Benfica
Full nameSport Lisboa e Benfica
Nickname(s)As Águias (The Eagles)
As Encarnadas (The Reds)
Founded12 December 2017 (2017-12-12)
GroundEstádio Municipal José Martins Vieira
Benfica Campus
Estádio da Luz (selected matches)
Capacity2,230
2,708
64,642
PresidentRui Costa
Head coachFilipa Patão
LeagueCampeonato Nacional Feminino
2022–23Campeonato Nacional Feminino, 1st of 12 (champions)
WebsiteClub website

Sport Lisboa e Benfica (Portuguese pronunciation: [sɨˈpɔɾ liʒˈβoɐ i βɐ̃jˈfikɐ] ⓘ), commonly known as Benfica, is a Portuguese women's football team based in Lisbon that plays in the Campeonato Nacional Feminino, the top-level women's football league in Portugal, following promotion in the 2018–19 season.

Founded on 12 December 2017, it is the women's team of football club S.L. Benfica.[1][2] They have won three consecutive First Division titles, one Second Division title, one Portuguese Cup, three League Cups (record) and three Super Cups (record).

Their current home grounds are the 2,230-seater Estádio Municipal José Martins Vieira, in Almada,[3] and Benfica Campus, in Seixal, with the team occasionally playing at Estádio da Luz in Lisbon.

As of 2023, Benfica have won every league title since they arrived at the Portuguese top flight in 2019, with the exception of the 2019–20 season, when the league was suspended due to COVID-19 restrictions.[4] At the time of suspension, the team was tied for first place.[5]

History

On 12 December 2017, Benfica publicly confirmed that it was forming a long-mooted women's football team.[6] Compiling a squad replete with several international players and a distinctly Brazilian flavour, they entered the Portuguese second division and promptly doled out several comprehensive thrashings to their outmatched opponents.[7]

The initial squad contained a total of seven players from Brazil (an eighth, Rilany, arrived in December). Brazilians were targeted because many had the required skills and experience. As Lusophones, they were also expected to adapt quickly to Portuguese culture.[8] This mirrored the policy of Benfica's male team, who had a successful policy of importing talented players from the Brazilian transfer market.[9]

On 17 September 2018, Benfica made their league debut in the Campeonato Nacional II Divisão and beat UD Ponte de Frielas 28–0. The result established a new record winning margin in Portuguese senior football, surpassing Sporting CP's 21–0 win over CS Mindelense in 1971.[10][11] Former Benfica player Luís Andrade was appointed as technical co-ordinator of the club's women's section in October 2018. He was tasked with developing a women's B team and revamping the youth structure, which contained approximately 200 players.[12]

On 26 January 2019, Benfica broke their own Portuguese scoring record by thrashing CP Pego 32–0 at the Estádio da Tapadinha, increasing their league tally to 257 goals scored and none conceded in 14 matches,[13][14] and the overall tally to 293–0 in 16 matches.[15] Four days later, Benfica conceded a goal for the first time in their history, in a 5–1 away win over Marítimo in the third round of the Portuguese Cup.[16]

Campeonato Nacional side Braga inflicted Benfica's first ever defeat on 24 March 2019, winning 2–1 away in the first leg of the Portuguese Cup semi-final.[17] Six days later, Benfica met Sporting CP in the first but unofficial female Derby de Lisboa between their main teams. The match was staged at the Estádio do Restelo to raise money for the Cyclone Idai relief effort in Mozambique, attracting 15,204 spectators – a national record crowd at the time for a women's match in Portugal. Despite dominating play, Benfica lost 1–0 to Joana Marchão's 86th-minute penalty kick.[18]

On 18 May 2019, after eliminating Braga on 5–4 aggregate in the Portuguese Cup semi-finals,[19] Benfica beat Valadares Gaia 4–0 in the final to conquer their first trophy, in a Portuguese Cup record attendance of 12,632.[20][21] Following an 8–0 win over Estoril Praia B on 29 May, Benfica secured promotion to the 2019–20 Campeonato Nacional Feminino.[22] Later, on 23 June, they were crowned second division champions as they beat Braga B on 9–0 aggregate in the finals.[23][24]

