 0 0 8 122 DF nbsp POR Nelson Marcos 30 0 19 0 4 0 1 0 6 023 DF nbsp BRA David Luiz 14 0 8 0 2 0 0 0 4 024 GK nbsp GER Hans Jorg Butt 7 6 1 1 4 2 2 3 0 025 MF nbsp POR Nuno Assis 30 2 17 1 4 1 2 0 7 026 MF nbsp URU Cristian Rodriguez 36 7 24 6 2 1 2 0 8 027 MF nbsp CHN Yu Dabao 3 0 0 0 0 0 3 0 0 028 DF nbsp POR Miguel Vitor 4 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 2 030 MF nbsp USA Freddy Adu 21 5 11 2 3 0 3 3 4 032 DF nbsp POR Romeu Ribeiro 6 0 5 0 0 0 0 0 1 033 DF nbsp ROU Laszlo Sepsi 12 0 7 0 2 0 0 0 3 038 MF nbsp POR Ariza Makukula 8 2 3 0 2 1 0 0 3 1 Includes 8 matches in the Champions League and 4 in the UEFA CupTransfers editIn edit Entry date Position Player From club Fee Ref29 March 2007 LW Fabio Coentrao Rio Ave Undisclosed 7 19 May 2007 CB Marc Zoro Messina Free 8 30 May 2007 CB David Luiz Vitoria Undisclosed 9 21 June 2007 ST oscar Cardozo Newell s Old Boys 9 1M 10 22 June 2007 FW Gonzalo Bergessio Racing Club Undisclosed 11 29 June 2007 CB Sreten Sretenovic Rad Undisclosed 157 17 July 2007 GK Hans Jorg Butt Bayer Leverkusen Free 158 27 July 2007 LW Angel Di Maria Rosario Central 6M 159 27 July 2007 CM Andres Diaz Rosario Central Free 159 30 July 2007 AM Freddy Adu Real Salt Lake 1 9M 160 2 August 2007 RB Luis Filipe Braga Undisclosed 161 2 August 2007 ST Jailson Corinthians Undisclosed 162 10 August 2007 DM Gilles Binya MC Oran Undisclosed 163 26 August 2007 RW Maxi Pereira Defensor Sporting 3M 164 30 August 2007 CB Edcarlos Sao Paulo Undisclosed 47 14 January 2008 LB Laszlo Sepsi Gloria Bistrița Undisclosed 165 30 January 2008 ST Ariza Makukula Sevilla 3 5M 166 30 January 2008 CB Rafik Halliche NA Hussein Dey Undisclosed 167 In by loan edit Entry date Position Player From club Exit date Ref26 August 2007 LW Cristian Rodriguez Paris Saint Germain 30 June 2008 168 Out edit Entry date Position Player From club Fee Ref18 May 2007 LW Gustavo Manduca AEK Athens Undisclosed 169 2 June 2007 CB Euripedes Amoreirinha CFR Cluj Undisclosed 170 5 June 2007 GK Rui Nereu Academica Undisclosed 171 11 June 2007 CM Beto Sion Undisclosed 172 25 June 2007 ST Derlei Dynamo Moscow Loan return 13 1 July 2007 LW Helio Roque AEL Free 173 3 July 2007 AM Giorgos Karagounis Panathinaikos Free 18 5 July 2007 FW Fabrizio Miccoli Juventus Loan return 12 14 July 2007 RW Carlitos Basel Undisclosed 174 26 July 2007 LW Simao Atletico Madrid 20M 23 24 August 2007 CB Anderson Lyon 4M 175 25 August 2007 ST Azar Karadas Brann Undisclosed 176 27 August 2007 CM Manuel Fernandes Valencia 18M 177 3 December 2007 AM Andrei Karyaka Saturn Ramenskoye Undisclosed 178 11 January 2008 AM Diego de Souza Palmeiras Undisclosed 179 6 February 2008 FW Gonzalo Bergessio San Lorenzo Undisclosed 180 Out on loan edit Entry date Position Player From club Return date Ref5 June 2007 CM Joao Coimbra Nacional 30 June 2008 181 2 July 2007 LB Tiago Gomes Zaglebie Lubin 30 June 2008 182 13 July 2007 GK Marcelo Moretto AEK Athens 30 June 2008 183 20 July 2007 ST Marcel Gremio 30 June 2008 184 20 July 2007 RB Pedro Correia Olhanense 30 June 2008 185 21 July 2007 RW Paulo Jorge Malaga 30 June 2008 186 31 July 2007 LW Jose Fonte Crystal Palace 30 June 2008 187 2 August 2007 ST Jailson Braga 30 June 2008 162 23 August 2007 CB Sreten Sretenovic Zaglebie Lubin 30 June 2008 188 28 August 2007 RW Manu AEK Athens 30 June 2008 189 31 August 2007 RW Marco Ferreira Leicester City 30 June 2008 190 1 January 2008 CB Miguel Vitor Desportivo das Aves 30 June 2008 191 1 January 2008 DM Romeu Ribeiro Desportivo das Aves 30 June 2008 191 1 January 2008 CB Yu Dabao Desportivo das Aves 30 June 2008 191 2 January 2008 LB Miguelito Braga 30 June 2008 192 2 January 2008 LW Fabio Coentrao Nacional 30 June 2008 193 6 January 2008 CM Andres Diaz Banfield 30 June 2009 194 11 January 2008 ST Marcel Cruzeiro 30 June 2008 195 20 January 2008 RW Marco Ferreira Belenenses 30 June 2008 196 31 January 2008 CB Rafik Halliche Nacional 30 June 2008 197 References editSpecific Painel de Espectadores Attendance list per match ligaportugal pt in Portuguese Archived from the original on 21 August 2016 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Painel de Espectadores Attendance list per club ligaportugal pt in Portuguese Archived from the original on 21 August 2016 Retrieved 20 August 2016 a b Santos Equipa para o titulo Santos Team to win the title