2012–13 S.L. Benfica season

Benfica

2012–13 season
President	Luís Filipe Vieira
Manager	Jorge Jesus
Stadium	Estádio da Luz
Primeira Liga	2nd
Taça de Portugal	Runners-up
Taça da Liga	Semi-finals
UEFA Champions League	Group stage (3rd)
UEFA Europa League	Runners-up
Top goalscorer	League: Lima (20) All: Óscar Cardozo (33)
Highest home attendance	63,847 vs Barcelona (2 October 2012)
Lowest home attendance	13,872 vs Académica (9 January 2013)
Average home league attendance	42,359
Home colours Away colours
← 2011–12 2013–14 →

The 2012–13 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 109th season in existence and the club's 79th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football. It involved Benfica competing in the Primeira Liga, Taça de Portugal, Taça da Liga and the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. Benfica qualified for the Champions League by coming second in the previous Primeira Liga.

In May, Benfica could have enjoyed a treble if they could win the UEFA Europa League, maintain their lead in the Primeira Liga and win the Taça de Portugal. In the league, they lost against Porto after conceding a 90th minute goal and despite a win in their last match, they could not prevent their rivals from winning the title. Afterwards, they lost the UEFA Europa League Final against European champions Chelsea (2–1) when Branislav Ivanović headed in an injury-time winner. In the Taça de Portugal, Benfica reached the final for the first time since 2004–05 Taça de Portugal but lost to Vitória de Guimarães, conceding two goals in two minutes. The Taça da Liga ended at the semi-finals, preventing Benfica for winning their fifth league cup in a row. In the UEFA Champions League, Benfica finished with ten points, behind Barcelona and Celtic in the group, and was relegated to the UEFA Europa League, where they reached the club's ninth European final and first since 1990.

Review and events

In manager Jorge Jesus' fourth year with the club, starting midfielders Javi García and Axel Witsel were sold to Manchester City for €23 million and Zenit Saint Petersburg for €40 million, respectively; Nemanja Matić and Enzo Pérez replaced the duo in the regular starting lineup. Striker Javier Saviola's contract was mutually terminated, where he then joined Málaga of the Spanish La Liga on a free transfer. Starting left-back Emerson was also sold, joining Turkish club Trabzonspor for a transfer fee of €1.6 million. Other notable outgoing transfers included left-back and former Spanish international Joan Capdevila to Espanyol for €500,000, the loaning of longtime Benfica midfielder Rúben Amorim to Braga and the loaning of Portuguese international striker Nélson Oliveira to Deportivo de La Coruña. In the winter transfer window, winger Nolito was loaned to Granada.

On the right wing, Eduardo Salvio, on loan with Benfica for the 2010–11 season from Atlético Madrid, returned to regain his place after the club paid Atlético €13.5 million for his services. Ola John, part of the Dutch Twente squad that faced Benfica the year before in UEFA Champions League qualifying, was also purchased for a fee of €9 million, providing Jesus with another option on the left wing behind Nicolás Gaitán, now back on the left wing. Benfica then added striker Lima from Braga, who quickly established himself as a starting striker alongside Óscar Cardozo, relegating Rodrigo to the bench.

For the upcoming season, Benfica also signed depth players Paulo Lopes from Feirense, Luisinho from Paços de Ferreira, Michel from Braga and Hugo Vieira from Gil Vicente, who was immediately loaned out to Sporting de Gijón. Returning from loan were Lorenzo Melgarejo from Paços de Ferreira, Carlos Martins from Granada, Enzo Pérez from Estudiantes de La Plata and Alan Kardec from Santos.

Competitions

      Win       Draw       Loss       Postponed

Pre-season

Benfica v Marseille

13 July 2012 (2012-07-13) Friendly	Benfica	2–0	Marseille	Sion, Switzerland
19:45 CET (UTC+01)	Cardozo  37' (pen.) Martins  90+1'	Report		Stadium: Stade Tourbillon Attendance: 7,569 Referee: Sascha Amhof

Benfica v Hamm Benfica

15 July 2012 (2012-07-15) Friendly	Benfica	3–0	Hamm Benfica	Hesperange, Luxembourg
19:45 CET (UTC+01)	Pereira  49' Cardozo  67' Nolito  85'	Report		Stadium: Stade Alphonse Theis Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Laurent Kopriwa

Lille v Benfica

16 July 2012 (2012-07-16) Friendly	Lille	0–0	Benfica	Metz, France
19:30 CET (UTC+01)		Report		Stadium: Stade Saint-Symphorien Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Antony Gautier

Śląsk Wrocław v Benfica

21 July 2012 Polish Masters	Śląsk Wrocław	2–4	Benfica	Wrocław, Poland
16:00 UTC	Elsner  67' Sobota  69'	Report	11' Cardozo  60' Luisão  73' Martins  89' Gaitán	Stadium: Stadion Miejski Attendance: 30,000 Referee: Robert Małek

