Benfica - Estadio Da Luz - Capacity: 65,000 All Seater
The Stadium – Estadio Da Luz Ave General Norton De Matos, Lisboa There is a misconception that the Estadio Da Luz actually means Stadium of Light. Whilst the original Estadio Da Luz was open-air monster of a stadium, the name actually comes from the area around the Stadium (Luz). One thing that is certain though is that the current modern version of the stadium is magnificent, and one of the best in Europe and is rightly referred to as the Cathedral of football. The original stadium was one of the largest in the world with a capacity of 120,000, spread out in a huge bowl with three tiers – very similar in style to the Nou Camp in Barcelona.
During the 1960’s and early 1970’s the hosted often hosted over 100,000 spectators – especially for the derby matches against neighbours Sporting. The stadium was originally built in the early 1950’s and opened its gates for the first time in 1954. Originally it was a single tier stadium with a capacity of 50,000 and very little protection from the wind and rain that often hits Lisbon in the winter. As the team’s success was matched with an increase demand for tickets, the club decided to add a 2nd tier in the 1960’s, taking the capacity to over 80,000. In a bold move by the club’s directors to prove to the world that they were one of the leading clubs in the world, a third tier was constructed during the late 1970’s – co-inciding with a downward spiral of the club – but taking the capacity to 120,000.
As the club struggled to compete with Porto, and a resurgent Sporting down the road, the ground fell into disrepair – and often safety decreed that only the lower tier could be open for games. However, in 2001 worked commenced on the building of a new stadium to host the Final of Euro 2004 that had been awarded to Portugal two years earlier. The decision was made to build the new stadium partly on the site of the existing stadium, and so the team continued to play in a strange environment with half of their existing stadium demolished, and a new one going up in its place.
The end result, designed by Damon Lavelle, is a magnificent structure and opened in 2003 when Benfica played Nacional of Uruguay in front of a sell out 65,000. The stadium is a three-tier structure, and is very similar in design to the new Emirates stadium in London. All of the seats offer excellent views of the action.
The new stadium hosted some of the biggest matches during Euro 2004, including the England v France match – which caused significant logistical problems in trying to get 40,000 England fans into a stadium in 20 minutes, England v Croatia, Portugal v England and of course the final between the home nation and Greece. The stadium has a four star rating from UEFA meaning it can host UEFA Cup final matches. However, it is now over 14 years since the stadium has hosted a European final – the last one being the 1992 European Cup Winner Cup Final when Werder Bremen beat Monaco in front of just 16,000.
One good item to note is the significant increase in average attendance since the stadium opened in 2003. Prior to that, Benfica averaged less than 28,000 in the huge Estadio Da Luz. Since December 2003, the crowds have crept back and the club last season averaged 43,000 – the highest by quite along way in the Portuguese SuperLiga.
Who Plays There? - Benfica - http://www.slbenfica.pt It is hard to imagine that forty years ago, Benfica were the greatest team in the world. Back to back European Cup victories in 1961 and 1962 had broken the monopoly on the competition by Real Madrid, and a third victory was only snatched from them by a late AC Milan goal in 1963 and a determined rearguard attack from Inter in 1965. The team also took part in the legendary 1968 final at Wembley, when the rampant “Busby Babes” beat them 4-1 in extra time. That team, captained by Jose Aguas and starring the legend that is Eusabio had also dominated domestic football with 8 titles in the decade as well as four national cup titles. Amazingly enough, for such a famous club, that 1962 European Cup victory was their last European title.
The club were originally formed in 1904 by a group of wealthy sports fanatics who lived along the river in Belem. The principals of the club were laid down so that only Portuguese nationals should ever play for the club (although they did bend the rules to include players from their colonies such as Mozambique and Angola like Eusabio) – a state that existed right up until the early 1980’s. After Porto’s surprising League Title victory in the first ever national league in 1935, Benfica took over the mantle as the national champions by capturing the next three titles, as well as three further titles in the 1940’s and four National cups.
