Benfica breaks negative record for defeats in the Champions Leag..

With two defeats against Real Madrid in the play-off for access to the round of 16, Benfica broke the record for defeats in a single edition of the Champions League, totaling seven losses in the new format of UEFA’s main competition, surpassing the negative record of six defeats registered in the 2017/18 season.

Benfica started this edition on the wrong foot, accumulating four consecutive defeats, losing successively to Qarabag (2-3), Chelsea (0-1), Newcastle (0-3) and Bayer Leverkusen (0-1). Victories over Ajax (2-0) and Napoli (2-0) put Mourinho’s team back in the running, before another defeat, in the visit to Turin, against Juventus (0-2).

Qualification for the play=offs began on the final matchday with a historic victory over Real Madrid (4-2) at the Estádio da Luz, in what was the first of three matches between the two clubs, an unprecedented detail in the Champions League. In the play=offs, Benfica lost the first leg at the Luz (0-1) and, this Wednesday, lost again at the Santiago Bernabéu (1-2), reaching seven defeats.

Another defeat in what was already a terrible 2016/17 season, in which Benfica lost all six group stage matches, finishing with zero points, only one goal scored and 14 conceded: CSAK Moscow (at home, 1-2), Basel (away, 0-5), Manchester United (at home, 0-1), Manchester United (away, 0-2), CSAK Moscow (away, 0-2) and Basel (at home, 0-2).

Benfica out of the knockout stage for the first time since 2020/21

In addition to having their worst losing record, Benfica failed to qualify for the round of 16 of a European competition for the first time since 2020/21.

In the last four seasons, Benfica had reached the quarter=finals three times in a row, and last season they were eliminated in the round of 16. This time, they were only knocked out in the play=off round.