PSV Eindhoven v Benfica

22 July 2012 Polish Masters	PSV Eindhoven	3–1	Benfica	Wrocław, Poland
13:45 UTC	Jørgensen  54' Lens  74' Wijnaldum  83'	Report	34' Martins	Stadium: Stadion Miejski Attendance: 15,000 Referee: Tomasz Garbowski

Benfica v Real Madrid

27 July 2012 Eusébio Cup	Benfica	5–2	Real Madrid	Estádio da Luz, Portugal
19:00 WEST (UTC+01:00)	García  4' Witsel  22' Pérez  53', 85' Martins  58'	Report	Callejón  18', 20'	Attendance: 35,476 Referee: Bruno Paixão

Gil Vicente v Benfica

28 July 2012 (2012-07-28) Friendly	Gil Vicente	2–5	Benfica	Barcelos, Portugal
19:30 CET (UTC+01)	Cláudio  40' Pereira  52'	Report	Mora  14', 23', 35' Vítor  18' Michel  67'	Stadium: Estádio Cidade de Barcelos Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Cosme Machado

Benfica v Juventus

1 August 2012 (2012-08-01) Friendly	Benfica	1–1	Juventus	Geneva, Switzerland
18:00 CET (UTC+01)	Cardozo  88'	Report	Krasić  90+2'	Stadium: Stade de Genève Attendance: 5,000 Referee: Stéphan Studer

Fortuna Düsseldorf v Benfica

11 August 2012 (2012-08-11) Friendly	Fortuna Düsseldorf	0–0	Benfica	Düsseldorf, Germany
18:00 CET (UTC+01)		Report		Stadium: Esprit Arena Attendance: 25,000 Referee: Christian Fischer

Primeira Liga

Main article: 2012–13 Primeira Liga

League table

2012–13 Primeira Liga Table

Pos	Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	Qualification or relegation
1	Porto (C)	30	24	6	0	70	14	+56	78	2013–14 UEFA Champions League Group stage
2	Benfica	30	24	5	1	77	20	+57	77
3	Paços de Ferreira	30	14	12	4	42	29	+13	54	2013–14 UEFA Champions League Play-off round

Updated to games played on 19 May 2013.
Source: LPFP (Portuguese)
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd head-to-head points; 3rd head-to-head goal difference; 4th head-to-head away goals scored; 5th goal difference; 6th number of matches won; 7th number of goals scored
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (E) = Eliminated; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (RQ) = Qualified to the relegation tournament indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.

Results summary

Overall								Home						Away
Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD
30	24	5	1	77	20	+57	77	12	3	0	42	9	+33	12	2	1	35	11	+24

Last updated: 19 May 2013.
Source: lpfp.pt and League matches

Results by round

Round	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13	14	15	16	17	18	19	20	21	22	23	24	25	26	27	28	29	30
Ground	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	A	H	A	H	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H	A	H
Result	D	W	W	D	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	W	W	W	D	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	W	D	L	W
Position	5	1	1	2	1	2	1	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	2	2

Last updated: 19 May 2013.
Source: LPFP
Ground: A = Away; H = Home. Result: D = Draw; L = Loss; W = Win; P = Postponed.

Matches

Benfica v Braga

18 August 2012 (2012-08-18) 1	Benfica	2–2	Braga	Lisbon
20:15 CET (UTC+01)	Pereira  18' Salvio  49' Bruno César  59' Cardozo  72' (pen.),  73'	Report	Melgarejo  54' (o.g.) Mossoró  62'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 53,357 Referee: Artur Soares Dias

Vitória de Setúbal v Benfica

26 August 2012 (2012-08-26) 2	Vitória de Setúbal	0–5	Benfica	Setúbal
20:15 CET (UTC+01)	Amoreirinha  8' Bruno Amaro  17'	Report	Rodrigo  14', 88' Luisão  17' Salvio  30' Pérez  45' Nolito  66'	Stadium: Estádio do Bonfim Attendance: 10,569 Referee: Jorge Sousa

Benfica v Nacional

2 September 2012 (2012-09-02) 3	Benfica	3–0	Nacional	Lisbon
20:15 CET (UTC+01)	Cardozo  50', 88' Rodrigo  56'	Report	Školnik  46'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 34,695 Referee: Bruno Esteves

Académica v Benfica

23 September 2012 (2012-09-23) 4	Académica	2–2	Benfica	Coimbra
20:15 CET (UTC+01)	Cissé  26' (pen.) Galo  50' Dias  55' Ferreira  61' Eduardo  68' (pen.) Ogu  77'	Report	Pereira  26' Melgarejo  55' Cardozo  51' (pen.) Garay  68' Lima  86'	Stadium: Estádio Cidade de Coimbra Attendance: 8,270 Referee: Carlos Xistra