After the departure of head coach João Marques,[25] Luís Andrade took his position,[26] and Benfica started their second season by beating Portuguese champions Braga 1–0 with a goal from Pauleta to conquer their first Super Cup trophy.[27] A week later, Benfica debuted in the first division with a 24–0 thrashing of A-dos-Francos.[28] On 19 October, Benfica beat Sporting 3–0 at the Estádio da Luz in the first official derby between both sides, played before 12,812 spectators, who set a new attendance record for a women's match in Portugal.[29][30]

Benfica qualified to UEFA Women's Champions League's group stage for the first time after beating Twente 4–0 on 9 September 2021 (5–1 on aggregate).[31] Benfica made their debut in the competition with a goalless home draw against Bayern Munich on 5 October. On 17 November, Benfica secured their first victory in the group stage, 2–1 at BK Häcken FF, while scoring their first goal.[32]

Players

Current squad

As of 1 August 2023[33]

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Germany GER Lena Pauels
2 MF Canada CAN Marie-Yasmine Alidou
3 DF Portugal POR Ana Seiça
4 DF Portugal POR Sílvia Rebelo (captain)
5 DF United States USA Paige Almendariz
6 MF Portugal POR Andreia Faria
8 FW Brazil BRA Marta Cintra
9 FW Brazil BRA Nycole Raysla
10 FW Portugal POR Kika Nazareth
11 FW Portugal POR Jéssica Silva
13 DF Portugal POR Lúcia Alves
14 MF Portugal POR Letícia Almeida
15 DF Portugal POR Carole Costa
16 MF Nigeria NGA Christy Ucheibe
17 MF Portugal POR Andreia Norton
No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF Portugal POR Catarina Amado
20 FW Portugal POR Lara Martins
21 MF Spain ESP Pauleta
22 FW Portugal POR Amélia Silva
23 MF Germany GER Anna Gasper
28 MF Spain ESP Andrea Falcón
30 DF Portugal POR Daniela Santos
36 FW Iceland ISL Svava Rós Guðmundsdóttir
39 GK Portugal POR Carolina Vilão
66 GK Portugal POR Rute Costa
71 DF Portugal POR Daniela Silva
72 MF Portugal POR Matilde Silva
79 DF Portugal POR Marta Salvador
80 MF Brazil BRA Lais Araujo
99 FW Portugal POR Beatriz Nogueira

Other players under contract

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
33 FW Portugal POR Lara Pintassilgo
— DF Portugal POR Carolina Correia
— DF Portugal POR Joana Silva
— DF Portugal POR Matilde Silva
— MF Romania ROU Madalina Tatar
— MF Portugal POR Maria Negrão
— FW Brazil BRA Clarinha

Former players

Coaching staff

Position Name
Head coach Filipa Patão
Assistant coaches Tiago Carmo
André Vale
Marco Sousa
Bárbara Reis
Goalkeeping coach Pedro Espinha
Video analyst Mauro Rodrigues

Last updated: 4 August 2021
Source: [34]

Records and statistics

Competition record

Benfica's performance over their completed seasons:

Season League PosPldWDLGFGATop league scorerGoalsTop overall scorerGoalsTPTLSTUCLReferences
2018–192D1st20181036531Darlene80Darlene109W———[35][36]
2019–201D1st1514011014Cloé Lacasse23Cloé Lacasse25RUWW—[37][38]
2020–211D1st2321028115Cloé Lacasse16Cloé Lacasse22—W—R32[39][40]
2021–221D1st40285710739Cloé Lacasse11Cloé Lacasse20R16RURUGS[41][42]
2022–231D1st44371617744Cloé Lacasse22Cloé Lacasse35SFWWGS[43][44]
Key

W = Winners; RU = Runners-up; SF = Semi-finals; R16 = Round of 16; R32 = Round of 32; GS = Group stage

Managerial statistics

As of match played 21 May 2022. Only competitive matches are included.

