Pre-season After two unsuccessful seasons without winning the
league title, Benfica retained
Jorge Jesus as manager for a fourth year. During the summer transfer window, starting midfielders
Javi García and
Axel Witsel were sold to
Manchester City for €23 million and
Zenit Saint Petersburg for €40 million, respectively, with García departing on the final day of the window. Striker
Javier Saviola’s contract was mutually terminated, and he subsequently joined
Málaga on a free transfer. Starting left-back
Emerson was also sold, joining Turkish club
Trabzonspor for €1.6 million. Other notable departures included left-back
Joan Capdevila, who transferred to
Espanyol for €500,000, the loan of long-serving midfielder
Ruben Amorim to
Braga, and the loan of striker
Nélson Oliveira to
Deportivo de La Coruña. In the winter transfer window, winger
Nolito was loaned to
Granada. In terms of arrivals, right winger
Eduardo Salvio returned from
Atlético Madrid for €13.5 million, while
Ola John, who had faced Benfica the previous season in
UEFA Champions League qualifying, was signed for €9 million. Benfica also added striker
Lima from Braga. For squad depth, the club signed goalkeeper
Paulo Lopes from
Feirense, defender
Luisinho from
Paços de Ferreira, midfielder
Michel from Braga, and forward
Hugo Vieira from
Gil Vicente, who was immediately loaned to
Sporting de Gijón. Returning from loan spells were
Lorenzo Melgarejo (Paços de Ferreira),
Carlos Martins (Granada),
Enzo Pérez (Estudiantes), and
Alan Kardec (Santos). The preseason featured a 2–0 win over
Marseille, followed by victories against
Hamm Benfica,
Śląsk Wrocław,
Real Madrid (5–2), and
Gil Vicente, draws with
Lille and
Juventus, and a defeat to
PSV Eindhoven. After the departures of García and Witsel,
Nemanja Matić and
Enzo Pérez established themselves in the starting lineup, while Lima quickly secured a regular place alongside
Óscar Cardozo, relegating
Rodrigo to the bench.
August-November The official season began on 8 August with a 2–2 home draw against
Braga, followed by victories over
Nacional and
Vitória de Setúbal, and a 0–0 away draw with
Celtic in the
Champions League. Benfica then drew 2–2 away with
Académica and won 2–1 against
F.C. Paços de Ferreira, finishing September level on points with Porto. October opened with a 2–0 home defeat to
FC Barcelona in the Champions League, followed by a league win over
Beira-Mar, a
Taça de Portugal victory over Freamunde, a 2–1 away loss to
Spartak Moskva in the Champions League, and a 3–0 away win against
Gil Vicente. In November, Benfica won all of their matches: 3–0 at home against
Vitória de Guimarães, 2–0 at home against Spartak Moskva in the Champions League, 1–0 away against Rio Ave in the league, 2–0 away against Moreirense in the fourth round of the Taça de Portugal, 2–1 at home against Celtic in the Champions League, and 2–0 at home against Olhanense. They ended the month still level on points with Porto.
December-January December began with a 0–0 draw at
Camp Nou against Barcelona in the Champions League, a result that eliminated Benfica from the group stage and sent them into the
UEFA Europa League, followed by a 3–1 league win over Sporting at the
Estádio José Alvalade, featuring a hat-trick from
Cardozo. Benfica then recorded a 4–1 home win over
Marítimo, a 2–1 away win against Olhanense and a 1–1 draw with Moreirense, both in the
Taça da Liga. The new year began with a 6–0 win over
C.D. Aves in the
Taça de Portugal, followed by a 3–1 away win against
Estoril and a 4–0 away victory over
Académica in the
Taça da Liga, which qualified Benfica for the semi-finals. On 13 January, Benfica hosted Porto in the league, drawing 2–2. They then defeated Académica 4–0 in the Taça de Portugal quarter-finals, Moreirense 2–0 in the league, Braga 2–1 away, and Paços de Ferreira 2–0 in the first leg of the Taça de Portugal semi-finals, ending the month level on points with Porto.
February-April In February, Benfica recorded league wins over
Vitória de Setúbal, Académica, and Paços de Ferreira, and drew away against Nacional. In Europe, they eliminated
Bayer Leverkusen 3–1 on aggregate in the
Europa League round of 32 (1–0 away, 2–1 home). Shortly after, Benfica drew 1–1 at home against
Estoril, reducing their league lead to two points, before visiting the
Estádio do Dragão. Ahead of the decisive league match, both Benfica and Porto remained unbeaten. Benfica took the lead in the 19th minute through
Lima, but a stoppage-time goal gave Porto victory and put them in control of the title race. On 15 May, Benfica faced
Chelsea in the
2013 UEFA Europa League final at the
Amsterdam Arena, losing 2–1 after a stoppage-time header from
Ivanović. It was the club's sixth consecutive defeat in a European final. Four days later, Benfica met
Vitória de Guimarães in the
Taça de Portugal final at the
Jamor.
Nicolás Gaitán opened the scoring for Benfica, but two second-half goals secured victory for Vitória, leaving Benfica without a trophy despite competing for three major titles. ==Competitions==