Paços de Ferreira v Benfica

28 September 2012 (2012-09-28) 5	Paços de Ferreira	1–2	Benfica	Paços de Ferreira
20:15 CET (UTC+01)	Cícero  6' Tony  59'	Report	Lima  8', 71' Pereira  73' Artur  90+3' Gaitán  90+4'	Stadium: Estádio da Mata Real Attendance: 4,247 Referee: Marco Ferreira

Benfica v Beira-Mar

6 October 2012 (2012-10-06) 6	Benfica	2–1	Beira-Mar	Lisbon
20:30 CET (UTC+01)	Pereira  58' Rodrigo  60',  64'	Report	Sasso  5'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 28,305 Referee: Rui Costa

Gil Vicente v Benfica

27 October 2012 (2012-10-27) 7	Gil Vicente	0–3	Benfica	Barcelos
20:30 CET (UTC+01)	Luís Manuel  36' Cunha  70' Pereira  89'	Report	Lima  2' Matić  21' Luisinho  26' Pérez  32', 69' Gomes  45+1' Bruno César  90+1'	Stadium: Estádio Cidade de Barcelos Attendance: 7,242 Referee: Vasco Santos

Benfica v Vitória de Guimarães

3 November 2012 (2012-11-03) 8	Benfica	3–0	Vitória de Guimarães	Lisbon
20:30 (UTC+01)	Cardozo  36', 47' (pen.) Lima  66' Gomes  79'	Report	Defendi  21' Addy  47'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 31,543 Referee: João Ferreira

Rio Ave v Benfica

11 November 2012 (2012-11-11) 9	Rio Ave	0–1	Benfica	Vila do Conde
19:30 (UTC+01)	Marcelo  77'	Report	Lima  45+1' Matić  68' Almeida  79' Artur  82'	Stadium: Estádio do Rio Ave FC Attendance: 5,028 Referee: Bruno Alexandre da Silva Esteves

Benfica v Olhanense

24 November 2012 (2012-11-24) 10	Benfica	2–0	Olhanense	Lisbon
20:30 (UTC+01)	Cardozo  26' (pen.) Luisão  72'	Report	Fernandes  37'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 24,104 Referee: Rui Silva

Sporting CP v Benfica

10 December 2012 (2012-12-10) 11	Sporting CP	1–3	Benfica	Lisbon
20:15	Carrillo  69' Van Wolfswinkel  30' Boulahrouz  81' Rinaudo  84' Rojo  89'	Report	Pereira  20' Matić  45' Cardozo  58', 81' (pen.), 86'	Stadium: Estádio José Alvalade Attendance: 35,114 Referee: Marco Ferreira

Benfica v Marítimo

15 December 2012 (2012-12-15) 12	Benfica	4–1	Marítimo	Lisbon
20:30	Gomes  29' Cardozo  34', 66' (pen.), 69' Pereira  40' Melgarejo  70' Rodrigo  88'	Report	Rodrigo  25' Rúben  34' Dias  44' Roberge  55', 64' Fidélis  64' Sami  90+2'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 32,519 Referee: Hugo Pacheco

Estoril v Benfica

6 January 2013 (2013-01-06) 13	Estoril	1–3	Benfica	Estoril
20:15	Coimbra  16' Anderson Luís  65' Santos  89'	Report	23' Rodrigo  37' Gaitán  59' Lima  64' Pérez  66' Salvio  80' Almeida	Stadium: Estádio António Coimbra da Mota Attendance: 5,015 Referee: Duarte Gomes

Benfica v Porto

13 January 2013 (2013-01-13) 14	Benfica	2–2	Porto	Lisbon
20:15	Matić  9',  63' Gaitán  16' Pérez  47' Pereira  85'	Report	Mangala  7' Martínez  14' Moutinho  82'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 60,556 Referee: João Ferreira

Moreirense v Benfica

20 January 2013 (2013-01-20) 15	Moreirense	0–2	Benfica	Moreira de Cónegos
20:00	Pintassilgo  28'	Report	48' Salvio  71' Lima	Stadium: Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas Attendance: 4,139 Referee: João Capela

Braga v Benfica

27 January 2013 (2013-01-27) 16	Braga	1–2	Benfica	Braga
20:15	Ismaily  61' João Pedro  71' Haas  84'	Report	Salvio  4' Lima  34' Matić  51' Gaitán  72' Artur  90+2'	Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Braga Attendance: 17,773 Referee: Bruno Esteves