Name Nat From To P W D L GF GA Win % Honours Refs
João Marques Portugal 8 March 2018[45] 25 June 2019[25] 36 34 1 1 452 6 094.44 Campeonato Nacional II Divisão, Taça de Portugal [35]
Luís Andrade Portugal 2 July 2019[26] 26 December 2020 35 30 1 4 171 28 085.71 Supertaça de Portugal [46][47]
Filipa Patão Portugal 27 December 2020 Present 99 79 7 13 335 93 079.80 3 Campeonato Nacional, 3 Taça da Liga, 2 Supertaça de Portugal [48]

Honours

Winners (3): 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23
Winners (1): 2018–19
Winners (1): 2018–19
Winners (3) – record: 2019–20, 2020–21, 2022–23
Winners (3) – record: 2019, 2022, 2023

References

  1. ↑ "Futebol feminino apresenta-se com títulos no horizonte" [Benfica women present themselves with titles on the horizont]. S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). 25 July 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  2. ↑ "Equipa de futebol feminino do Benfica estreia-se com goleada de 18–0" [Benfica women's football team debut with an 18–0 thrashing]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 30 July 2018. Retrieved 21 December 2018.
  3. ↑ Pina, José (16 December 2021). "Cova da Piedade e Benfica assinam protocolo de desenvolvimento" (in Portuguese).
  4. ↑ "Abril: Campeonatos finalizados administrativamente, regressos e o lay-off :: zerozero.pt". www.zerozero.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  5. ↑ "Campeonato Nacional Feminino BPI 2019/2020 :: Nacional Feminino Portugal Futebol [Seniores] :: Nacional Feminino BPI :: Classificação :: Estatísticas :: Títulos :: Palmarés :: História :: Golos :: Próximos Jogos :: Resultados :: Notícias :: Videos :: Fotos :: zerozero.pt". www.zerozero.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 14 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "Women's football at Benfica will become a reality". S.L. Benfica. 12 December 2017. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  7. ↑ "Benfica women undefeated after four games and 85 goals". BBC Sport. 22 October 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2018.
  8. ↑ Barlem, Cíntia (19 July 2018). "Benfica lança time feminino e acredita em modalidade autossustentável nos próximos anos" [Benfica launch women's team and believe in self-sustaining sport in the coming years]. GloboEsporte.com (in Portuguese). Rede Globo. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  9. ↑ Vickery, Tim (2 April 2012). "Benfica's Brazilian import-export connection". BBC Sport. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  10. ↑ "Benfica women claim 28–0 victory on debut in Portuguese second division". BBC Sport. 17 September 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  11. ↑ "Benfica women set Portuguese record with 28–0 win over Ponte de Frielas – video". The Guardian. 18 September 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  12. ↑ "Luís Andrade na estrutura do futebol feminino" [Luís Andrade in the women's football structure]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 10 October 2018. Archived from the original on 10 October 2018. Retrieved 22 December 2018.
  13. ↑ "Benfica women have scored an incredible 257 goals & conceded none this season". Goal (in Portuguese). 28 January 2019. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  14. ↑ Fernandes, Nunes (26 January 2019). "32–0. Equipa feminina do Benfica bate recorde de golos num jogo" [32–0. Benfica women's team set goal record in one match]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  15. ↑ "Equipa feminina do Benfica goleia CP Pego por 32 golos sem resposta" [Benfica women's team trash CP Pego by 32 goals without response]. SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). 26 January 2019. Retrieved 27 January 2019.
  16. ↑ "Vídeo: o 1.º golo sofrido pela equipa feminina do Benfica foi um golaço" [Video: the first goal conceded by Benfica women's was a great one]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 1 February 2019. Retrieved 2 February 2019.