Record in Portuguese 26 May 2007 Retrieved 18 January 2016 Vieira Vamos investir na equipa Vieira We will invest in the team Record in Portuguese 24 May 2007 Retrieved 18 January 2016 Fernando Santos Nao me imagino sem Simao Fernando Santos I can not see myself without Simao Record in Portuguese 6 June 2007 Retrieved 18 January 2016 Fernando Santos Espero que Miccoli fique Fernando Santos I hope that Miccoli stays Record in Portuguese 6 June 2007 Retrieved 18 January 2016 a b Presidente do Rio Ave confirma Coentrao na Luz Rio Ave s President confirms Coentrao at Benfica Record in Portuguese 1 April 2007 Retrieved 18 January 2016 a b Vieira assume contratacao de Zoro Vieira confirms signing of Zoro Record in Portuguese 19 May 2007 Retrieved 18 January 2016 a b David Luiz ja assinou David Luiz has signed Record in Portuguese 30 May 2007 Retrieved 18 January 2016 a b Comunicado PDF SL Benfica in Portuguese CMVM 21 June 2007 Retrieved 18 January 2016 a b Bergessio 4 epocas de aguia ao peito Bergessio 4 years at Benfica Record in Portuguese 22 June 2006 Retrieved 18 January 2016 a b Adeus Miccoli Goodbye Miccoli Record in Portuguese 5 July 2007 Retrieved 18 January 2016 a b Derlei oficialmente leao Derlei officially a Sporting player Record in Portuguese 25 June 2007 Retrieved 18 January 2016 Internato no Seixal Benfica will stay in Seixal Record in Portuguese 30 June 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Tudo pela Champions Everything for the Champions League Record in Portuguese 26 May 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Arrancou a nova epoca The season has started Record in Portuguese 2 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Aguias ja treinaram Eagles have started training sessions Record in Portuguese 2 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 a b Karagounis rescindiu Karagounis departs Record in Portuguese 3 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Anderson reforca desagrado no regresso Anderson dissatisfied in return Record in Portuguese 2 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Anderson suspenso Anderson suspended Record in Portuguese 20 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Aguias goleiam equipa do Luxemburgo 4 0 Eagles thrash team from Luxembourg 4 0 Record in Portuguese 8 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 CFR Cluj Benfica 2 2 Dani 50 Semedo 70 Rui Costa 55 Cardozo 67 Record in Portuguese 21 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 a b Comunicado Announcement PDF SL Benfica in Portuguese CMVM 26 July 2007 Retrieved 24 January 2016 Fernando Santos Perder Simao seria pesadelo horrivel Fernando Santos Losing Simao would be a nightmare Record in Portuguese 20 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 O inevitavel adeus de Simao The inevitable loss of Simao Record in Portuguese 26 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Di Maria e o substituto de Simao Di Maria to replace Simao Record in Portuguese 27 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Al Ahly Benfica 2 1 Shady 5 Hossny 65 Nuno Assis 54 Record in Portuguese 29 July 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Benfica Betis 0 0 Record in Portuguese 3 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Benfica Sporting 1 0 David Luiz 79 Record in Portuguese 5 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Nuno Gomes na vitoria frente ao Estrela Nuno Gomes in the win against Estrela Record in Portuguese 9 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Luz recebe 3 ª pre eliminatoria da Champions a 14 de Agosto Luz will receive third qualifying round of the Champions League at 14 August Record in Portuguese 6 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Santos Grande confianca Santos Big confidence Record in Portuguese 13 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Rui Costa breaks Kobenhavn hearts UEFA com 14 August 2007 Archived from the original on 15 November 2015 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Fernando Santos Substituicao de Luisao marcou o jogo Fernando Santos Luisao exit changed the game Record in Portuguese 14 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 David Moyes confirma Manuel Fernandes David Moyes confirms Manuel Fernandes Record in Portuguese 15 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Manuel