S.L. Benfica (handball)

Benfica
Full name	Sport Lisboa e Benfica
Founded	8 May 1932
Arena	Pavilhão da Luz Nº 2
Capacity	1,800
President	Felipe Gomes
Head coach	Mariano Ortega
League	Andebol 1
2014–15	3rd
Colours
Club colours
Home Away
Website Official site

Active departments of Sport Lisboa e Benfica
Football	Futsal	Basketball
Roller hockey	Handball	Volleyball
Rugby union	Athletics	Swimming
Table tennis	Billiards	Canoeing

Sport Lisboa e Benfica is a professional handball team based in Lisbon, Portugal. Benfica play in the top tier domestic league, the Andebol 1.

They play home matches at the Pavilhão da Luz Nº 2 arena. The club also has a reserve team, Benfica B, which plays in the Portuguese Handball Second Division.^[1]

History

Beginning

Founded on 8 May 1932, it endured a troubled start, shortly after being founded, the section was shutdown from 1939 to 1942–43 in a conflict between Benfica and the Handball Federation.^[2] Until the sixties, handball was played by eleven players, and after 1962–63 in another dispute with Handball Federation it closed the eleven players handball team and opted for the current Team handball^[3] The handball section did not achieve success until 1961–62, being overshadowed by the football, cycling, basketball and roller hockey sections during that time.

Golden years

After a period of dominance by crosstown rivals Sporting CP, Benfica experienced great success in the 1980s and early 1990s, led by Romanian coach Eugene Troffin and later Ângelo Pintado,^[4] along with players like Angolan Paulo Bunze,^[5]Swedish internacional Fredrik Appelgren,^[6] Romanians Dogărescu, Covaciu, and Drăgăniță,^[7] and Portuguese goalkeeper João Santa Barbara, wingman Mário Gentil,^[8] Vasco Vasconcelos, Luis Lopes and Rui Ferreira,^[9] winning four National Championships, three Portuguese Handball Cup and two Portuguese Handball Super Cup

Decay

In 1997–98 season, President João Vale e Azevedo decided to shutdown the section.^[10] The next season, the section was restarted, but from the Regional Championship, 4 divisions away from the Top division^[11]

Rebuilding years

After years in anonymity, in 2005, Benfica hired former ABC Braga coach, Aleksander Donner in a three-year deal.^[12] Due to dispute between Liga and Handball Federation which managed the Divisão de Elite, there where 2 simultaneous championships. In 2005–06, Benfica played in Divisão de Elite. In 2006–07, Benfica joined Liga Portuguesa de Andebol along with Sporting CP, during this season Benfica won their first title since 1994, the Portuguese Handball League Cup^[13] The following season, Benfica finally achieved their first league title since 1990.^[14] Aleksander Donner didn't renew his contract at the end of the season.^[15]

Recent years

To replace Donner, Benfica hired coach José António Silva, who won 3 titles in 3 years, the 2008–09 Portuguese Handball League Cup, 2010–11 Portuguese Handball Cup^[16] and 2010–11 Portuguese Handball Super Cup^[17] In 2010–11, Benfica reached the final of the EHF Challenge Cup but lost to RK Cimos Koper.^[18] In 2011–12, coach José António Silva was replaced by another former ABC Braga coach, Jorge Rito.^[19] Benfica finished their first season with Jorge Rito in fourth.^[20] On 2 September 2012, Jorge Rito won his first title for Benfica, the clubs's fourth Super Cup.^[21] The season ended with only a second place in the League.^[22] In 2013–14, Benfica performances worsened, finishing the league in fourth place. Jorge Rito did not renew his contract and was replaced by Mariano Ortega.^[23][24] On 3 April 2016, Benfica, who had beaten rivals FC Porto in the semi-finals the day before,^[25] beat Lisbon rivals Sporting in the final and conquered their fifth Portuguese Cup.^[26][27]