Titles followed regularly during the 1950’s before the team embarked on their plans to conquer Europe in the 1960’s. Unfortunately, the team began losing the plot off the field during the 1970’s. Bad administration led to money bleeding out of the club, and despite regularly filling the Stadium of Light with close to 100,000 people on occasions and Eusabio staying loyal to the club until 1975, the club were staring financial ruin in the face. On the field the team continued to impress nationally with six further league titles, but the damaged had been done and entering the 1980’s the team were in desperate need for restructuring.
In 1983 the club turned to young Swede Sven Goran Eriksson to lead the club forward. In his first season the club captured a League title as well as leading them to the UEFA Cup Final where they lost on aggregate to Anderlecht. Eriksson brought the calm to the club that they had been missing for many years, and they recaptured the title the following year.
In 1986 the Swede left for Roma, although he was soon tempted back in 1989 after the club had failed to beat PSV Eindhoven on penalties on the European Cup Final, where again he led to the title, and into the European Cup. In one of the most impressive runs to the finals in recent years, they scored 19 goals in the run to the Semi-Finals, before coming up against Marseille. In a tight 2-legged semi-final, a 2-1 defeat in France proved to be decisive as the away goal took them into the final with their old foes AC Milan in Vienna. Unfortunately a single Rijkaard goal broke their hearts in that final.
And so the 1990’s dawned on a club that played in a stadium that had seen better days, a team that was too old and a leadership team without direction. Eriksson’s reign ended soon after he delivered the title in 1991, as he was tempted back to Italy to manage Sampdoria. Despite a deal to sell their TV rights to buy the latest star of the national team – Paulo Futre, there was no money left in the bank to actually pay anyone else’s wages and the team suffered. After a single title win in the middle of the nineties the most notable incident in the decade was the decision to appoint Graeme Souness as manager. Within twelve months the team were floundering in mid-table with a team featuring Scott Minto, Brian Deane, Mark Pembridge, Michael Thomas and Dean Saunders. Crowds started to fall as the tradition of only playing Portuguese nations was clearly going out of the window. The rise of Porto and Boavista in the north during this period was a bridge too far for President Azevedo and in March 1999 Souness was sacked.
With nothing left to mortgage to raise funds to rebuild the team, Benfica’s saving grace came in the decision to award the European Championships 2004 to Portugal, which meant that the stadium was going to be rebuilt at little cost to the club. On field changes started slowly firstly under Italian legend Trappattoni who delivered a championship and national cup in 2005, and more recently under the leadership of Fernando Santos. The team have, however, managed to build on their surprisingly impressive performances in the Champions League last season when they beat Man Utd in the final group game to qualify for the knockout stages (and eliminate the Red Devils completely). In the 2nd round game versus Liverpool they stunned the reds with a 2-0 win at Anfield, adding to the 1-0 victory in Lisbon to reach the quarter finals. There they faced Barcelona, who lived up to their billing as favourites by winning easily over the two legs
Current stars of the team include Nuno Gomes, Rui Costa and Giorgos Karagounis but they have failed to make an impact on the domestic scene, as Porto and Sporting have run away at the top of the table. Another third place finish in 2009 was to cost another coach their job.
How to get to the Estadio Da Luz The Stadium is located opposite the huge Colombo shopping centre, on the intersection of the Avenida General Matos de Matos ring road, and the Avenida Lusiada main road. The nearest metro station is Colégio Militar/Luz – which is located in the shopping centre. It takes approximately six stops and 15 minutes from the city centre station – Marques de Pombal. A taxi from the city centre will cost around €15. The stadium is also on the flight path into the airport – which is around 6km away.
For an overview of who plays where in the city go to Footiemap.com for a graphical view.
How to get a ticket for the Estadio Da Luz With average attendances less than 48,000, and a capacity of over 64,000 it is not particularly difficult to get a ticket for the vast majority of games on the day of the game. Even the derby matches versus Sporting, and the grudge match with Porto, tickets are available in the days running up the game from the ticket office at the stadium, from one of the club shops in the Colombo shopping centre. Tickets can also be bought online, for collection at the stadium from the official website – http://www.slbenfica.pt/servicos/servicos_bilhetes.asp. Tickets range in price from €20 for a seat in the Piso 3 Superior – the top tier, to €55 in the lower tier in Bancada PT Comunicacoes or Sapo stands. Tickets for the big matches including the Champions League are around 50% more, with a top of the range seat for the Celtic or Manchester United.
