Flying the Eagles high

More great results, the win over rangers was best.

Keep the unbeaten run up!

Here are some more matches. Almost up to date with the savegame, now.

Reserve Benfica good enough for Feirense.

Benfica fielded a squad with less used players in this league match but it was more than enough to beat just-promoted Feirense by 3 - 0. Domination from the Eagles was so big that Feirense actually ended the match without a single shot on goal. "Well, I am not complaining, but the level of some teams in the Liga Sagres is very bad", commented Mr. Hughes. "Portuguese league should be more competitive. It should keep the bigger teams on their toes and increase the number of smaller teams that can up their game and challenge for an european place. Sadly, that is not happening."



Benfica squad: Eduardo; Degen, Miguel Vitor, Garay (Jardel, 78), Emerson; Matic, César Peixoto (David Simão, 57), Bruno César; Babangida, Nolito, Rodrigo (Rodrigo Mora, 57).

Tight match ends up in a boring draw.

Benfica visited Belgian champions Genk and faced a defensive wall that proved insurmountable. The Genk defenders had a field day while Benfica tried their best but couldn't hit the back of the net. Mr. Hughes was visibly upset, but remains confident on the qualification. "It was a bit of a let down not to be able to score here, as we were expecting to win this match. Their defense was very tight, I guess it just wasn't our day."
On another topic, Mr. Hughes also revealed that Maxi Pereira renewed his contract until 2014 while Aimar will stay one year longer, until 2013. "Saviola hasn't renewed yet, and we don't know if he will", the manager stated.


Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Capdevila; Ruben Amorim, Witsel, Aimar (Saviola, 65); Gaitán (Bruno César, 73), Nolito (Enzo Pérez, 60), Cardozo.

Nacional plays well but Benfica takes the win.

3 - 0 doesn't really do justice to the match, as Nacional was a match to Benfica's attacking onslaught. Artur had a rough day in goal as Nacional's men manage to create plenty of scoring opportunities, but couldn't get the ball in. On the other side, Benfica showed some more cold finishing and ended up bagging the 7th consecutive win in the league. Cardozo suffered a knock, but Mr. Hughes reassured the supporters: "It doesn't look serious. He may be out for a week or so, but should be available against Chelsea."


Luisão (6)
Aimar (39, 89)

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Capdevila; Ruben Amorim, Enzo Pérez, Aimar, Nolito (Bruno César, 60); Cardozo (Babangida, 63), Saviola (Rodrigo, 60).


September has ended and with 7 rounds in, Benfica and Porto share the lead with 7 wins. Benfica's demolishing 27 goals in 7 matches strike terror in the oposition and many pundits are wondering for how long Benfica's smashing run can continue. Sporting lost at home against Porto and now trails 3 points behind the leading duo.

Keep it up mate! Loving this!

Good job in the league!

After a 15 day break for National team matches, Benfica is back into action with an easy cup game, two league matches and a tough home game against Chelsea. Scroll down to see how it all went!

No surprises in a very one-sided cup tie.

Benfica hosted lower league side Sertanense for the Portuguese Cup 3rd round and caused no shock by winning 6 - 1. An incredible mixup by keeper Eduardo and centre back Garay allowed for the visitors' goal and is the only blemish on an otherwise good game. "I'm happy for the win, he had some youngsters out there that did good." - Mr. Hughes said. "About that goal, I really don't want to dwell on it and neither should the players. It was an embarrassing moment and everyone wants to move on."

Miguel Vitor (15)
Bruno César (37)
David Simão (44)
Rodrigo Mora (47)

Dani (49)

Rodrigo (58)
Witsel (74)

Benfica squad: Eduardo; Degen (Garay, 45), Miguel Vitor, Jardel, Emerson; Ruben Amorim, David Simão (Witsel, 55), Babangida, Bruno César; Rodrigo Mora (Gaitán, 55), Rodrigo.

Benfica feel like they might have won; Chelsea takes the point.

Benfica and Chelsea measured strengths in a great european night at Stadium of Light. Benfica fielded an offensive team and dueled with the Blues as equals. However, former Benfica fan favorite David Luiz took the best of a rebound from a corner and placed the visitors in the lead. Benfica struck back 4 minutes later when a header by Garay was deflected by Ashley Cole into his own goal. Saviola saw a ball hit the woodwork in the second half, but the score wouldn't change until the final whistle. "I am happy with the draw but I feel that we might have won the match. We certainly played well enough." When asked if the team missed Cardozo, that didn't recover from his injury on time, Mr. Hughes said: "He is a good striker but so are the others in the squad. I trust my lads to do a good job, independently of who plays. Although I have to say that seeing David Luiz score a goal against us felt a bit awkward." Benfica has 5 points in 3 games in group A and splits the lead with Chelsea.

