Another step in the tribute match at the Cathedral

Three days after the friendly match against Brentford, which marked Benfica's return to the Cathedral for the 2024/25 pre-season, the Estádio da Luz is once again the stage for another preparation match for the new season. This Sunday, July 28, at 8 pm, Roger Schmidt's men take on Feyenoord in a special match, as it's the 12th edition of the Eusébio Cup, the trophy that honors the eternal King!

As we count down to the first official matches, the pre-season, which began on July 3, has been marked by very good indicators.

The fans have always shown immense affection for the team, and this support was evident in Águeda, the venue for the first two games against Farense and Celta de Vigo. In Thonon-les-Bains, against Almería, the Eagles witnessed a huge crowd in the French town on the border with Switzerland.

Ahead of the Eusébio Cup, on Thursday, July 25, the Reds faced the Brentford. At the Estádio da Luz, in front of 40,826 fans, the signs were very positive for the Eagles, who showed excellent levels of intensity in their pressing and reaction after losing the ball. In the clash with the English side, Benfica's goal was scored by Pavlidis, a striker who, on his debut in the Cathedral, took his tally of goals in the current pre-season to five.

The fifth preparation match for 2024/25 will be another opportunity to confirm the good indicators shown by Roger Schmidt's men. Benfica will face Feyenoord, the Dutch runners-up, against whom they have played a dozen times, four of them in official matches and in the so-called European Cup.

In these matches, Eusébio is linked to history, as he was the scorer of Benfica's first goal against the Dutch, on the way to the final of the European competition in 1963, in which AC Milan would be the opponents. In the second leg of the semi-final, on May 8 of that year, at the Estádio da Luz, the King led the way to a 3-1 victory and qualification for the final, after a 1-1 draw in the Netherlands in the first leg.

Back in 1971/72, the two teams met in the quarter-finals of Europe's most important club competition. In the first leg, on March 8, 1972, in Rotterdam, the result was negative (1-0), but at home, the Glorioso won 5-1 to turn the tie around on March 22, 1972.

In a look back at friendly matches, it's worth noting that the Reds' presentation match in the new Estádio da Luz on August 9, 2008. Benfica won 1-0, with a goal from Óscar Cardozo, in the first match between the two teams in the new Cathedral.

All in all, taking official and friendly matches into account, this will be Benfica's 4th match at Estádio da Luz with Feyenoord, the second in the new Cathedral.

The club's greatest figure, Eusébio, who died on January 5, 2014, will once again be honored in the 12th edition of the trophy bearing his name, created by Benfica, which dedicated an exclusive space to him in the Museum and erected a statue, inaugurated in 1992 on the occasion of the King's 50th birthday.

The first edition of the Eusébio Cup took place on August 15, 2008, and the Black Panther symbolically kicked off against Inter.

In the 11th edition of the Eusébio Cup, in 2022, Benfica faced Newcastle and lifted the trophy (3-2), in yet another tribute to the King.