Sporting Lisbon - Jose Alvalade XXI - Capacity: 52,000 All Seater
About the Jose Alvalade XXI Rua Professor Fernando da Fonseca The story behind Sporting’s stadium development is almost identical to rival Benfica’s. A club in terminal decline that cannot compete on the pitch on an international stage, playing in a sole less arena that had passed its sell by date. Then the decision was made in December 2001 to award the Euro 2004 championships to Portugal and the rest was history. There was debates on which stadium should be developed, but in the end it was decided that both Lisbon and Porto should have new stadiums.
Work commenced on the new Alvalade in early 2002. Originally the plan was to rebuild the existing Alvalade stadium, knocking down each stand in turn but that proved too problematic at the planning stage. The old stadium was a large bowl-like structure, mostly open air and had an athletics track around the perimeter that added further to the lack of atmosphere in the ground.
Construction began on the new stadium in 2001 , in a similar way to Benfica’s with games continuing whilst parts of the old stadium were demolished. The new Alvalade was ready to open its doors less than two years later and is certainly impressive and was opened in August 2003 with a friendly between Sporting and Manchester United. Original plans were for a forty thousand seater stadium, but during the latter stages of planning it was felt that the club would automatically be made to feel inferior to Benfica due to the size of construction of the Estadio da Luz. The stadium consists of four identical two tiered stands, which have a floating roof held up by four yellow columns in each corner which give the stadium a very unique look from the outside. When the stadium is empty you are also able to see the coloured seat mosaics. It was felt that a stadium just filled with green seats, with a green roof and a green pitch may be a bit too much for even the most ardent Sporting fans and so the club introduced a mixture of coloured seats in a random pattern. Sightlines are excellent from all parts of the stadium. The stands are also slightly raised and so even people in the 1st row get a good view of the action.
Since moving to the new stadium, the average crowds have almost doubled to 30,000 – proving the value in making facilities more pleasant for the fans. The stadium is one of UEFA’s 5 Star venues which allows it to host matches such as the UEFA Cup final.
Who Plays There? - Sporting Lisbon - http://www.sporting.pt Whilst the rivalry between Sporting and Benfica has always been one of the most fiercely contested in world football, their list of honours definitely puts them in second place. One single European victory – the European Cup Winners Cup in 1964 when they beat MTK 4-3 on aggregate is hardly the haul you would expect from one of Europe’s greats. They had possibly the best chance they will ever had to double this haul in 2005 when they won through to the final of the UEFA Cup – to be played on their home ground but lost to an impressive CSKA Moscow.
Josie Alvalade founded the team in 1906, although a team had existed in the area under the name of Campo Grande FC since 1902. They played their first match under the Sporting name in February 1907, when the team lost 5-1 to Cruz Negra. Less than a year later, the team had adopted the famous Green and White kit. Five years later in 1912 the club won its first honour – the Championship of Lisbon. In the early 1920’s, the first national championship was played, although it wasn’t seen as official. However, Sporting took the trophy in Faro with a win over Academica de Coimbra.
The official Championship of Portugal began in the mid 1930’s and despite Porto and Benfica taking the first few championships; Sporting soon built a team that was the envy of the whole nation. They took their first title in 1941 and then followed it with eight titles in the next nine years up until 1958. Included in this period were Cup wins as well on four occasions. The team had at last arrived on the domestic scene, but in Europe they found it a bit harder. In the first ever European Cup in 1955, they lost 8-5 on aggregate to Partizan Belgrade, and three years later they fell again in the first round, this time to Standard Liege of Belgium.