David Luiz (41)

Ashley Cole (og 45)

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Capdevila; Witsel, Ruben Amorim (César Peixoto, 83), Aimar (Bruno César, 66); Enzo Pérez, Gaitán (Nolito, 81), Saviola.

Superb Cardozo returns with a hat-trick.

Benfica saw powerful striker Cardozo return from his injury in time to score three goals against Marítimo in today's league match. Benfica did well to cut off supply from Marítimo's midfielders and controlled the match from beginning to end. "Cardozo is back and he's eager to make up for the lost time." - Said Mr. Hughes. Given the good performances from Cardozo when compared with the lack of goals from Saviola, Mr. Hughes was again confronted with the contract renewal issue. "I don't know. We have time until January to renew with Saviola if he so desires, after that the hunting season opens." - a snarky comment on the argentinian player who is nicknamed "El Conejo" - The Rabbit.


Cardozo (26, 61, 88)

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Miguel Vitor (Jardel, 82), Capdevila; Ruben Amorim, Witsel (Garay, 66), Aimar; Gaitán, Nolito (Bruno César, 76), Cardozo.

Benfica sweats to beat Académica in another Cardozo show.

Paraguayan striker Oscar Cardozo was again under the spotlight as he helped Benfica win their 9th win in a row in the Liga Sagres. Visiting Académica, Cardozo hit twice for good measure. "We're still on top, and we just hope that Porto might lose some points soon." Mr. Hughes was visibly happy with the result, but aware that Porto also is keeping their straight win record. "It's going to be a hectic race against them. They are also playing well. I just wished we could play against them as soon as possible and try to break their momentum."

Cardozo (12, 49)
Bruno César (36)

Detura (47)

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Emerson (César Peixoto, 68); Ruben Amorim, Witsel, Bruno César; Nolito, Enzo Pérez (Babangida, 68), Cardozo (Rodrigo, 68).

Great Result against Chelsea! Great job :).

Hi all again, here are the news for the month of November!

Benfica loses to clinical Chelsea at Stamford Bridge.

Benfica suffered their first defeat in official matches this season, losing to Chlesea by 1 - 0. Benfica fielded a counter-attack strategy that actually managed to create a fair amount of scoring opportunities, but forwards Nolito and Saviola were particularly uninspired today. Chelsea controlled the possession without making a great game, but it was enough to beat Benfica with a powerful strike by Mata. "It was a shame for Maxi Pereira, he did an amazing game, had one slip and Mata scored. That's football." Mr. Hughes still has reasons to smile since Benfica can guarantee qualification in the last 2 rounds by playing Rangers away and Genk at home. They are now second in group A with 5 points, three behind Chelsea and one above Genk.


Mata (41)

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, César Peixoto; Ruben Amorim, Matic (Cardozo, 75), Witsel (Aimar, 42); Gaitán, Nolito (Enzo Pérez, 59), Saviola.

Benfica score important win at rival's home.

Local Lisbon derby placed Sporting CP against Benfica at Estádio José Alvalade XXI in a very tactical match. Both teams spent most of the game studying themselves and playing only by the book, with little space for creativity. Sub Gaitán came in to shake things up and score the winning goal for the Eagles 5 minutes to the end. Mr. Hughes was visibly happy with the win. "It's always good to win these derbies and more important, to win them away. We showed that the defeat against Chelsea didn't break our run, we're still fresh as ever." Benfica's Oscar Cardozo complained of a penalty that wasn't pointed. "Yeah, maybe, I don't know. I don't want to comment on that, it was a tough call for the ref."



Benfica squad: Atur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Miguel Vitor, Emerson; Ruben Amorim, Witsel (Jardel, 73), Aimar (Garay, 86); Enzo Pérez, Rodrigo (Gaitán, 63), Cardozo.

Benfica carries on in the cup.

Olhanense was beaten at home by Benfica with no surprise. Enzo Pérez was a loose devil in the field, making the assists to all Benfica goals. Sub Babangida scored the last goal with a magnificent effort from outside the box. "It was a good game" - commented Mr. Hughes - "Bab came in well. We had to play the last 5 minutes with 10 men due to Degen's injury, but we came out on top." Swiss defender Philip Degen suffered an injury during the match and may be sidelined for 2 months.

Gaitán (34)
Cardozo (40)

André Pinto(48)

Babangida (89)

Benfica squad: Eduardo; Maxi Pereira (Degen, 75), Luisão, Garay, Capdevila; Javi Garcia, Witsel, Aimar; Enzo Pérez, Gaitán (Babangida, 61), Cardozo (Rodrigo, 61).

