The 2012-2013 season was certainly a rough one for Benfica's supporters.
In May of 2013, the Portuguese powerhouse looked on course to seal a historic treble as they were leading in the Primeria Liga, looked to be a shoe-in for the Taça de Portugal, and after failing to get out of the group stages in the Champions League could make amends as they were appearing in their first European final since 1990.
Unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be. A late goal consigned them to defeat in a clash with bitter rivals Porto, effectively rendering their last match victoryin the league a moot point. And like some kind of Greek tragedy, their string of bad luck events just continued.
Again, another last-gasp goal, this time from Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic shattered their dream of European glory, and they ended up losing out on the domestic cup after conceding two goals in two minutes to hand the trophy to Vitória de Guimarães for the club's first ever win.
Heartbreak: Benfica after losing in the 2013 Europa League final to Chelsea
However, perhaps one thing Benfiquistas can perhaps take consolation in is that their hard work was not in vain, as reflected as the club's rise in the UEFA team rankings:
Making big strides: Benfica are currently the highest ranked Portuguese team as per UEFA:
Despite losing a slew of key players over the past few years, due to financial constraints. including Brazilian duo David Luiz and Ramires to Chelsea; Angel Di Maria to Real Madrid; and Javi Garcia to Manchester City, Benfica has a plethora of some exciting new talents that are certain to make waves across the continent in the upcoming seasons.
Moreover, despite not being counted as among Europe's "Big 5" leagues, it must be satsifying for Portuguese football fans to see their club up there alongside the powerhouses of Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, and Barcelona, as well as Premier League giants Chelsea and Manchester United. So far this season, Benfica presently leads the league and is comfortably into the round of 16 in the Europa League, meaning that a much desired and long awaited treble is still a possibility come May.
