Despite a league and cup double, John Mortimore was replaced with Ebbe Skovdahl, who failed to meet expectations, being sacked before the end of November.

Eliminating Partizani Tirana, Aarhus, Anderlecht and Steaua București, Benfica met PSV Eindhoven in the European Cup final.

Without a key player like Diamantino, Benfica employed a cautious tactic, with the final being decided on the penalty-spot, where they lost, after van Breukelen defended a shot from Veloso.

[3] To fit in new President João Santos electoral strategy, for a "European Benfica", several names were discussed, such as Carlos Alberto Parreira, Telê Santana and Javier Clemente.

[7] In the transfer market, Benfica added several players, most notably, Elzo Coelho,[8] Fernando Chalana,[9] Carlos Mozer and Mats Magnusson.

[13][14] The pre-season started on 21 July with medical exams, followed by a trip to Switzerland the next day, where the team would play in the Philips Tournament.

Losses against Setúbal, Marítimo and Desportivo de Chaves led to immense pressure from the fans and four months into the season, on 28 November, he was sacked.

But he had that last minute misfortune [Diamantino's injury]...So he had to play in Stuttgart with Mauser rifles against an opponent equipped with laser guns.

So to counter that, Benfica set up traps in a Portuguese way and passed unscathed through the game, even managing to overcome the deficit in potential and power between us until the end.

[26] In the final, Benfica also saw Rui Águas leave the pitch in the second half due to injury, forcing Toni to use Wando as forward.