The Day Benfica Played…Benfica!

On June 26, 2005, the London Cover Road Stadium hosted a game that would be remembered for ages. Late that Sunday afternoon, Benfica won but, inevitably, it also lost. It was the day that Benfica played Benfica.

It was the second game of another round of the Ontario Cup. Sport London Benfica was matched against its Toronto counterpart. The game began late due to mechanical problems on the bus that transported the team from the Benfica House of Toronto, but the wait was definitely worth it as the teams battled to the last minute to determine which of the Benficas would go through to the next round. Meanwhile, London Portuguese watched from the stands with a spot already guaranteed in the next stage having beaten AEK London (1-0) in the previous game.

Tony Campos, then reporter for Jornal Flash, covered the game extensively. According to his commentary, Benfica of Toronto took control of the game from early on. Halfway through the half, in a span of six minutes, Sam placed them ahead by two goals to nil, a score that persisted until both teams headed for a deserved break.

In the second half, Sport London Benfica came determined to make it a game. In the fifth minute, it could have reduced the difference to one goal, but it was Benfica of Toronto that scored once again, ten minutes in and this time by Castro, to make it 3-0. Although they now had a steep mountain to climb, the reds of London had not lost their determination. They began to take control of the game and to create a few half-chances, mainly from wing play. It paid off at the 15^th minute mark with the 1-3, scored by Jason Carrelas who, fifteen minutes later, added another to make it a one goal game. The Londoners pressed until the final whistle but Pedro, the opposing keeper, saved the visitors from giving up a three goal lead.

In its analysis of the game, Tony Campos reported that the first half was dominated by the Benfica House of Toronto but that the London counterpart was the better team in the second half. According to him, the home team “woke up too late.”

Mário João Narciso, then President of the Benfica House of Toronto, was also acting coach for the away team on that day. When asked about his comments on the game, he said that “it was a victory for Benfica. I would rather play Sport London Benfica in the final, of course, but it happened now. I think that we deserved the win after what we did in the first half. Congratulations to Benfica of London and thank you for hosting us at their home. Now we will do our best to win this trophy, which we have been chasing for a long time. Maybe this will be the year, with sacrifice, dedication and, above all, love for Sport Lisboa e Benfica.”   

Nuno Medeiros, head coach of Sport London Benfica, offered the following comments: “I was personally confused with the type of football we presented in the first half, which I think we need to forget, but in the second half I think that we dominated, we scored, we were more focused, and we chased the result until the last minute. We just needed a bit of luck. I think a draw at the end of 90 minutes would have been a fair result, but so is football.”

Benfica of Toronto’s run in the 2005 edition of the Ontario Cup would end in the semi-finals, but it would once again win the Toronto Soccer Association League. Sport London Benfica, although disappointed after being knocked out so early in the Ontario Cup, ended the season on a high by winning the Southwestern Ontario Soccer League for the first time in its history.