Benfica secure massive win at Ibrox.

Great match with goals aplenty in Scotland as local Rangers received Benfica and had to win to keep in the race for qualification. Benfica, however, proved to be too strong and went home with a narrow 3 - 2 win. Lafferty was on form for Rangers as he scored 2 goals and might felt he could have done more. Mr. Hughes was quite happy at the press conference, even more so after hearing about Chelsea's surprising defeat in Belgium against Genk. "Well, it was a hard fought battle but we won. We're back on top against Chelsea. We need to win in the last round against Genk and hopefully Rangers will do their part and we might even finish top of the group." Benfica maintains a good run this season, but the defense seems faltering. "As long as we score more than we concede, it's fine", said Mr. Hughes. Chelsea and Benfica split the lead with 8 points in 5 games, Genk trails behind with 7. All is going to be decided in the final round as Benfica plays Genk at Lisbon and Chelsea will travel to Ibrox to play Rangers.

Gaitán (9)

Kyle Lafferty (34, 90)

Enzo Pérez (36)
Luisão (45)

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Capdevila; Javi Garcia (Matic, 59), Ruben Amorim, Aimar (Bruno César, 63); Enzo Pérez, Gaitán, Cardozo (Saviola, 72).

Benfica smashes Rio Ave with a handful of goals.

Benfica returned to the big numbers at Stadium of Light by beating Rio Ave 5 goals against 1. Aimar was the man of the match as he scored and feed lots of dangerous balls, ripping the Rio Ave defense apart. A bad mistake by keeper Artur resulted in Saulo's goal for Rio Ave. Mr. Hughes was obviously happy with the win and he made a revelation when asked for future signings: "it's a good result, it keeps us on top with nothing but wins. We're having a great season. Yes, we are going to bring in one player in January. You're going to love it, he's a magnificent player and will be a definite addition to the team." Speculation is high on who the player might be, although it's a general consensus that it should be a renowned centre back.

Garay (4)
Nolito (17)

Saulo (23)

Cardozo (30)
Aimar (61)
Zé Gomes (og 76)

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira (Miguel Vitor, 61), Luisão, Garay, Emerson; Ruben Amorim (Javi Garcia, 61), Aimar, Nolito, Enzo Pérez; Rodrigo (Witsel, 61), Cardozo.

Lucky Benfica strikes down Setúbal.

Benfica did the bare minimum to beat Setúbal at Stadium of Light for the Portuguese Cup. Both teams seemed evenly matched during most of the team, which is a consequence of Benfica's poor display. Mr. Hughes was cautious: "I was not that good today. We won, but we have to step up our game against stronger teams." Mr. Hughes still wouldn't disclose who the January signing will be. "I said what I had to say last week, and until January all you can do is speculate. Good evening, gentlemen." Bets are on brazillian defenders Douglas, Dedé or Rafael Tolói, but nothing is certain at the time.

José Pedro (17)

Ricardo (og 35)
Babangida (60)

Benfica squad: Artur; Miguel Vitor, Luisão, Garay, Emerson; Ruben Amorim, Enzo Pérez, Bruno César (Babangida, 58), Gaitán; Cardozo (Javi Garcia, 21), Rodrigo (Saviola, 54).

Liga ZON Sagres November roundup.

Benfica and Porto are having amazing runs in the league with 11 straight wins in as many rounds. Sporting, losing to both Benfica and Porto, are now trailing by 6 points and given the leading duo's performances, they will find hard to catch up. Nacional is 4th but the gap between them and the leading two is already 12 points.

Doing well mate :D.

You should get to about these:
UEFA champions league:
Last 16/Last 8, POSSIBLY last 4.
Portuguese cup:
Winner/Runner up.
Portuguese League:
Winner/Runner up.

All looks bright for the eagles.

# Atreidas : Doing well mate :D.

You should get to about these:
UEFA champions league:
Last 16/Last 8, POSSIBLY last 4.
Portuguese cup:
Winner/Runner up.
Portuguese League:
Winner/Runner up.

All looks bright for the eagles.

Hi Atreidas,

I'll try to win everything domestic, but this FM's Porto is astonishingly powerful. I don't know if my team will be able to keep up with them unless they lose some key players in January. Their coach in FM is much more capable than the real one, haha; as for the CL, we'll see, it's not the priority this year

# mr_hughes : Hi Atreidas,

I'll try to win everything domestic, but this FM's Porto is astonishingly powerful. I don't know if my team will be able to keep up with them unless they lose some key players in January. Their coach in FM is much more capable than the real one, haha; as for the CL, we'll see, it's not the priority this year

Who knows...
You could win em all

Hello all,
Here it is the December update for my FM history. Things went well in the Champions League, even though I couldn’t qualify top of the group, so expect to see some big fish coming Benfica’s way which may hinder the team’s progress in the competition.
December is also the do-or-don’t month for contract renewals… Will Saviola stay in Benfica? Scroll down and find out!

