Bayern Munich v Benfica - Preview

For the second year running, FC Bayern München must overcome Portuguese opposition in the last eight of the UEFA Champions League as SL Benfica look to reach a first semi-final in more than 25 years.

The teams have met in three previous ties – and not only have Bayern won them all, they have gone on to reach at least the final of the competition on every occasion. The sides were first paired in the quarter-finals of the 1975/76 European Champion Clubs' Cup, a goalless first leg in Lisbon preceding Bayern's 5-1 win in Munich in which Bernd Dürnberger and Gerd Müller each scored twice and Karl-Heinz Rummenigge got the other Bayern goal.

Bayern went on to defeat AS Saint-Étienne 1-0 in the final at Hampden Park, Glasgow – therefore claiming the trophy for the third year in a row.

It was a similar story when the teams met again in the 1981/82 European Cup second round, the first leg in Lisbon again ending scoreless. Once again Bayern ran out comfortable victors at home, thanks mainly to a Dieter Hoeness hat-trick. Paul Breitner got the other in a 4-1 victory.

Again Bayern progressed to the final, although this time they missed out on the trophy, going down 1-0 to Aston Villa FC in Rotterdam.

Jürgen Klinsmann was the standout performer the last time the teams' paths crossed, in the 1995/96 UEFA Cup third round. The striker scored all four goals in Bayern's 4-1 home first-leg victory, then added two more in a 3-1 Lisbon success with Andreas Herzog contributing the other.

Bayern went on to the final and beat FC Girondins de Bordeaux 5-1 over two legs. Klinsmann finished with 15 goals for the season.

Five-time winners Bayern have featured in the UEFA Champions League semi-finals in each of the last four seasons. Their European Cup quarter-final record is W17 L9.

Bayern have been unstoppable at home in this season's UEFA Champions League, winning all four games – although they needed extra time, and a recovery from 2-0 down, to beat Juventus in the round of 16 second leg. They won their home group games against GNK Dinamo Zagreb, Arsenal FC and Olympiacos FC with an aggregate score of 14-1.

Twelve months ago, Bayern went down 3-1 at FC Porto in the quarter-final first leg but turned the tie round spectacularly with a 6-1 second-leg success in Munich.

That Porto defeat ended Bayern's 15-match unbeaten record against Portuguese opposition. Their overall record is now P24 W14 D8 L2 F55 A18; at home it is W9 D2 L0. They have won alll nine of their previous two-legged knockout ties against Portuguese opposition.

Bayern's only other defeat by a Portuguese club was also against Porto, in the 1987 European Cup final. Ludwig Kögl gave Bayern a 25th-minute lead at Vienna's Praterstadion, but late goals from Rabah Madjer (77) and Filho Juary (81) snatched away the trophy.

This is Benfica's first UEFA Champions League quarter-final since a 3-1 aggregate defeat by Chelsea FC in 2011/12. Their overall European Cup quarter-final record is W8 L8.

Benfica reached the final on the last two occasions they survived this hurdle – in 1990 and 1988.

Júlio César was in the FC Internazionale Milano side that beat Bayern 2-0 in the 2010 UEFA Champions League final in Madrid. The goalkeeper also helped the Nerazzurri win 3-2 in Munich in the following season's round of 16, going through on away goals after a 3-3 aggregate draw. Holger Badstuber, Philipp Lahm, Arjen Robben and Thomas Müller were in the Bayern side.

Arturo Vidal was in the Juventus team beaten 2-1 on aggregate by Benfica in the 2013/14 UEFA Europa League semi-finals.

Benfica's Greek international striker Kostas Mitroglou holds German citizenship and had spells in the youth ranks at MSV Duisburg and VfL Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Mitroglou scored twice in Greece's 2-0 friendly win against David Alaba's Austria on 14 August 2013.

Robert Lewandowski has scored 13 times in 14 club appearances in 2016. He has registered ten of Bayern's 20 league goals since the winter break. The Poland forward has 44 goals in 47 outings for club and country in 2015/16.

Lewandowski's 25th Bundesliga goal this term, one more than his previous best total for a league campaign, earned Guardiola's men a 1-0 victory at 1. FC Köln on 19 March. With that effort against Köln, Lewandowski surpassed Luca Toni as the scorer of the most Bundesliga goals by a foreign player in a single season for the Bavarians.

Benfica have won 19 of their last 20 games in all competitions, the exception being the 2-1 home loss to Porto on 12 February. 

Jonas has managed 18 goals in 16 appearances in all competitions this calendar year. He has played the last 11 minutes of Brazil's 2-2 FIFA World Cup qualifying draw against Paraguay on 29 March – his first international appearance since September 2012.

