As Benfica got edged out in the tiebreaker by Sevilla in the 2014 Europa League final, a remarkable and cruel chapter in the football history kept it's undending status. Benfica lost it's consecutive Europa League finals, a total of eight European final defeats, since its last trimuph in 1962 under Bela Guttman and led by the great Eusobio.
Legends say, Bela, armed with two European titles (1960-61 and 61-62) deservingly asked for a hike for the next season. However, the Benfica management declined his demand. A furious Bella said, "Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champion". Very few of the Benfica fans would have believed this curse that time. But it's been 52 years, and Benfica has not lifted a European silverware despite coming agonizingly close in several occasions.
Even when Bela left Benfica in the summer of 62, the squad remained strong, dominated the Portuguese football scenario and reached European Cup final thrice between 1963 and 68. But the special trophy kept eluding them. Much later, when Benfica reached the European Cup final in 1990, Eusobio went to Bela's grave and prayed in hope to break the curse. If superstitiously spoken, it didn't work as Benfica lost to AC Milan in Vienna.
European club football has changed it's formats, trophies have been renamed but Benfica are still searching for the lost European glory. The Bela curse is till haunting. The scenes of tearful Benfica supporters in Turin, shaking their heads in dissapointment, depict the sad picture. When will this end?
Benfica's Final Defeats Since 1962:
European Cup 1962-63
AC Milan 2 Benfica 1
European Cup 1964-65
Inter Milan 1 Benfica 0
European Cup 1967-68
Manchester United 4 Benfica 1
Eropean Cup 1987-88
PSV Eindhoven 6 Benfica 5 (Tiebreaker)
Eropean Cup 1989-90
AC Milan 1 Benfica 0
UEFA Cup Final 1982-83
Anderlecht 1 Benfica 0
UEFA Europa League 2012-13
Chelsea 2 Benfica 1
UEFA Europa League 2013-14
Sevilla 4 Benfica 2 (Tiebreaker)
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