With only a Supertaça Cândido de Oliveira won in the past season, Benfica was keen on retake the Primeira Divisão title again. They were quickly eliminated from Europe at the hands of Roma, so all attentions were pointed on the league title. A strong campaign witnessed Benfica overtake Porto in February and then close the title with an away win in the Clássico, a controversial match because of the tactics employed by Porto to destabilize the team. On late May, Benfica secured their 29th league title, while Rui Águas won the Bola de Prata for league top-scorer.
The pre-season started in Portugal on 16 July, followed by a tour in Sweden from 22 July to 5 August.[6] Benfica would then play a presentation game on the 9th with Belenenses,[11] take part on the Teresa Herrera Trophy from 17 until 19th, and closed pre-season with a match against Roma on the 22nd.[6] The league campaign started in the best of terms as the team racked up wins in September and October.[12][13] However, in Europe Benfica did not fare as well and were knocked-out of the UEFA Cup by Roma in the first round.[14]
With only the domestic competitions to fight for, Benfica lost for the first and only time in the league on 3 November in Setúbal.[15] The local Vitória played very aggressively, injuring three players from Benfica within the first 35 minutes: first Stefan Schwarz, followed by Fernando Mendes and then Vítor Paneira. They were forced to play with only 10 men for remaining 55 minutes, since they spent its two substitutions on Schwarz and Mendes.[12] Benfica reacted with four consecutive wins until the Clássico where it draw 2–2 in another violent match.[12] They followed with an away win in Alvalade, but lost a point with Farense who played their home match in Estádio do Bonfim to intimidate Benfica after they recent loss there.[12]
Lapping the first round only two points behind Porto, Benfica only lost two points from two draws in the final 19 matches, and won every game from match-day 23 to 34, including a title defining Clássico in Estádio das Antas.[12] The match was highly controversial because of the war-like tactics that Porto employed: Rocks were thrown at the team bus; the players had to walk to the locker room between a corridor of angry Porto fans; the locker room was sprayed with a chemical that made it impossible to use, with Benfica being forced to get dressed in the access tunnel; the pitch was flooded to prevent the ball from rolling.[16]Pinto da Costa allegedly said to Eriksson "Mr. Eriksson, I like you, but war is war".[16][17] Despite this, Benfica won 2–0 with goals from César Brito and opened a three-point gap.[18][19] A few days before, Porto had beat Benfica by 2–1 for the Portuguese Cup, eliminating them.[14]
Despite a home draw with Sporting in the aftermath of the Clássico, Benfica did not let the title slip and on 26 May it won its 29th league title.[18][19] William played every minute of the campaign, narrowly surpassing Rui Águas, who collected the Bola de Prata for his 25 league goals.[18] According to Eriksson, he should have left then, on a high.[20]
The squad for the season consisted of the players listed in the tables below, as well as staff member Sven-Goran Eriksson (manager) and Toni (assistant manager).[21][18]
Note 1: Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Note 2: Players with squad numbers marked ‡ joined the club during the 1990-91 season via transfer, with more details in the following section.
^ abcde"Aumentam as trocas" [Trades increase]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese). No. 23257. 7 June 1990. p. 25. Archived from the original on 2018-06-21. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
^ ab"Aí vem o futebol" [Here comes the football]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese). No. 23278. 10 July 1990. p. 26. Retrieved 6 August 2016.[permanent dead link]
^ abcd"Na Luz: palmas para Rui Águas" [In Luz: applause to Rui Águas]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese). No. 23282. 16 July 1990. p. 23. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 29 December 2016.
^ ab"William ingressou no Benfica" [William signs with Benfica]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese). No. 23300. 9 August 1990. p. 27. Archived from the original on 2 January 2017. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
^"Futebol por cá" [Football in Portugal]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese). No. 23297. 6 August 1990. p. 26. Retrieved 29 December 2016.[permanent dead link]
^ ab"Sporting: Honra entre os lisboetas" [Sporting: Honour amoeng Lisboetas]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese). No. 23321. 10 September 1990. p. 18. Retrieved 21 March 2017.
^"Diamantino: Setúbal, Amadora ou Belém?" [Diamantino: to Setúbal, Amadora or Belém?]. Diário de Lisboa (in Portuguese). No. 23277. 9 July 1990. p. 27. Archived from the original on 22 June 2018. Retrieved 6 August 2016.
Bibliography
Tovar, Rui Miguel (2012). Almanaque do Benfica. Portugal: Lua de Papel. ISBN978-989-23-2087-8.
Miguéns, Alberto (2005). 100 anos 100 troféus. Portugal: Prime Books. ISBN972-8820-34-8.
Eriksson, Sven-Goran (2013). A minha História. Sweden: Norstedts. ISBN978-972-20-5590-1.
Quidnovi, Redacção (2004). Sport Lisboa e Benfica: 100 Gloriosos anos; As Provas Nacionais 2. Portugal: Quidnovi. ISBN989-554-103-1.
