The 50 year old “curse” placed on Benfica by Bela Guttmann was well publicised in the run up to this year’s Europa League final. Since the Hungarian manager unceremoniously left the Portuguese champions in 1962, As Aguias (The Eagles) have lost their eight subsequent appearances in continental finals. The notion of such a hoodoo having a basis in reality is of course absurd, but is the spectre of this bizarre tale hanging over the club and compromising their mental fortitude in these major matches?

England had never lost to continental opposition on home soil, and as they prepared to face Hungary at Wembley in 1953 the attitude among the English public and press was one of haughty superiority and arrogance. The general consensus was that the bourgeoning brand of passing possession based football emerging in Europe and in South America, of which Gusztav Sebes’ Hungary were prime exponents, was alluring but ultimately ineffective. This held with the long established stereotype that foreigners, their skill and flair aside, could not shoot. The now infamous 6-3 mauling Puskas, Hidegkuti, Czibor, Kocsis and the rest handed England proved the English footballing aristocracy to be severely mistaken and overwhelmingly complacent.

Puskas, working in tandem with Alfredo Di Stefano, again repeatedly showed that he could indeed shoot in helping Real Madrid win their fifth of five consecutive European cups with the 7-3 demolition of Eintract Frankfurt at Hampden Park in 1960, netting 4 times, while Di Stefano claimed a hat-trick. In the 1962 final (Madrid having been dispensed with by a Barcelona side that included Czibor and Kocsis in the previous season’s first round) Puskas and Di Stefano had a chance to regain the trophy they saw as their own. This time, standing in their way was Bela Guttmann’s Benfica. Benfica were now raining European champions having themselves defeated Barcelona 3-2 the year before at Bern’s Wankdrof Stadium.

Guttmann had completely revolutionised the Lisbon club. Already a Portuguese league title to his name, having caught and overtaken Benfica as Porto manager in the 1958/59 season, he fired almost the entire senior first team squad and promoted members of the youth set-up to take their places. Guttmann, winning the league in 1960 and 61 as well as the European cup in 1961, then caught wind of a preciously talented forward plying his trade in Mozambique named Eusebio, he flew out and signed the teenager immediately, hijacking a proposed move to Sporting Lisbon.

Still only 20, Eusebio was pivotal to Benfica’s second continental triumph in as may years, although it was Madrid who set the pace. Di Stefano’s lobbed through ball set Puskas racing away to give Real Madrid the lead on 18 minutes sliding the ball under Alberto da Costa Pereira in a lightening Madrid counter. Five minutes later Puskas’ 25 yard dipping, bouncing drive deceived the Benfica keeper to make it two with only a quarter of the game gone. The Portuguese fought back immediately, on 25 minutes captain Jose Aguas turned in a Eusebio free kick that had rebounded of the post and Domiciano Cavum rifled home a left footed effort that flew between the angle of post and bar from the edge of the area to equalise just after the half hour mark.

Puskas again took control 6 minutes before half time, skipping past a challenge on the edge of the area to smash a left footed shot low to Costa Pereira’s right, completing a magical first half hat-trick and handing Los Blancos back the momentum. However, despite Puskas’ powerful shooting, Di Stefano’s bewitching guile and the illusive, jinking trickery of Paco Gento wide on the left, Guttmann’s Benfica would run out 5-3 winners.

Mario Coluna proved he was equally adept in the shooting department with a rasping drive early in the second half to again bring Benfica level, leaving Eusebio to round of this thrilling encounter and steal the show with a penalty and a cleverly worked free kick to give Benfica their second consecutive European title. After the match Di Stefano handed Eusebio his shirt, a gesture that not only symbolised a touching of the cap from the great man, impressed by his opponent’s performance, but also as a passing of the baton to a new force and a new generation. Benfica had displayed their power, flair and determination. They had proved unstoppable, even for Europe’s greatest ever club side.

In the aftermath of the match, having snatched the European Cup and continental superiority away from Real Madrid with a degree of style and verve and doing so with almost a completely new squad, Guttmann asked for what he saw as a well earned bonus as reward for his utterly astounding accomplishments. The Benfica hierarchy bizarrely refused his request. Flabbergasted and furious, Guttmann stormed out of the club, supposedly uttering the words: “Not in a hundred years from now will Benfica ever be European champion!”

Up until now, Guttmann’s “curse” has stalked Benfica across Europe for five decades, rearing its ugly head to crush any Benfica team that might have the gall to try and win another European trophy. The curse would strike as early as 1963, after a brace from Jose Altafini cancelled out Eusebio’s opener to give AC Milan their first European Cup at Wembley. The 1965 final again saw Benfica loose out to Milanese opposition, this time a solitary Jair Da Costa goal gave Inter the trophy at the San Siro. Benfica returned to Wembley in 1968 only to lose out to a Manchester United extra time flurry from Best, Charlton and Kidd to eventually leave United as 4-1 winners.

Their next defeat came 15 years later in the 1983 UEFA Cup final, this time over two legs to Anderlecht. While the 1988 and 1990 European Cup finals saw two loses in three years. The first came in Stuttgart on penalties, Antonio Veloso (father of Miguel) missing the decisive spot kick against PSV Eindhoven. The second again cast AC Milan as Benfica’s conquerors in another 1-0 defeat. A swift, sweeping move rounded off by Frank Rijkaard gave Arrigo Sacchi’s men their fourth, and second consecutive, European title, handing the Lisbon club, then managed by Sven Goran Eriksson, their sixth straight final disappointment.

UEFA’s rebranded Europa League has perhaps offered some of the most excruciating disappointments for Benfica. An injury time Branislav Ivanovic header gave Chelsea the 2013 title after Oscar Cardozo had equalized from the penalty spot in response Fernando Torres’ opener. The Portuguese side had had much the better of the exchanges on the whole and would be justified in claiming that the trophy should’ve been theirs on the balance of play. The 2014 competition again saw penalties overcome Jorge Jesus’ side, having once more dominated the match against Sevilla – accruing twice as many shots, forcing twice as many saves and winning twice as many corners. Nico Gaitan, Rodrigo and Lima created numerous chances to snatch the lead and rid themselves of the dreaded Guttmann curse only for Cardozo and Spanish striker Rodrigo to see their penalty kicks saved by Beto in the now seemingly inevitable shootout defeat.

Over those 8 finals, Benfica have lost on penalties twice, once in extra time, lost a lead to Milan, been beaten by a last minute goal and suffered two 1-0 score lines. It was said by many observers that despite the onslaught on the Sevilla goal, it looked as though the Benfica players began to lose faith in their ability to find a finish that would save them. Whatever they did, it seemed they weren’t going to score, they couldn’t. With the weight of history, Euesbio, Guttmann and Puskas, seven lost finals and 52 years of missed opportunities bearing down on them, a desertion of confidence can be forgiven or at least anticipated, but they can’t go one like this forever.

Before the 1990 final in Vienna, the city in which Bela Guttmann is buried, Euesbio visited his old mentor’s grave. He knelt at the Hungarian’s head stone and prayed, Euesbio begged Guttmann to release his beloved Benfica of the dreaded curse that had already dogged them through 5 finals and 38 years. His prayers went unanswered and unfulfilled as Van Basten, Guillt, Rijkaard and Sacchi became the sixth set of villains to uphold and reaffirm the curse of Guttmann. With each defeat more mentally damaging than the last and the growing hype surrounding this unique tale, the pressure on Lisbon’s finest will only grow and the mental barriers to success will only strengthen and redouble. Can Benfica somehow find a way to break that which holds them back? Or will they have to wait until the 2063 Champions League final to achieve their dream and finally put Guttmann’s curse to rest?