Renato Sanches made his senior international debut on 25 March, coming on as a substitute in Portugal's 1-0 home loss to Bulgaria. He also featured against Belgium four days later.

Victor Lindelöf earned his first caps for Sweden in their 2-1 loss to Turkey and the 1-1 draw against the Czech Republic. 

Luisão (out since 21 November, broken left arm) suffered a setback in training and underwent surgery on the injury for a second time on 8 February.

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Eusebio 1942 - 2014

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Eusebio, top scorer at the 1966 World Cup, has died at the age of 71.

Born in Mozambique in 1942 when it was still a Portuguese colony, Eusebio da Silva Ferreira went on to play 64 times for Portugal, scoring 41 goals.

The Benfica striker's nine goals at the 1966 World Cup in Englandincluded four against North Korea.

Widely considered one of the best players of all-time, he scored 733 times in 745 professional matches.

He had been admitted to hospital several times over the past year for the treatment of heart and respiratory problems.

Famed for his blistering acceleration and dazzling dribbling skills, Eusebio was named European Footballer of the Year in 1965.

He won the European Cup with Benfica in 1962 and was in the side that lost to Manchester United in the 1968 Wembley final.

Eusebio enjoyed 10 league championship victories and five Portuguese cup triumphs in his 15 years at the club and was Portugal's top league scorer seven times.

Current Portugal captain Cristiano Ronaldo was among those to pay tribute.

"Always eternal, Eusebio, rest in peace," the Real Madrid and former Manchester United striker wrote on Twitter alongside a picture of both men together.

Former Portugal winger Luis Figo tweeted: "The king! Great loss for all of us! The greatest!"

Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho called him one of his country's "great figures".

Mourinho told state broadcaster RTP: "I think he is immortal. We all know what he meant for football and especially for Portuguese football.

"He was not only a great inspiration but also an important figure in upholding the values, principles and feelings of football, even after finishing his career."

Greg Dyke, chairman of the Football Association in England, said Eusebio and Brazilian striker Pele were the best-known international footballers in the 1960s.

"He was the [Lionel] Messi or Ronaldo of his time," Dyke told the BBC News Channel.

"Every generation has great footballers. He was clearly a world-class footballer who scored an awful lot of goals. He had a level of natural talent that most players don't have."

Eusebio's goals in the 1966 World Cup helped his country to third place, after they were beaten by eventual winners England in the semi-finals.

Portugal won all of their group games as title holders Brazil were eliminated in the first round, and Eusebio starred in a dramatic 5-3 win over North Korea in the quarter-finals, with his four goals helping his side come back from 3-0 down.

Portugal went on to lose 2-1 in the last four to England, with Eusebio in tears as he left the pitch at the end of the game.

But he had captured the hearts of the British public and his figure was soon added to Madame Tussauds' waxwork collection.

Eusebio continued to play at the highest level until 1974, but knee problems had already begun to slow him down.

In 1975, he moved to the North American Soccer League and then returned to Portugal in 1976-77 to play for SC Beira Mar, before further spells in the USA and Mexico.

After his playing career ended, he was an ambassador for Benfica and Portuguese football.

Fact File

Born: 25/01/42 in Mozambique.

Early career: Started with Sporting Lourenco-Marques, a nursery club of Sporting Lisbon, but was signed by Benfica for £7,500 at the age of 19.

Benfica: Helped side beat Real Madrid 5-3 in the European Cup final in 1962. Won 10 league championships and five cups in his 15 years at Benfica.

Portugal: Scored 41 goals in 64 internationals.

Starring roles: Named European Footballer of the Year in 1965 and top scorer at the 1966 World Cup with nine goals.

#RIP

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Eusebio Responds to Hospital Treatment

Benfica says Eusebio is recovering and responding 'well' to hospital treatment as the former Portuguese playing great recovers from a stroke.

The 70-year-old Eusebio has been in a Lisbon hospital receiving treatment since suffering a stroke at the European Championship last month. 

Benfica says its former player continues to undergo treatment and could be discharged by the end of the week depending on the latest assessment of his health.

Eusebio has been hospitalised four times since December with a variety of ailments.

Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, nicknamed [The Black Panther,[ became a Portuguese superstar after standout performances in the 1960s and was named one of FIFA's 10 best football players of all time in 1998.

Legendary Eusebio Out of Hospital

Portugal and Benfica striker Eusebio has been discharged from hospital after falling ill over the weekend.

The 70-year-old complained of feeling unwell in Opalenica on Saturday night and was taken to Poznan's Josef Strus Hospital.