Benfica v Vitória de Setúbal

3 February 2013 (2013-02-03) 17	Benfica	3–0	Vitória de Setúbal	Lisbon
20:15	Pérez  5' Lima  48' Rodrigo  56' Pereira  61' Gomes  75'	Report	José Pedro  43'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 38,538 Referee: Vasco Santos

Nacional v Benfica

10 February 2013 (2013-02-10) 18	Nacional	2–2	Benfica	Funchal
18:00	Barcelos  6',  90+4' Marçal  39', 90+3' Mateus  52' Rodrigues  55' Gottardi  90+5'	Report	Mexer  15' (o.g.) Urretavizcaya  37' Cardozo  90+3' Matić  90+6'	Stadium: Estádio da Madeira Attendance: 4,327 Referee: Pedro Proença

Benfica v Académica

17 February 2013 (2013-02-17) 19	Benfica	1–0	Académica	Lisbon
20:15	Pereira  39' Lima  90+4' (pen.),  90+4'	Report	Cleyton  50' Dias  90+3' Cabral  90+4'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 36,306 Referee: Nuno Almeida

Benfica v Paços de Ferreira

24 February 2013 (2013-02-24) 20	Benfica	3–0	Paços de Ferreira	Lisbon
19:15	Pérez  5',  43' Cardozo  47' Salvio  84' Luisinho  90'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 40,201 Referee: João Capela

Beira-Mar v Benfica

3 March 2013 (2013-03-03) 21	Beira-Mar	0–1	Benfica	Aveiro
19:30	Vieira  15' Sampaio  56' Jaime  60' Ribeiro  90+2'	Report	Cardozo  16' (pen.) Melgarejo  87'	Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Aveiro Attendance: 18,730 Referee: Manuel Mota

Benfica v Gil Vicente

10 March 2013 (2013-03-10) 22	Benfica	5–0	Gil Vicente	Lisbon
20:15	Pereira  12' Salvio  22' Melgarejo  33' Lima  64' Gaitán  90+3'	Report	Cláudio  57'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 33,706 Referee: Duarte Gomes

Vitória de Guimarães v Benfica

17 March 2013 (2013-03-17) 23	Vitória de Guimarães	0–4	Benfica	Guimarães
20:30	El Adoua  36' Kanu  45+1', 60' Olímpio  54'	Report	Cardozo  38' (pen.),  65' Garay  61' Salvio  82' Rodrigo  90+4'	Stadium: Estádio D. Afonso Henriques Attendance: 19,395 Referee: Paulo Baptista

Benfica v Rio Ave

30 March 2013 (2013-03-30) 24	Benfica	6–1	Rio Ave	Lisbon
20:30	Melgarejo  11',  77', 89' Matić  15',  83' Lima  41', 49', 76' Gaitán  52' Rodrigo  61' Pérez  82' Cardozo  88'	Report	Wíres  8', 59' Ukra  18' Edimar  41', 71' Tarantini  43' Hassan  51'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 45,862 Referee: Rui Costa

Olhanense v Benfica

7 April 2013 (2013-04-07) 25	Olhanense	0–2	Benfica	Olhão
20:15	Fernandes  32'	Report	Salvio  52' Matić  64'	Stadium: Estádio José Arcanjo Attendance: 5,560 Referee: Hugo Miguel

Benfica v Sporting CP

21 April 2013 (2013-04-21) 26	Benfica	2–0	Sporting CP	Lisbon
20:30	Salvio  36' Luisão  66' Lima  75'	Report	Viola  84' Rinaudo  89'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 62,553 Referee: João Capela

Marítimo v Benfica

29 April 2013 (2013-04-29) 27	Marítimo	1–2	Benfica	Funchal
20:00	Rosário  4' Rossi  21',  42' Artur  27'	Report	Lima  5' (pen.) Garay  44' Luisão  67' Rossi  72' (o.g.) Cardozo  90+2'	Stadium: Estádio dos Barreiros Attendance: 4,504 Referee: Manuel Mota

Benfica v Estoril

6 May 2013 28	Benfica	1–1	Estoril	Lisbon
20:00	Pereira  67' Martins  69', 78'	Report	Evandro  20' Jefferson  58' Tavares  90+2' Vagner  90+3'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 60,897 Referee: Paulo Baptista

Porto v Benfica

12 May 2013 29	Porto	2–1	Benfica	Porto
20:30	Pereira  25' (o.g.) Rodríguez  56' Fernando  66' Defour  80' Kelvin  90' Helton  90+3'	Report	Lima  18' Pérez  46' Matić  59' Artur  85'	Stadium: Estádio do Dragão Attendance: 50.117 Referee: Pedro Proença