Benfica wins at home and secures a place in the next round.

Genk boys were no pushovers as they made it abundantly clear throughout the group stage. With everything to be decided, Benfica had to, at least, draw, in order to proceed. By winning, Benfica secured the qualification with the same points as Chelsea, that also won against Rangers in Ibrox. “Qualifying for the elimination round was our main objective”, stated Mr. Hughes, “and we’re pleased that we made it. Of course, we would like to have won the group, but it was a hard road to get here and we’re very pleased how things went, in general.” One lone goal by Aimar right in the first minute was all it took for Benfica to win. Things got ugly towards the end of the match and Genk saw Simaeys sent off with a direct red card in overtime.

Aimar (1)

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Capdevila; Javi Garcia, Witsel (Ruben Amorim, 67), Aimar; Gaitán, Nolito (Bruno César, 77), Cardozo (Saviola, 67).

Fragile defense almost compromises the result for Benfica.

Benfica’s defensive woes were put to light as the team visited bottom-feeders Vit. Setúbal. The locals were always very dangerous and the Benfica’s defense seemed very nervous throughout the game. Only a brilliant header by Luisão close to the end managed to secure the win in a match that could easily have gone the other way. “Obviously that I’m happy we got the 3 points but with such an experienced defense as we have, it worries me to concede so many goals of late. We have to address this.” Mr. Hughes still denied to comment on the January signings. As for renewals, the comment was short: “time is running out and it doesn’t seem that any progress is being made.” It is quite possible that Saviola may well leave the club already in January since apparently the renewal process is not going well.

Tengarrinha (og 1)

Edson Rivera (5)
Matic (og 42)

Cardozo (47)
Luisão (85)

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Emerson; Javi Garcia, Matic, Witsel (Nolito, 45) (Rodrigo, 63), Aimar (Bruno César, 84); Enzo Pérez, Cardozo.

Solid win by Benfica keeps them on top.

Benfica had an easier game than the 2 – 0 scoreline might suggest. Guimarães seldom bothered keeper Eduardo and committed too many fouls in the last 20 minutes of play, which made them finish the game with only 9 players on the field. Mr. Hughes commented on Guimarães aggressive behavior: “It’s a shame that when a team cannot play competitively, they resort to abusive fouling. Guimarães are better than this, but just look at the stats. Two red cards, eight yellows.” Mr. Hughes then proceeded to compliment Eduardo: “he is a great professional. Most of the time he has been sidelined by Artur, but he was very well out there today. It shows that we have two good goalkeepers to count on.”


Cardozo (17)
Witsel (pen 70)

Benfica squad: Eduardo; Ruben Amorim, Luisão, Miguel Vítor, Capdevila (Emerson, 59); Javi Garcia, Witsel, Aimar; Enzo Pérez, Bruno César (Rodrigo, 59), Cardozo (Saviola, 76).

Benfica humbles Guimarães for cup tie.

Second match between Benfica and Guimarães in the space of one week, and another win for the Eagles. This time, with a superb display by Saviola, that scored a hat-trick. Saviola has been sidelined most of the recent matches and there are many doubts about his future in Benfica. The high wage, more than 2,5 million euros per year, and the rotation status that Mr. Hughes imposed on the player, may force him to leave soon, or at the end of the season. “It was a good way of closing the year”, Mr. Hughes said. “We are now going to enjoy the break, recover our energies to be ready for the next month. Saviola played very well today, I know that this is what he’s capable of, it’s just a shame that these displays from him are few and far between.” Mr. Hughes finally revealed the big signing for January after some questions by the press. “I’ve been reading the newspapers and, now that the winter break is upon us and the transfer is made, I can confirm that Dedé will play for Benfica from January onwards, and that he might not be the only signing we’ll do.”


Saviola (pen 38, 45, 47)
Matic (57)

Benfica squad: Eduardo; Ruben Amorim, Luisão, Miguel Vitor, Capdevila; Matic, Witsel, Aimar (Bruno César, 66); Enzo Pérez (Babangida, 45), Rodrigo, Saviola (Rodrigo Mora, 66).

