Europa League Final 2014: European League final 2013-14 Sevilla last obstacle for the Lisbon Eagles
Will Jesus free Benfica from Bela Guttman's curse?
Ozren Podnar
It's been 52 years since the Hungarian manager Bela Guttmann cursed Benfica for denying him a pay rise after he took them to two consecutive European Champions' Cup. Handing in his resignation, he snapped at the president: "You won't win another European trophy in a hundred years."
So far Guttman's curse has proven true because the Portuguese side have lost all seven continental finals in which they took part since 1952. Each one in a dramatic fashion, too.
1963. Benfica 1-2 Milan, after being 1-0 up
1965. Benfica 0-1 Inter, away at San Siro and with a man down through injury
1968. Benfica 1-4 Manchester Utd., at Wembley in extra time
1983. Benfica 0-1 1-1 Anderlecht
1988. Benfica 0-0 PSV Eindhoven, 5-6 on penalties
1990. Benfica 0-1 Milan
2003. Benfica 1-2 Chelsea, through a 92nd minute goal
But, could the sheer amount of bad luck Benfica experienced a year ago have helped the curse to unravel faster?
The previous season was supposed to be the most successful for Benfica since the golden days of the sixties when Eusébio, Coluna, Simoes, and José Aguas spread the club's glory worldwide.
Last year, by mid-May, the unbeaten Red Eagles needed just a point at Porto to secure the league championship.
In the national cup decider they were to face a not-too-impressive Vitoria Guimaraes. An erratic Chelsea were awaiting them in the Europa League finals. Two, perhaps three trophies seemed well within reach.
Two weeks from hell
Two weeks later, Benfica were left with nothing. In the League championship big match Porto snatched the winner in added time through Kelvin. Four days later, also in injury time, Branislav Ivanović prolonged Benfica's European misery. Finally, the demoralized "Aguias Encarnadas" fell in the Portuguese Cup too.
All three games lost 1-2, twice after being ahead, twice in referee's time. It could not be a coincidence, surely? Then in the opening match of the new League championship Benfica stumbled at Maritimo. You guessed it, 1-2, again through a late goal.
A quadruple crown in sight
The Portuguese public were sure it was the end for manager Jorge Jesus, but his mentor, the chairman Luis Filipe Vieira, resisted the pressure from the media, directors and some of the players.
Keeping Jesus in charge must have been the moment when the cards turned. Benfica went on a rampage in the League championship, securing the title on April 20th. Last week they added the League Cup against Rio Ave and still have two more opportunities for trophies until May is over.
In fact, on Wednesday in Turin the Reds will be favourites against the Sevilla of Ivan Rakitić and Carlos Bacca to break the evil spell cast on them by Guttmann.
Appeasement policy
Should that happen, maybe it will be down to the two-meter high bronze statue of Bela Guttmann revealed last February in front of the Estadio Luz in Lisbon.
The symbolic gesture was apparently to appease the ghost of the angry manager who passed away in 1981. Still, one such stunt 24 years ago failed.
Eusebio, the greatest player in the club's history, went to Guttmann's grave in Vienna and prayed for him to lift the curse. It didn't help. The next day, Benfica lost the European Cup final to AC Milan by a single goal.
Was the homage with the statue sufficient? Could it help that today's manager is called Jesus? Have the debts been paid prematurely? We'll see late on Wednesday evening at the end of the all-Iberian Benfica vs Sevilla affair.
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