Benfica leads the historic derby against Sporting with an advantage of 25 games, which marked chapter 315 for Sunday, in Luz, of a legend that began in 1907.
In 314 games, the eagles have won 137, against 112 for the lions, also leaders in terms of goals, with 52 more (531 against 479), this in a duel that still registers 65 equalities.
Last season, Sporting even narrowed the gap from 26 to 24 victories, winning the first two games, 3-1 in Luz, for the championship, and 2-1, with a comeback, in Leiria, in the final of League. Cup.
On December 3, 2021, on matchday 13 of the I Liga, Rúben Amorim’s men beat the ‘eleven’ led by Jorge Jesus, in a match in which they went into added time winning 3-0.
The Spanish Pablo Sarabia, in the eighth minute, Paulinho, in the 62nd, and Matheus Nunes, in the 68th, scored the goals for the ‘lions’, while the substitute Pizzi, alleviated the ‘size’ of the defeat of the ‘ eagles’, very close to the end, at 90+6.
On January 29, 2022, in neutral Leiria, Sporting prevailed again, this time against a team already led by Nélson Veríssimo, in the final of the 15th edition of the League Cup.
The reds took the lead, after 23 minutes, through the Brazilian Everton, but, in the second half, the lions turned around, with goals from central defender Gonçalo Inácio, in the 49th minute, and again from the Spanish Pablo Sarabia, in the second. 78.
The last word in 2021/22 was, however, from Benfica, which, on April 17, practically ended Sporting’s chances of fighting for the title against FC Porto -it was nine points behind-, by winning in Alvalade by 2-0.
The Uruguayan Darwin Núñez, who went to Liverpool at the end of the season, and Gil Dias, at 14 and 90+2 minutes, respectively, sealed the victory for the Reds.
Thus, Benfica once again had a lead of 25, between games in the I Liga, Taça de Portugal, Taça da Liga, Supertaça, the Portuguese Championship and also in the Lisbon Regional, and 52 more goals, and in this field, the individual king is the Peyroteo violin, with 48, compared to 27 for King Eusebio.
Compared only to the I Liga, Benfica has an even greater advantage, with 33 more wins (82 against 49), and remains the leader in the League Cup (two against one).
In relation to the rest of the competitions, the Verdiblancos lead the Portuguese Cup (19-16) and the Super Cup (3-2), and they also closed the Portuguese Championship (3-2) and the Lisbon Regional (37) ahead .-33).
The eagles’ impressive lead is largely due to more recent times and, in the second decade of the 21st century, they posted the most ‘overwhelming’ margin in any ten-year period.
Benfica added 15 victories, against only five of the ‘lions’, its worst absolute record since the period 1910/11 to 1919/20.
After this great disadvantage, Sporting leads, however, the current decade (since 2020/21), with three wins, against two for Benfica.
The history of the derby began with two wins for the ‘leões’, the first on December 1, 1907, 2-1, against Sport Lisboa, at the Campo da Quinta Nova, in Carcavelos, where, according to the chronicles of the time His players fled from the rain and only returned forced by the referee.
Despite this defeat, the reds won (4-2) all the few games (six) played in the first decade of the 20th century, assuming an even greater superiority in the second, with 13 wins, against just five of the lions.
The eagles had ten more victories, but Sporting responded: it was better in the following four decades and at the end of the 1949/50 season it had already turned its history around: 56 wins, against 54 for Benfica.
Sporting’s best period was the 1940s, with more than 50% wins (21 of 40) and 101 goals -a record for any decade-, in the midst of the reign of the five violins (Peyroteo, Vasques, Albano, Travaços and Jesús Belt).
Afterwards, the Luz club came to dominate completely and reigned for the next four decades, especially in the 1970s, still with the Black Panther Eusébio da Silva Ferreira dictating the laws: 15 wins in 27 games (55.6%).
The lions were balanced in the first decade of the 21st century (eight wins for each side and as many draws), but, in the second, Benfica was relentless, with 15 wins, against only five, and 43 goals scored, against 24.
Benfica and Sporting face each other on Sunday, starting at 6:00 p.m., at the Estádio da Luz, in Lisbon, in matchday 16 of the 2022/23 edition of the 1st Portuguese football league.
Source: TSF