Results in European competitions

Season	Competition	Round	Opposition	Score
1962–63	European Cup	Round 1	Atlético Madrid BM	13–6 (N)
1975–76	European Cup	Round 1	CB Alicante	Withdrew
1982–83	European Cup	Round 1	FC Barcelona	25–32 (N) 18–32 (N)
1983–84	European Cup	Round 1	ATSE Graz	25–25 (H) 20–29 (A)
1987–88	EHF Cup Winners' Cup	Round 1	Atlético Madrid BM	21–20 (H) 11–29 (A)
1989–90	European Cup	Round 1	FC Barcelona	20–18 (H) 17–28 (A)
1990–91	European Cup	Round 1	Red Boys Differdange	28–18 (H) 26–28 (A)
		Round 2	USAM Nîmes	23–21 (H) 23–31 (A)
1993–94	EHF City Cup	1/16 Finals	Pallamano Rubiera	27–19 (H) 20–22 (A)
		1/8 Finals	ETO Győri	24–21 (A) 19–17 (H)
		1/4 Finals	PSG Asnieres Hand-Ball	27–32 (A) 25–28 (H)
1995–96	EHF City Cup	1/16 Finals	ZMC Amicitia Zürich	19–30 (A) 30–27 (H)
1996–97	EHF City Cup	1/16 Finals	Borec Titov Veles	18–15 (A) 32–14 (H)
		1/8 Finals	Horn Sittardia	21–14 (H) 15–29 (A)
1997–98	EHF City Cup	1/16 Finals	ESN Vrilissia	26–21 (A) 30–12 (H)
		1/8 Finals	Trabzon Belediyespor	27–20 (H) 30–30 (A)
		1/4 Finals	Academia Octavio Vigo	22–32 (A) 25–23 (H)
1998–99	EHF City Cup	1/16 Finals	BSV Wacker Thun	0–10 (A) 0–10 (H)
2002–03	EHF Cup Winners' Cup	Round 3	Dennis Turku	14–26 (A) 17–25 (H)
2007–08	EHF Challenge Cup	Round 3	HC "Mojkovac"	46–22 (A) 46–26 (H)
		1/8 Final	Shakhtar-Academiya	33–26 (A) 21–25 (H)
		1/4 Final	CSU Poli-Izometal Timişoara	32–22 (H) 22–21 (A)
		1/2 Final	UCM Sport Reșița	31–26 (H) 25–32 (A)
2008–09	EHF Champions League	Qualification Round 1	A1 Bregenz	38–34 (H) 28–35 (A)
2008–09	EHF Cup	Round 2	RK Lovćen	26–28 (A) 24–23 (H)
2009–10	EHF Cup	Round 2	H/C "Tbilisi"	34–21 (H) 29–25 (A)
		Round 3	SKIF Krasnodar	29–28 (A) 35–30 (H)
		Round 4	TBV Lemgo	30–27 (A) 18–31 (H)
2010–11	EHF Challenge Cup	Round 3	CSA Steaua București	43–29 (H) 23–29 (A)
		Last 16	HC "Motor-ZNTU-ZAS"	33–28 (A) 30–23 (H)
		Quarter-final	Radnički Kragujevac	28–29 (A) 29–21 (H)
		Semi-finals	Partizan Dunav Osiguranje	30–36 (A) 33–25 (H)
		Finals	RK Cimos Koper	27–27 (H) 27–31 (A)
2011–12	EHF Cup Winners' Cup	Round 3	HC Lovćen-Cetinje	25–21 (A) 26–14 (H)
		Last 16	Pandurii Târgu Jiu	33–27 (A) 41–24 (H)
		Quarter-final	HC Celje Pivovarna Lasko	23–29 (A) 31–30 (H)
2012–13	EHF Cup	Round 1	Pfadi Winterthur	28–21 (A) 27–27 (H)
		Round 2	Loacker Südtirol Team	32–20 (A) 40–25 (H)
		Round 3	HBC Nantes	21–29 (A) 28–21 (H)
2013–14	EHF Cup	Round 2	Haukar	34–22 (A) 34–19 (H)
		Round 3	Pick Szeged	25–31 (A) 24–25 (H)
2014–15	EHF Challenge Cup	Round 3	FyllingenBergen	33–32 (H) 28–25 (A)
		Last 16	HB Dudelange	36–30 (H) 28–24 (A)
		Quarter-final	KS Azoty-Puławy	37–29 (A) 32–31 (H)
		Semi-final	Odorheiu Secuiesc	29–31 (A) 27–25 (H)
2015–16	EHF Challenge Cup	Round 3	ÍBV Vestmannaeyjar	28–26 (A) 34–26 (H)
		Last 16	A.C. Filippos Verias	34–14 (H) 23–26 (A)
		Quarter-final	St. Petersburg HC	24–20 (H) 25–27 (A)
		Semi-finals	FyllingenBergen	(H) (A)

^[28]

Honours

According to the official website^[29]

Domestic competitions

• Portuguese League: 7
  • 1961–62, 1974–75, 1981–82, 1982–83, 1988–89, 1989–90, 2007–08
• Portuguese Cup: 5
  • 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 2010–11, 2015–16
• Portuguese League Cup: 2
  • 2006–07, 2008–09
• Portuguese Super Cup: 4
  • 1989, 1993, 2010, 2012

European competitions

• Limburgse Handbal Dagen: 1
  • 2010
• EHF Challenge Cup Runners-up: 1
  • 2010–11

Current squad

S.L. Benfica roster
Goalkeepers  01 Hugo Figueira  16 Nikola Mitrevski Wingers  03 Davide Carvalho  06 Tiago Ferro  08 João Pais (c)	Line players  04 Javier Borragan  11 Belone Moreira  15 Uelington da Silva  24 Alexandre Cavalcanti  30 Elledy Semedo Back players  07 Tiago Pereira  13 Paulo Moreno  44 Hugo Lima  79 Dragan Vrgoc	Technical staff Head coach: Mariano Ortega Assistant coach: João Castro Assistant coach: Nuno Alvarez Physiotherapist: Miguel Ourique Physiologist: Hugo Oliveira Roster and technical staff updated on 19 February 2016