Benfica v Moreirense

19 May 2013 30	Benfica	3–1	Moreirense	Lisbon
18:30	Cardozo  25',  50' Lima  80', 90' (pen.) Matić  88'	Report	Vinícius  43' Diego  60' Paulinho  90+1'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 51,349 Referee: Marco Ferreia

Taça de Portugal

Main article: 2012–13 Taça de Portugal

Freamunde v Benfica

18 October 2012 (2012-10-18) Third round	Freamunde	0–4	Benfica	Freamunde, Paços de Ferreira
20:15 CET (UTC+01)		Report	16' Lima  45' Cardozo  62' Salvio  74' Gomes	Stadium: Campo SC Freamunde Referee: Manuel Mota

Moreirense v Benfica

16 November 2012 (2012-11-16) Fourth round	Moreirense	0–2	Benfica	Moreira de Cónegos
21:00		Report	25' Bruno César  50',  59' Matić  90+3' Cardozo	Stadium: Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas Referee: Duarte Gomes

Benfica v Desportivo das Aves

2 January 2013 (2013-01-02) Fifth round	Benfica	6–0	Desportivo das Aves	Lisbon
20:15	Rodrigo  5', 57' Cardozo  18', 22', 32' Lima  73' (pen.)	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 15,713 Referee: Hugo Miguel

Académica v Benfica

16 January 2013 (2013-01-16) Quarter-finals	Académica	0–4	Benfica	Coimbra
20:15		Report	John  5' Lima  9', 27' Salvio  71'	Stadium: Estádio Cidade de Coimbra Referee: Jorge Sousaa

Paços de Ferreira v Benfica

30 January 2013 (2013-01-30) Semi-finals First leg	Paços de Ferreira	0–2	Benfica	Paços de Ferreira
20:00 CET (UTC+01)		Report	Lima  58' John  75'	Stadium: Estádio da Mata Real Referee: Cosme Machado

Benfica v Paços de Ferreira

17 April 2013 (2013-04-17) Semi-finals Second leg	Benfica	1–1 (3–1 agg.)	Paços de Ferreira	Lisbon
20:15 CET (UTC+01)	Cardozo  54'	Report	Cícero  80'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 17.118 Referee: Bruno Esteves

Vitória de Guimarães v Benfica

26 May 2013 (2013-05-26) Final	Vitória de Guimarães	2–1	Benfica	Oeiras
17:00 CET (UTC+01)	Soudani  79' Ricardo  81'	Report	Gaitán  30'	Stadium: Estádio Nacional Attendance: 36850 Referee: Jorge Sousa

Taça da Liga

Main article: 2012–13 Taça da Liga

Group stage

Group D

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Benfica	3	2	1	0	6	4	+2	7
Moreirense	3	0	3	0	3	3	0	3
Académica	3	0	2	1	4	5	–1	2
Olhanense	3	0	2	1	1	2	–1	2

Olhanense v Benfica

19 December 2012 (2012-12-19) 1	Olhanense	1–2	Benfica	Olhão
19:45 (UTC+01)	Brandão  48'	Report	69' Rodrigo  87' Lima	Stadium: Estádio José Arcanjo Attendance: 3.213 Referee: Paulo Baptista

Moreirense v Benfica

30 December 2012 (2012-12-30) 2	Moreirense	1–1	Benfica	Moreira de Cónegos
20:15 (UTC+01)	Ghilas  48'	Report	90+3' (pen.) Cardozo	Stadium: Parque de Jogos Comendador Joaquim de Almeida Freitas Referee: Cosme Machado

Benfica v Académica

9 January 2013 (2013-01-09) 3	Benfica	3–2	Académica	Lisbon
19:45	Lima  40', 65' Alan Kardec  61'	Report	45+1' Makelele  50' Saleiro	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 13,872 Referee: Manuel Mota

Knockout phase

Braga v Benfica

27 February 2013 (2013-02-27) Semi-finals	Braga	0–0 (3–2 p)	Benfica	Braga
19:45		Report		Stadium: Estádio Municipal de Braga Referee: Marco Ferreira
		Penalties
	Alan Custódio João Pedro Amorim		Rodrigo Luisão Pérez Roderick Gaitán

UEFA Champions League

Main article: 2012–13 UEFA Champions League

Group stage

Main article: 2012–13 UEFA Champions League group stage § Group G

Group G

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Barcelona	6	4	1	1	11	5	+6	13
Celtic	6	3	1	2	9	8	+1	10
Benfica	6	2	2	2	5	5	0	8
Spartak Moscow	6	1	0	5	7	14	−7	3

Celtic v Benfica

19 September 2012 (2012-09-19) 1	Celtic	0–0	Benfica	Glasgow, Scotland
20:45 CEST	Wanyama  21' Izaguirre  34' Brown  89'	Report	Matić  47' Aimar  57' Bruno César  90+2'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 57,759 Referee: Nicola Rizzoli (Italy)