Eusebio was in Poland accompanying the Portugal squad during Euro 2012 and was seen enjoying the team's 1-0 quarter-final victory over Czech Republic alongside Luis Figo last Thursday.

Hospital spokesman Stanislav Rusek told www.abola.pt on Wednesday: "He had a very good night. He was physically and mentally able so he was discharged by the medical team."

Eusebio made his name at Benfica where he forged his reputation as one of the game's greats, turning out for the club 614 times between 1960 and 1975 and scoring an astonishing 638 goals.

During his time at Benfica Eusebio won 11 Portuguese league titles, five Portuguese Cup crowns and the European Cup in 1962.

He scored 41 goals in 64 international appearances for Portugal between 1961 and 1973, and finished as the top scorer at the 1966 World Cup in England.

Eusebio Celebrates 70

Adopting a wild cat was en vogue to Europe-based aristocrats during the culturally radical 1960s. Spanish surrealist painter Salvador Dali was inseparable from his pet ocelot, Babou; tigers became a prominent gift for Russian socialites; and two quirky Australians made Christian, a lion who would go on to earn global celebrity, their flatmate on London’s plush Regent Street.

A 61-year-old Hungarian had no intention of joining the wild cat club when he left his Lisbon home for a haircut in late 1960. Sat in the barber’s chair next to him, however, was an old pupil, who waxed lyrically about a black panther he had witnessed during a trip to Mozambique. Beguiled, the former was on a flight to Maputo five days later. There, he was wowed by the predator.

Yet this pantera negra took his victims on the football turf rather than in the jungle. The forename behind the nickname was Eusebio. His would-be captor was the man at the Benifca controls, Bela Guttmann, whose tip had come from Bauer, whom he had coached at Sao Paulo.

There was, nevertheless, a monkey wrench in the 17-year-old’s path to the Estadio da Luz. Eusebio played for Sporting de Lourenco Marques, a feeder club to Portuguese colossuses Sporting, who had reached an agreement to sign the striker. Hastily, Guttmann proposed a contract that would have put the unproven, impoverished kid on pay parity with Mario Coluna, the Mozambique-born midfielder who was firmly established as one of the finest players in Europe. Eusebio’s brother fancifully demanded double. Guttmann nonchalantly nodded agreeably.

The rest was straight out of a spy movie. Eusebio did not walk from the departure gate at Maputo International Airport to the Lisbon-bound plane, but was individually ushered to the jet bridge in a car to avoid the risk of being spotted by non-passengers. Immediately upon arrival in the Portuguese capital, fearing a kidnap attempt from rivals clubs, Benfica sped him off to a remote district in the Algarve, where he spent ten days. And had Sporting's investigations been sufficiently expansive to check the guest lists of hotels in the country’s southernmost region of mainland Portugal, they still wouldn’t have rumbled the ruse – Eusebio was checked in under the name Ruth Malosso!

But if it was an exhaustive struggle for As Águias to get the African at their spearhead, it rapidly became indubitable that it was a worthwhile one. Eusebio was initially earmarked for grooming in the reserves, but after his maiden training session ahead of the new campaign in June 1961, Jose Aguas, Benfica’s No9 and captain, declared: “If it has to be me then so be it, but somebody has to drop out for him to play.”

Aguas, Mario Coluna, Joaquim Santana, Jose Augusto and Domiciano Cavem had, little over two weeks earlier, formed a rhythmic attacking quintet that had propelled Benfica to a 3-2 win over Barcelona in the European Cup final. How could Guttmann possibly vindicate relegating one from starter to substitute for the Tournoi International de Paris decider against an exceptional Santos side?

A 5-0 deficit, courtesy of doubles apiece from Pele and Pepe and a Coutinho goal, was a justifiable defence. Guttman unleashed Eusebio, who posted a stunning 17-minute hat-trick and even won a penalty which Augusto missed. The following day, the camera-shy face of a Mozambican which Benfica fans were yet to see decorated the cover of the prestigious France Football magazine. The prestigious publication’s headline neglected to illustrate a 6-3 Santos victory. Instead, it read: ‘Eusebio 3-2 Pele’.

By the end of that campaign, Eusebio had averaged 1.4 goals per game in the Portuguese top tier and, with the European Cup final against Real Madrid level at 3-3, scored twice to earn Benfica a 5-3 upset and a successful defence of their continental title. It was the prelude to Eusebio’s paradisiacal 15-year service to club, whom he also inspired to 11 league titles and five domestic cups, scoring 638 goals in 614 games in the process.