December Liga ZON Sagres roundup:
Benfica and Porto are still locked in an amazing fight for the leadership as both teams count 13 wins in as many rounds. Benfica’s better goal average gives them the 1st place, but everything can change in early January as Porto will host the exciting derby between the two teams. Sporting continues 6 points away, waiting for any slip from the leaders to close in for the Champions League placement fight.


Champions League roundup and first knockout round draw:

Benfica came in second with the same points as Group A leaders Chelsea, but losing out on direct confrontation. It was a tough group for everyone, with Genk being a thorn on the side of both Chelsea and Benfica. Genk will now follow to Europa League and Rangers are out of the European competitions for this year.
In the draw held this week in Strasbourg, Benfica will have a very tough challenge ahead of them as they travel to Old Trafford and play candidates Manchester United. Real Madrid and Inter will face-off in an action packed tie where José Mourinho will try to beat his old team. In other interesting draws, Arsenal will duel with current Portuguese champions and Europa League winners FC Porto, while European champions Barcelona will have to travel to Russia to play CSKA Moscow.

I like Benfica, I'll follow this.

# mr_hughes : Here are some more matches. Almost up to date with the savegame, now.

Reserve Benfica good enough for Feirense.

Benfica fielded a squad with less used players in this league match but it was more than enough to beat just-promoted Feirense by 3 - 0. Domination from the Eagles was so big that Feirense actually ended the match without a single shot on goal. "Well, I am not complaining, but the level of some teams in the Liga Sagres is very bad", commented Mr. Hughes. "Portuguese league should be more competitive. It should keep the bigger teams on their toes and increase the number of smaller teams that can up their game and challenge for an european place. Sadly, that is not happening."

Liga ZON Sagres - Round 6

Feirense 0 - 3 BENFICA

Nolito (4)
Babangida (8)
Luciano (og 63)

Benfica squad: Eduardo; Degen, Miguel Vitor, Garay (Jardel, 78), Emerson; Matic, César Peixoto (David Simão, 57), Bruno César; Babangida, Nolito, Rodrigo (Rodrigo Mora, 57).

Tight match ends up in a boring draw.

Benfica visited Belgian champions Genk and faced a defensive wall that proved insurmountable. The Genk defenders had a field day while Benfica tried their best but couldn't hit the back of the net. Mr. Hughes was visibly upset, but remains confident on the qualification. "It was a bit of a let down not to be able to score here, as we were expecting to win this match. Their defense was very tight, I guess it just wasn't our day."
On another topic, Mr. Hughes also revealed that Maxi Pereira renewed his contract until 2014 while Aimar will stay one year longer, until 2013. "Saviola hasn't renewed yet, and we don't know if he will", the manager stated.

Champions League Group A - Round 2

Genk 0 - 0 BENFICA

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Capdevila; Ruben Amorim, Witsel, Aimar (Saviola, 65); Gaitán (Bruno César, 73), Nolito (Enzo Pérez, 60), Cardozo.

Nacional plays well but Benfica takes the win.

3 - 0 doesn't really do justice to the match, as Nacional was a match to Benfica's attacking onslaught. Artur had a rough day in goal as Nacional's men manage to create plenty of scoring opportunities, but couldn't get the ball in. On the other side, Benfica showed some more cold finishing and ended up bagging the 7th consecutive win in the league. Cardozo suffered a knock, but Mr. Hughes reassured the supporters: "It doesn't look serious. He may be out for a week or so, but should be available against Chelsea."

Liga ZON Sagres - Round 7

BENFICA 3 - 0 Nacional

Luisão (6)
Aimar (39, 89)

Benfica squad: Artur; Maxi Pereira, Luisão, Garay, Capdevila; Ruben Amorim, Enzo Pérez, Aimar, Nolito (Bruno César, 60); Cardozo (Babangida, 63), Saviola (Rodrigo, 60).

Liga ZON Sagres September roundup.

September has ended and with 7 rounds in, Benfica and Porto share the lead with 7 wins. Benfica's demolishing 27 goals in 7 matches strike terror in the oposition and many pundits are wondering for how long Benfica's smashing run can continue. Sporting lost at home against Porto and now trails 3 points behind the leading duo.

Hi there ive just started at benfica and was wonderig what the values of Babangida, Degen and salvio are?

Keep it up!

# Duncanwilliam7 : Hi there ive just started at benfica and was wonderig what the values of Babangida, Degen and salvio are?

Hi there,

Salvio is no longer at Benfica, since he was on loan from Atletico Madrid last season, and he's probably expensive now. Assuming that you meant Stélvio, him, Babangida and Degen are all on free transfer at the start of the season and their wage demands are quite affordable. I actually wanted to sign Carlos Diogo instead of Degen but he wanted a millionaire wage...