Benfica v Barcelona

2 October 2012 (2012-10-02) 2	Benfica	0–2	Barcelona	Lisbon, Portugal
20:45 CEST	Bruno César  38' Martins  84' Matić  86' Jardel  89'	Report	Sánchez  6' Pedro  28' Fàbregas  19',  56' Busquets  88'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 63,847 Referee: Cüneyt Çakır (Turkey)

Spartak Moscow v Benfica

23 October 2012 (2012-10-23) 3	Spartak Moscow	2–1	Benfica	Moscow, Russia
18:00 CEST	Carioca  3' Suchý  45' Jardel  43' (o.g.) Welliton  90+2' Ari  90+4'	Report	Lima  33' Cardozo  72' Matić  76'	Stadium: Luzhniki Stadium Attendance: 41,237 Referee: Mark Clattenburg (England)

Benfica v Spartak Moscow

7 November 2012 (2012-11-07) 4	Benfica	2–0	Spartak Moscow	Lisbon, Portugal
20:45 CET	Almeida  29' Cardozo  55', 69'	Report	Rebrov  32' Makeyev  33' Pareja  38', 76' Jurado  82'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 36,448 Referee: Florian Meyer (Germany)

Benfica v Celtic

20 November 2012 (2012-11-20) 5	Benfica	2–1	Celtic	Lisbon, Portugal
20:45 CET	John  7' Garay  71' Melgarejo  77' Almeida  90+1'	Report	Samaras  32',  38' Ledley  48' Wanyama  85'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Referee: Viktor Kassai (Hungary)

Barcelona v Benfica

5 December 2012 (2012-12-05) 6	Barcelona	0–0	Benfica	Barcelona, Spain
20:45 CET	Rafinha  49' Adriano  60'	Report	Nolito  43' Garay  56' Luisão  59' Matić  78'	Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 50,659 Referee: Svein Oddvar Moen (Norway)

UEFA Europa League

Main article: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League

Knockout phase

Main article: 2012–13 UEFA Europa League knockout phase

Round of 32

Bayer Leverkusen v Benfica

14 February 2013 First leg	Bayer Leverkusen	0–1	Benfica	Leverkusen, Germany
18:00	Bender  53' Kießling  73' Milik  81'	Report	Melgarejo  45' Cardozo  61' Gaitán  73'	Stadium: BayArena Referee: Antonio Mateu Lahoz (Spain)

Benfica v Bayer Leverkusen

21 February 2013 Second leg	Benfica	2–1 (3–1 agg.)	Bayer Leverkusen	Lisbon, Portugal
20:05	Pérez  55' John  60',  60' Matić  77',  90+3'	Report	Bender  28' Carvajal  45+2' Schürrle  75'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 35,000 Referee: Pavel Královec (Czech Republic)

Round of 16

Benfica v Bordeaux

7 March 2013 First leg	Benfica	1–0	Bordeaux	Lisbon, Portugal
20:15	Carrasso  21' (o.g.) Martins  50' Rodrigo  53'	Report		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 47,000 Referee: Alon Yefet (Israel)

Bordeaux v Benfica

14 March 2013 Second leg	Bordeaux	2–3 (2–4 agg.)	Benfica	Bordeaux, France
21:05	Henrique  10' Obraniak  31' Diabaté  74' Ben Khalfallah  77' Jardel  90+1' (o.g.)	Report	Jardel  30' Roderick  52' Cardozo  75', 90+2' John  83' Pereira  90'	Stadium: Stade Chaban-Delmas Referee: Ovidiu Haţegan (Romania)

Quarter-finals

Benfica v Newcastle United

4 April 2013 First leg	Benfica	3–1	Newcastle United	Lisbon, Portugal
21:05	Rodrigo  25' Lima  65' Cardozo  71' (pen.) Pérez  73'	Report	Cissé  12' Perch  20' Sh. Ameobi  87'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 44,133 Referee: Antony Gautier (France)

Newcastle United v Benfica

11 April 2013 Second leg	Newcastle United	1–1 (2–4 agg.)	Benfica	Newcastle upon Tyne, England
21:05	Cissé  67',  71' Cabaye  70' Yanga-Mbiwa  81' Williamson  83'	Report	Artur  32' Pérez  32' Almeida  49' Salvio  90+2'	Stadium: St James' Park Attendance: 52,157 Referee: Ivan Bebek (Croatia)

Semi-finals

Fenerbahçe v Benfica

25 April 2013 First leg	Fenerbahçe	1–0	Benfica	Istanbul, Turkey
21:05	Cristian  38' Topal  50' Korkmaz  72' Webó  90'	Report	Gomes  31' Aimar  37' Pereira  41' John  45+1'	Stadium: Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium Attendance: 51,000 Referee: Milorad Mažić (Serbia)