His stupefying prolificacy was indebted to his physical prowess. Eusebio ran the 100 metres in 10.8 seconds – the then world record stood at just eight-tenths of a second quicker; he had hulking upper-body strength and ballerina-like balance; an almighty leap enabled the 1.75m player to beat much taller opponents to headers; and, according to fellow Mozambique-born Portugal international Matateu, Eusebio’s right foot boasted power comparable to the go-to fist of Cassius Clay, the boxer born just eight days before him and a fellow demigod to Africans during the 1960s, in which he won all 29 of his boxing fights – the majority via vicious knockout.

Guttmann preferred to juxtapose Eusebio’s weapon of choice with a Soviet satellite: “Watching the ball leave Eusebio’s boot was like witnessing Sputnik launch into space! And as well as such force, he struck the ball with such accuracy. He was also incredibly fast, explosive, a great dribbler… he was such a complete footballer. Signing Eusebio was the biggest victory Benfica will ever score over Sporting.”

If Eusebio’s output for Benfica divided a city, his performances in another red jersey united a country. He managed 41 goals in 64 appearances for Portugal and though he was only afforded one chance to showcase his irrepressible output in a major international competition, he certainly made the most of it.

Eusebio, indeed, illuminated the 1966 FIFA World Cup England™, scoring twice to eliminate the two-time defending champions Brazil and send Portugal through to the quarter-finals, where his quartet inspired Otto Gloria’s side to recover a three-goal deficit against Korea DPR and win 5-3. England manager Alf Ramsey, despite boasting two formidable centre-backs in Bobby Moore and Jack Charlton, was sufficiently concerned to order Nobby Stiles to man-mark Eusebio in the last four. The latter still scored, albeit from the spot, but England won 2-1. 

The aforementioned Charlton said: “Eusebio was a truly magnificent player. He was very quick, strong, had perfect balance and was good on the ball. He could really hit a ball too. In my view, he was as good as Pele. The gaffer wouldn’t have put a man-marker on anybody. He didn’t do it against [Wolfgang] Overath in the Final or against Pele [at Mexico 1970], so it just goes to show how highly he respected Eusebio.”

So, too, did Stiles after 90 minutes on that July evening – the Manchester United workhorse shed a staggering four kilos (8.8 lbs) chasing Eusebio around the Wembley turf!

Still, the No13 signed off from the tournament in style, netting in a 2-1 reverse of Soviet Union which ensured Portugal finished third and their talisman as the nine-goal adidas Golden Boot recipient.

“I was always very proud to receive an award,” said Eusebio, whose magnificence was rewarded with the Ballon d’Or in 1965, “because it wasn’t just for me but for Portugal and the whole of Africa.”

As well as overwhelming Portuguese and Africans with pride, Eusebio went on to represent teams in Canada, Mexico and the USA before, in 1979, calling time on a 745-game career that had given fans 733 goals to celebrate.

Today, it’s time for the football world to wish Eusebio a glorious celebration - happy 70th birthday, Pantera Negra.

Eusebio Diagnosed with Pneumonia

Former Portugal and Benfica star Eusebio is likely to stay in a hospital over Christmas after being diagnosed with double pneumonia, doctors said on Thursday.

Jose Roquette, a clinical director at Lisbon's Hospital da Luz, said Eusebio was in stable condition despite being admitted Wednesday with an infection in both lungs. 

"He's eating well," Roquette told reporters. "He had a good night." 

Doctors treating Eusebio said they are optimistic about his chances of a full recovery, though the illness requires close monitoring and he will undergo treatment for several more days. 

Eusebio da Silva Ferreira, who turns 70 next month, became a national icon after his standout performances in the 1960s for Benfica and the Portuguese national team. 

He was named one of the 10 best football players of all time by Fifa in 1998.

Eusebio Admitted to Lisbon Hospital

Portugal great Eusebio is in hospital after displaying early symptoms of pneumonia, according to officials at his past club Benfica.

The Portuguese club said in a brief statement that Eusebio, 69, has been admitted to Lisbon's Hospital da Luz. It gave no further details.

The Portuguese Football Federation said it had no official information.

Eusebio scored 41 goals in 64 games for Portugal and has since been a football ambassador for Benfica and Portugal.

He was born in Mozambique when it was still a Portuguese colony, and became known as the "black panther" for his powerful performances in the 1960s for Benfica and the Portuguese national team.

Eusebio won 10 league championships, five Portuguese cups and one European Cup in his 15 years at Benfica and was Portugal's top league scorer between 1964 and 1973.

"Benfica wish a speedy recovery to the Black Panther," read the statement on the club's official website.