Fernandes Ha coisas que nao esqueco Manuel Fernandes There are things I do not forget Record in Portuguese 17 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Santos pede reforcos Santos asks for reinforcements Record in Portuguese 16 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Santos em desvantagem Santos in disadvantage Record in Portuguese 17 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Quatro indisponiveis para o Bessa Four unavailable to Bessa Record in Portuguese 17 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Leixoes Benfica 1 1 Nwoko 90 4 Petit 89 Record in Portuguese 18 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Encarnados confirmam saida de Santos Benfica confirms departure of Santos Record in Portuguese 20 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Fernando Santos Nao saio magoado Fernando Santos I am not hurt Record in Portuguese 20 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 a b Jose Antonio Camacho e o escolhido Jose Antonio Camacho is the chosen one Record in Portuguese 20 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Camacho Estou muito contente Camacho I am very happy Record in Portuguese 20 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Benfica V Guimaraes 0 0 Record in Portuguese 25 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 SAD confirma reforcos a CMVM SAD confirms signings to CMVM Record in Portuguese 27 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 a b Edcarlos Vou realizar um sonho Edcarlos I will make a dream come true Record in Portuguese 28 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Battling Benfica deny Kobenhavn UEFA com 29 August 2007 Archived from the original on 21 December 2014 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Liga dos Campeoes Sorteio em directo Champions League Live Draw Record in Portuguese 30 August 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Nacional Benfica 0 3 Cardozo 18 77 gp Rui Costa 69 Record in Portuguese 3 September 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Um oscar para Di Maria An Oscar to Di Maria Correio da Manha in Portuguese 3 September 2007 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Benfica Naval 3 0 Rodriguez 23 Rui Costa 35 Nuno Gomes 52 Record in Portuguese 15 September 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Camacho Nao estamos a entrar bem nos jogos Camacho We are not starting well Record in Portuguese 15 September 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Holders Milan off to winning start UEFA com 18 September 2007 Archived from the original on 25 August 2015 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Ancelotti hails one of a kind UEFA com 18 September 2007 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Sp Braga Benfica 0 0 Record in Portuguese 23 September 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Camacho FC Porto nao me preocupa Camacho FC Porto does not worry me Record in Portuguese 24 September 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 E Amadora Benfica 1 1 Mauricio 36 Adu 90 3 gp 4 5 gp Record in Portuguese 26 September 2007 Archived from the original on 16 February 2016 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Benfica Sporting 0 0 Record in Portuguese 29 September 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Camacho Faltou apenas o golo Camacho We only lacked in goals Record in Portuguese 29 September 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Shakhtar soar at Benfica s expense UEFA com 3 October 2007 Archived from the original on 21 August 2015 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Lucescu enjoys deserved result UEFA com 3 October 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 U Leiria Benfica 1 2 Cadu 2 Nuno Gomes 16 65 Record in Portuguese 7 October 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Benfica V Setubal 1 1 Freddy Adu 90 4 Matheus 12 Record in Portuguese 20 October 2007 Archived from the original on 14 February 2016 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Camacho Estou satisfeito pelo trabalho em campo Camacho I am happy with my players work Record in Portuguese 20 October 2007 Archived from the original on 7 March 2016 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Cardozo finally cracks