Benfica v Fenerbahçe

2 May 2013 Second leg	Benfica	3–1 (3–2 agg.)	Fenerbahçe	Lisbon, Portugal
21:05	Gaitán  9' Pereira  28' Pérez  33' Cardozo  35', 66'	Report	Kuyt  23' (pen.) Cristian  30' Erkin  85'	Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 55,402 Referee: Stéphane Lannoy (France)

Final

Main article: 2013 UEFA Europa League Final

Benfica v Chelsea

15 May 2013 (2013-05-15) Final	Benfica	1–2	Chelsea	Amsterdam, Netherlands
20:45 CET (UTC+01)	Cardozo  68' (pen.)	Report	Torres  60' Ivanović  90+3'	Stadium: Amsterdam Arena Attendance: 46,163 Referee: Björn Kuipers (Netherlands)

Overall record

As of 26 May 2013

Competition	First match	Last match	Record
			G	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Win %	Source
Primeira Liga	18 August 2012	19 May 2013	30	24	5	1	77	20	+57	80.00
Taça de Portugal	18 October 2012	26 May 2013	7	5	1	1	20	3	+17	71.43
Taça da Liga	19 December 2012	27 February 2013	4	2	2	0	6	4	+2	50.00	Taça da Liga results
Champions League	19 September 2012	5 December 2012	6	2	2	2	5	5	+0	33.33
Europa League	14 February 2013	15 May 2013	9	6	1	2	15	9	+6	66.67
Total			56	39	11	6	123	41	+82	69.64

Players

Squad information

Appearances and goals

As of 26 May 2013.

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Primeira Liga		Portuguese Cup		League Cup		Europe
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Goalkeepers
1	GK		Artur	50	0	30	0	4	0	1	0	15	0
13	GK		Paulo Lopes	5	0	0	0	2	0	3	0	0	0
64	GK		Júlio César	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Defenders
14	DF		Maxi Pereira	41	3	28	3	4	0	1	0	8	0
4	DF		Luisão	33	1	18	1	5	0	1	0	9	0
24	DF		Ezequiel Garay	46	2	27	1	4	0	1	0	14	1
33	DF		Jardel	34	0	16	0	4	0	4	0	10	0
27	DF		Miguel Vítor	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
3	DF		Roderick Miranda	7	0	2	0	0	0	2	0	3	0
25	DF		Lorenzo Melgarejo	40	2	21	2	3	0	2	0	14	0
5	DF		Luisinho	10	1	5	1	3	0	2	0	0	0
75	DF		Sidnei	2	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	0	0
Midfielders
21	MF		Nemanja Matić	47	5	26	3	7	1	1	0	13	1
34	DF		André Almeida	34	0	14	0	5	0	3	0	12	0
20	MF		Nicolás Gaitán	44	5	23	3	6	1	2	0	13	1
15	MF		Ola John	42	4	22	0	4	2	4	0	12	2
10	MF		Pablo Aimar	21	0	13	0	3	0	2	0	3	0
17	MF		Carlos Martins	22	0	13	0	2	0	2	0	5	0
18	MF		Eduardo Salvio	51	13	29	10	6	2	3	0	13	1
35	MF		Enzo Pérez	47	4	28	4	3	0	3	0	13	0
89	MF		André Gomes	18	2	7	1	4	1	2	0	5	0
23	MF		Jonathan Urretavizcaya	8	1	4	1	1	0	1	0	2	0
Strikers
7	FW		Óscar Cardozo	47	33	25	17	6	6	2	1	14	9
19	FW		Rodrigo	39	11	20	7	6	2	3	1	10	1
31	FW		Alan Kardec	5	1	3	0	1	0	1	1	0	0
11	FW		Lima	49	30	27	20	7	5	3	3	12	2
No longer at club
6	MF		Javi García	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
28	MF		Axel Witsel	3	0	3	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
11	FW		Yannick Djaló	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
8	MF		Bruno César	15	0	6	0	3	0	2	0	4	0
9	MF		Nolito	15	1	6	1	3	0	3	0	3	0
30	FW		Javier Saviola	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
40	FW		Michel	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

• 1.^ Players who were in the squad at the time of the first competitive fixture.
• 2.^ Also includes 2012-13 UEFA Champions League and 2012-13 UEFA Europa League.