  17. ↑ "Sp. Braga impõe ao Benfica a primeira derrota da época" [Sp. Braga impose Benfica's first loss of the season]. Público (in Portuguese). 24 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  18. ↑ "Jogo solidário "Todos Moçambique". Sporting vence Benfica no primeiro dérbi de futebol feminino de sempre" [Solidarity match "Everyone for Mozambique". Sporting beat Benfica in first ever women's football derby]. SAPO 24 (in Portuguese). 30 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  19. ↑ "Benfica dá a volta ao SC Braga e está na final da Taça de Portugal" [Benfica overcome SC Braga and are in the Portuguese Cup final]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 20 April 2019. Archived from the original on 20 April 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
  20. ↑ "Benfica vence Taça de Portugal!" [Benfica win Portuguese Cup!]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 18 May 2019. Archived from the original on 18 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  21. ↑ "Aí está o primeiro título do futebol feminino do Benfica: 'águias' vencem Taça de Portugal" [Here is Benfica women's first football title: 'eagles' win Portuguese Cup]. SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). 18 May 2019. Retrieved 19 May 2019.
  22. ↑ Nascimento, Diogo (29 May 2019). "Eagles secure promotion". S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). Retrieved 31 May 2019.
  23. ↑ "Benfica sagra-se campeão da 2.ª divisão de futebol feminino" [Benfica become champions of the women's football 2nd division]. i (in Portuguese). 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  24. ↑ "Benfica sagra-se campeão da segunda divisão" [Benfica become second division champions]. A Bola (in Portuguese). 23 June 2019. Archived from the original on 23 June 2019. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  25. 1 2 "Thank you, João Marques!". S.L. Benfica. 25 June 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  26. 1 2 Nascimento, Diogo; Dores, Márcia (2 July 2019). "Luís Andrade is the new coach of the women's football team". S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 2 July 2019.
  27. ↑ "Benfica derrota o Sp. Braga e vence Supertaça de futebol feminino" [Benfica defeat Sp. Braga and win women's football Super Cup]. Público (in Portuguese). 8 September 2019. Retrieved 9 September 2019.
  28. ↑ "Equipa feminina do Benfica estreia-se na I Divisão com 24 golos" [Benfica women's team debuts in the First Division with 24 goals]. Diário de Notícias (in Portuguese). 15 September 2019. Retrieved 18 September 2019.
  29. ↑ Fernandes, Mariana. "Benfica vence Sporting na Luz e sai a ganhar no primeiro dérbi oficial de futebol feminino" [Benfica beat Sporting at Da Luz and come out winning in the first official football derby]. Observador (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  30. ↑ "Benfica vence primeiro dérbi feminino e assume liderança isolada do campeonato" [Benfica win first women's derby and take the lead in the league]. SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). 19 October 2019. Retrieved 22 October 2019.
  31. ↑ "Benfica faz história e alcança fase de grupos da Champions feminina". Record.
  32. ↑ "A BOLA". A Bola.
  33. ↑ "Women's football team". S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 9 September 2020.
  34. ↑ "Equipa técnica" [Staff]. zerozero.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 4 August 2021.
  35. 1 2 "Totais por competição" [Totals by competition (2018–19)]. zerozero.pt (in Portuguese). Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  36. ↑ "Futebol Feminino: Marcou 109 golos no Benfica e renovou por duas temporadas" [Women's Football: She scored 109 goals at Benfica and renewed her contract for two seasons]. SAPO Desporto (in Portuguese). 25 June 2019. Retrieved 20 September 2019.
  37. ↑ "2019–20 statistics". zerozero.pt.
  38. ↑ "2019–20 top scorers". zerozero.pt.
  39. ↑ "2020–21 statistics". zerozero.pt.
  40. ↑ "2020–21 top scorers". zerozero.pt.
  41. ↑ "2021–22 statistics". zerozero.pt.
  42. ↑ "2021–22 top scorers". zerozero.pt.
  43. ↑ "2022–23 statistics". zerozero.pt.
  44. ↑ "2022–23 top scorers". zerozero.pt.
  45. ↑ Garcia, Filipa Fernandes (8 March 2019). "João Marques is the coach of the women's football team". S.L. Benfica. Retrieved 21 September 2019.
  46. ↑ "Totais por competição" [Totals by competition (2019–20)]. zerozero (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  47. ↑ "Totais por competição" [Totals by competition (2020–21)]. zerozero (in Portuguese). Retrieved 27 October 2020.
  48. ↑ "Jogos realizados" [Matches played]. zerozero (in Portuguese). Retrieved 24 May 2022.
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