resilient Celtic UEFA com 24 October 2007 Archived from the original on 19 August 2015 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Camacho relief as belief pays off UEFA com 24 October 2007 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Benfica Maritimo 2 1 Cardozo 18 g p Adu 87 Kanu 8 Record in Portuguese 28 October 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Camacho Podiamos ter mais 3 4 golos na Champions Camacho We could have scored 3 4 more goals in the Champions League Record in Portuguese 29 October 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 V Setubal Benfica 2 1 Matheus 67 e Edinho 83 Adu 45 1 g p Record in Portuguese 31 October 2007 Archived from the original on 15 February 2016 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Camacho Perdemos bem Camacho It was a fair loss Record in Portuguese 31 October 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 P Ferreira Benfica 1 2 Tiago Valente 29 Cristian Rodriguez 21 Katsouranis 86 Record in Portuguese 3 November 2007 Archived from the original on 16 February 2016 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Camacho Importante vitoria mas muito sofrida Camacho A difficult but important win Record in Portuguese 3 October 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 McGeady s Celtic art baffles Benfica UEFA com 6 November 2007 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Strachan thrilled by fantastic Celtic UEFA com 6 November 2007 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Benfica Boavista 6 1 Cardozo 18 Pereira 62 Rodriguez 66 gt R Silva 79 pb N Gomes 85 gp e 89 J Ribeiro 58 Record in Portuguese 11 November 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Rui Costa No caminho certo Rui Costa We are on the right track Record in Portuguese 11 November 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Academica Benfica 1 3 Lito 24 Rui Costa 33 Luisao 87 Adu 90 3 Record in Portuguese 24 November 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Camacho Nunca damos o braco a torcer Camacho We never gave up Record in Portuguese 24 October 2007 Retrieved 20 January 2016 Milan profit from late twist of fate UEFA com 28 November 2007 Archived from the original on 16 August 2015 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Camacho confounded by Benfica exit UEFA com 28 November 2007 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Benfica FC Porto 0 1 Quaresma 42 Record in Portuguese 1 December 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2016 Invencibilidade acaba Invincibility ends Record in Portuguese 2 December 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2016 Camacho Fomos uma equipa inexperiente Camacho We were an inexperient team Record in Portuguese 1 December 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2016 Shakhtar despair at early exit UEFA com 4 December 2007 Retrieved 19 May 2018 Missed opportunities torment Lucescu UEFA com 4 December 2007 Retrieved 20 August 2016 Benfica Academica 3 1 Luisao 40 e Cardozo 45 e 86 N Doye 53 Record in Portuguese 9 December 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2016 Camacho Temos de jogar sempre para ganhar Camacho We always have to play to win Record in Portuguese 9 December 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2016 Belenenses Benfica 1 0 Weldon 71 Record in Portuguese 15 December 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2016 Camacho A culpa e sempre do treinador Camacho The blame is always from the manager Record in Portuguese 15 December 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2016 Benfica E Amadora 3 0 Rodriguez 52 Cardozo 70 gp e Nuno Gomes 90 Record in Portuguese 20 December 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2016 Jesualdo Foi um erro grande de Pedro Henriques Jesualdo It was a big error from Pedro Henriques Record in Portuguese 21 December 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2016 Sporting Basileia Benfica Nuremberga e W Bremen Sp Braga Sporting Basileia Benfica Nuremberga and W Bremen Sp Braga Record in Portuguese 21 December 2007 Retrieved 21 January 2016 V Setubal Benfica 1 1 Edinho 88 Mantorras 72 Record in Portuguese 5 January 2008 Retrieved 21 January 2016 span, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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