Transfers

In

No.	Pos.	Name	Age	EU	Moving from	Type	Transfer Window	Contract ends	Transfer fee	Sources
13	GK	Paulo Lopes	34	Yes	Gil Vicente	Transfer	Summer	2014	Free
5	DF	Luisinho	27	Yes	Paços de Ferreira	Transfer	Summer	2016	Undisclosed	[2]
25	DF	Lorenzo Melgarejo	21	No	Paços de Ferreira	Loan return	Summer	2016	-	[3]
17	MF	Carlos Martins	30	Yes	Granada	Loan return	Summer	2016	-	[4]
15	MF	Ola John	21	Yes	Twente	Transfer	Summer	2018	Undisclosed	[5]
18	MF	Eduardo Salvio	22	No	Atlético Madrid	Transfer	Summer	2018	Undisclosed	[6]
35	MF	Enzo Pérez	27	No	Estudiantes	Loan return	Summer	2016	-	[7]
31	FW	Alan Kardec	23	No	Santos	Loan return	Summer	2015	-	[8]
40	FW	Michel	25	No	Paços de Ferreira	Transfer	Summer	2017	Undisclosed	[9]
70	FW	Hugo Vieira	23	Yes	Gil Vicente	Transfer	Summer	2016	Undisclosed	[10]
11	FW	Lima	29	No	Braga	Transfer	Summer	2016	Undisclosed	[11]
3	DF	Roderick Miranda	21	Yes	Deportivo La Coruña	Loan return	Winter	2018	-	[12]

Out

No.	Pos.	Name	Age	EU	Moving to	Type	Transfer Window	Transfer fee	Sources
-	DF	Emerson	27	No	Trabzonspor	Transfer	Summer	€1.6M	[13]
-	DF	Daniel Wass	23	Yes	Evian	Transfer	Summer	€1M	[14]
-	MF	Fellipe Bastos	23	No	Vasco da Gama	Transfer	Summer	€0.3M	[15]
-	MF	Javi García	25	Yes	Manchester City	Transfer	Summer	€20M + €3M in add-ons	[16]
-	MF	Axel Witsel	23	Yes	Zenit Saint Petersburg	Transfer	Summer	€40M	[17]
-	MF	Ishmael Yartey	22	No	Sochaux	Transfer	Summer	€1.5M	[18]
-	FW	Éder Luís	27	No	Vasco da Gama	Transfer	Summer	€3M	[19]
-	FW	Joan Capdevila	34	Yes	Espanyol	Transfer	Summer	€0.5M	[20]
-	FW	Hélio Vaz	23	Yes	União de Leiria	Transfer	Summer	Free	[21]
-	FW	Javier Saviola	30	Yes	Málaga	Transfer	Summer	Free	[22]
-	GK	Jan Oblak	19	Yes	Rio Ave	Loan	Summer	-	[23]
-	DF	Roderick Miranda	20	Yes	Deportivo La Coruña	Loan	Summer	-	[24]
-	DF	Léo Kanu	24	No	Ponte Preta	Loan	Summer	-	[25]
-	MF	Airton	24	No	Flamengo	Loan	Summer	-	[26]
-	MF	Rúben Amorim	26	Yes	Braga	Loan	Winter	-	[27]
-	MF	Felipe Menezes	24	No	Sport Recife	Loan	Summer	-	[28]
-	MF	Diego Lopes	18	No	Rio Ave	Loan	Summer	-	[29]
-	MF	David Simão	23	Yes	Marítimo	Loan	Summer	-	[30]
-	MF	Nuno Coelho	24	Yes	Aris	Loan	Summer	-	[31]
-	FW	Nélson Oliveira	21	Yes	Deportivo La Coruña	Loan	Summer	-	[32]
-	FW	Franco Jara	24	No	San Lorenzo	Loan	Summer	-	[33]
-	FW	Rodrigo Mora	25	No	River Plate	Loan	Summer	-	[34]
-	FW	Hugo Vieira	24	Yes	Sporting de Gijón	Loan	Summer	-	[35]
-	FW	Yannick Djaló	26	Yes	Toulouse	Loan	Summer	-	[36]
-	FW	José Luis Fernández	26	No	Olhanense	Loan	Summer	-	[37]
-	FW	Michel	26	No	Braga	Loan	Summer	-	[38]
-	GK	Eduardo	30	Yes	Genoa	Loan return	Summer	-	[39]
-	FW	José Luis Fernández	26	No	Godoy Cruz	Loan	Winter	-	[40]
-	DF	Léo Kanu	25	No	Grêmio Osasco	Loan	Winter	-	[41]
8	MF	Bruno César	24	No	Al-Ahli SC	Transfer	Winter	€5M	[42]
-	FW	Hugo Vieira	24	Yes	Gil Vicente	Loan	Winter	-	[43]
-	FW	Nolito	26	Yes	Granada	Loan	Winter	€0.6M	[44]
-	MF	Airton	24	No	Internacional	Loan	Winter	-	[45]
-	DF	Fábio Faria	24	Yes	-	Career termination	-	-	[46]

References