The team then went on to win Championships at intervals of around 4 years – 1962, 1966, 1970, 1974 and 1980, but again failed to make an impact in Europe. The biggest disappointment came in 1966 when UEFA declared the final would be played in Lisbon in May 1967. In the first round they drew Vasas, champions of Hungary. In a one sided tie the Hungarians won 7-0 on aggregate and ended the dreams of a final on home soil. Their best run in the European Cup came in 1982 when they reached the Quarter Finals when they went out 2-1 to Spanish champions Real Sociedad under the management of Malcolm Allinson. The 1982 Championship was to be the last title the club won for nearly 20 years (in fact the only cup the team on in this period was a National Cup in 1995). The next few years were spent sacking coaches at regular intervals, and constant fighting in the boardroom. The team that won that cup in 1995 was littered with star players such as Luis Figo, Jorge Cadete and the two young wide men Dani and Hugo Porfirio who both played in England for West Ham.
In 1990 the club was taken over by millionaire José de Sousa Cintra who promised the earth to the members who elected him. His grand plans included a new stadium for the club, and in preparation he made himself very unpopular by clearing the housing developments close to the stadium for his aborted plans. He also decided to sack Bobby Robson from his role as head coach despite the fact they topped the league at the time. His services were soon snapped up by Porto, and less than six months later he led them to a Cup final win over Sporting. In 1999, Peter Schmeichel joined the club, and had an immediate effect as the team at last broke their 20-year voodoo by winning the title from Porto. This season they look like the only team who will threaten the dominance of Porto in the league, sitting second and 2 points behind as of the end of November, finishing finally four points adrift.
How to get to the Estadio Jose Alvalade XXI The new stadium is located next door to the site of the old stadium, in the Campo Grande area of the city. As the crow flies, the stadium is located around 3 miles along Avenieda Lusiada from Benfica’s Estadio da Luz. The stadium has its own metro station – Campo Grande – which is located on the Green and Yellow lines. From the city centre it is easier to get the Yellow line that is only six stops and ten minutes from Marques de Pombal in the city centre. If you are arriving in Lisbon by train, then you will probably arrive at Rossio station close to the riverfront. From here the Green line runs 9 stops to Campo Grande in around 20 mins. If you are coming from the Expo site in the North East of the city then use the Red Line from Oriente, and change at Alameda.
There are also a number of buses that run to the stadium including lines 1, 3, 46, 77 and 101. A taxi from the city centre will cost €15, and from the airport around €10.
For an overview of who plays where in the city go to Footiemap.com for a graphical view.
How to get a ticket for the Estadio Jose Alvalade XXI With the exception of the local derby game versus Benfica, and the occasions when Sporting actually manage to make it through to the Group stages of the Champions League – as they have done this season, then it is not necessary to book tickets in advance. Tickets for most games go on sale from the club around two weeks before the match. Tickets can also be booked online via the official website. The cheap seats in the upper tiers behind the goal start from €20 for a normal league match to €35 for a Champions League or a Benfica/Porto match. A seat in the side stands will cost €50 to €90 respectively.
Getting around Public transportation in Lisbon is good and cheap compared to other European countries. Buses, trams, funiculars and elevators in Lisbon are run by Carris and the tickets are all the same. You can buy tickets that are valid for one journey for 0.70 Euro. Metro tickets also cost 0.70 Euro for one zone and 1.00 Euro for two zones. There is also a Seven Day card that can be credited with one or five days (3 and 12 Euro, respectively) of unlimited trips on bus and subway.
Portela is unsurprisingly the largest airport in Portugal, serving over 50 airlines. It is located around 5 miles from the centre of Lisbon, and close enough to Sporting Lisbon’s new stadium that it appears as if planes are trying to land on the futuristic new roof. It is currently served from the UK by the following airlines. British Airways and TAP fly here from London Gatwick and Heathrow, Easyjet from London Luton and Monarch from London Gatwick.
To travel from the airport into the city centre it is best to catch the regular buses on lines 5 or 22 that run every 15 minutes or so, terminating at Areeiro and Marques de Pombal. Tickets cost €1.20 single. A taxi will cost €18.
Who Plays There? - Benfica - 
Who Plays There? - Sporting Lisbon - 