Women's honours

Domestic competitions

• Portuguese League: 7
  • 1983–84, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1988–89, 1989–90, 1991–92, 1992–93
• Portuguese Cup: 6
  • 1984–85, 1985–86, 1986–87, 1987–88, 1988–89, 1991–92
• Portuguese Super Cup: 2
  • 1990, 1992

References

1. "SL Benfica B". Federaçao de Andebol de Portugal (in Portuguese). Retrieved 2 October 2012.
2. "Andebol a caminho dos 80 anos" [Handball on his away to 80 years old]. Em Defesa do Benfica. 5 November 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
3. "Andebol, pergunta e resposta" [Handball, question and answer]. Em Defesa do Benfica. 17 November 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
4. "Angêlo Pintado homenageado" [Angêlo Pintado homage]. Record. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
5. "Paulo Bunze". Serbenfiquista. 23 October 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
6. "Svenska landslagsmän i handboll 1934-2005" [Swedish internacionals 1934-2005]. sporthistoria. 10 August 2012.
7. 1 FEDERAŢIA ROMÂNĂ DE HANDBAL. "ISTORIA HANDBALULUI ROMÂNESC 1921 - 2014" [History of Romanian handball 1921-2014] (PDF). p. 62.
8. "100 anos, extremo moderno" [100 years, modern wingman]. Record. 15 September 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
9. "Obrigado querido Benfica" [Thanks dear Benfica]. Em Defesa do Benfica. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
10. "José Manuel Antunes: "Tudo farei para manter eclectismo no Benfica"" [José Manuel Antunes "I will do everything to keep amateur sports in Benfica "]. Record. 1 December 1999. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
11. "Andebol: "Cabelos brancos" ajudam mística do novo Benfica" [Handball: "white hair's" help Benfica]. Record. 11 October 1999. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
12. "Donner: "Desafio como no início do ABC"" [Donner "Challenge like in beginning of ABC"]. Record. 20 June 2005. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
13. "Benfica vence Taça da Liga" [Benfica wins League Cup]. Região Sul. 18 January 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
14. "S.L. Benfica - Campeão Nac. Andebol 2007–08 : 1ºParte (Jogo)" [Benfica National Champion 2007–08]. Youtube. 25 May 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
15. "Aleksander Donner deixa andebol encarnado no final da época" [Donner leaves Benfica in end of season]. RTP. 16 April 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
16. "Andebol: Benfica vence Taça 24 anos depois" [Benfica wins Portuguese Cup]. Mais Futebol. 29 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
17. "Benfica vence Supertaça" [Benfica wins Portuguese Super Cup]. Sol Noticias. 22 January 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
18. "BENFICA PERDE JOGO DA 2.ª MÃO DA FINAL DA CHALLENGE CUP" [Benfica loses Challenge Cup final]. Banhadas de Andebol. 22 May 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
19. "Jorge Rito é o novo treinador do andebol do Benfica" [Jorge Rito new coach of Benfica]. TSF. 11 July 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
20. "Madeira SAD 27-26 Benfica". Vivaaobenfica. 19 May 2011. Retrieved 15 August 2012.
21. "Benfica vence 4ª Supertaça" [Benfica win's 4th Super Cup]. Vivaaobenfica. 2 September 2012. Retrieved 2 September 2012.
22. "Campeonato Nacional Seniores Masculinos - 1.Divisao - 2012/2013" [Handball Championship 2012/13]. fpa.pt.
23. "Jorge Rito deixa comando técnico do andebol do Benfica" [Jorge Rito leaves position as head coach]. visao. 27 May 2014.
24. "Mariano Ortega: "Representar o Benfica é uma responsabilidade"" [Mariano Ortega: "To represent Benfica is a responsibility"]. slbenfica.pt. 2 June 2014. Retrieved 3 June 2014.
25. "Andebol: Benfica vence FC Porto no último segundo e está na final da Taça" [Handball: Benfica beat FC Porto in the last second and is in the Portuguese Cup final]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 2 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
26. "Benfica vence Taça de Portugal de andebol" [Benfica win handball Portuguese Cup]. Maisfutebol (in Portuguese). 3 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
27. "Andebol conquista 5.ª Taça de Portugal" [Handball conquer fitth Portuguese Cup]. S.L. Benfica (in Portuguese). 3 April 2016. Retrieved 3 April 2016.
28. "European Handball Federation - S.L. Benfica". European Handball Federation. Retrieved 8 April 2016.
29. "Palmarés" [Achievements]. slbenfica.pt. 7 August 2012.

External links

• Official website (Portuguese)