Estádio da Luz (1954)

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Estádio da Luz
A Catedral
O Inferno da Luz
Model of the old Estádio da Luz (October 2015)
Model of the old Estádio da Luz (October 2015)
Data
place Avenida Norton de Matos Sao Domingos de Benfica , 1500 Lisbon , Portugal
PortugalPortugal
Coordinates 38 ° 45 '13 "  N , 9 ° 10' 57.5"  W Coordinates: 38 ° 45 '13 "  N , 9 ° 10' 57.5"  W.
owner Benfica Lisbon
operator Benfica Lisbon
start of building 5th November 1952
opening December 1, 1954
First game December 1, 1954
Benfica Lisbon 1-3 FC Porto
Renovations 1958, 1960, 1985, 1991, 1998
demolition 2002-2003
surface Natural grass
costs 12,037,683 Esc (1956)
architect João Simões
capacity 040,000 places (1954–1960)
070,000 places (1960–1985)
125,000 places (1985–1994)
078,000 places (1994–2002)
playing area 105 m × 74 m
Societies)
Events

The Estádio da Luz ( German  Stadium of Light , official name: Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica ) was a football stadium in the municipality of São Domingos de Benfica in the Portuguese capital, Lisbon . From 1954 to 2003 it was the home ground of the football club Benfica Lisbon ( Portuguese Sport Lisboa e Benfica , short: SLB) and offered up to 125,000 seats, which made it the largest football stadium in Europe. The soccer arena was replaced in 2003 by the new Estádio da Luz , which was built next to the old arena .

history

Until the Estádio da Luz was built, Benfica mainly performed in rented venues such as the Terras do Desembargador (1905–1907), the Campo da Feiteira (1907–1911), the Campo de Sete Rios (1913–1917) and the Campo de Benfica ( 1917–1926). In 1925 the club bought a site on which the Estádio das Amoreiras with 20,000 seats was built. The club used it from 1925 to 1940 until it was demolished for the construction of a motorway. Then Benfica moved to the Estádio do Campo Grande (1941-1954), which was previously the home of city rivals Sporting Lisbon .

The club's president Joaquim Ferreira Bogalho commissioned the architect João Simões (1908-1993), former Benfica player, to design a new stadium. Simões adapted the design to the limited financial resources at the time. A simple, two-storey round stadium without roofing with the possibility of expansion if the club's finances allowed. The construction was also supported by donated cement bags from Benfica fans and volunteer work. Construction began on November 5, 1952 and cost Esc 12,037,683 million . On December 1, 1954, the Estádio da Luz was inaugurated with the game Benfica Lisbon against rivals FC Porto . With a 3-1 win, Porto retaliated for the 8-3 defeat at the opening of the Estádio das Antas in May 1952. A week later, on December 8th, Real Madrid played a friendly game . The Madrilenians won 2-0 in the cathedral with captain Alfredo Di Stéfano .

The concrete bowl initially offered 40,000 seats. In 1958, Benfica's home ground received a floodlight system for Esc 4,135,464 million . It was inaugurated on June 9th of that year. In 1955, an eagle , the club's heraldic animal, made of granite, was placed in front of the stadium . In 1960 the third tier ( Terceiro Anel ) on the opposite side was completed and inaugurated on October 5th of that year. This brought the capacity to 70,000 visitors and cost 15,815,947 million Esc. In 1961, the SLB was in the final of the World Cup after winning the European Cup . The home club won the first leg at the Estádio da Luz against Peñarol Montevideo from Uruguay 1-0. The following year, the second leg of the World Cup took place between Benfica and FC Santos from Brazil . The Lisbon team lost 2: 5 in the second leg after a 2: 3 in the Maracanã in the home stadium. SL Benfica wanted to own the site as well as the stadium. After renting the land for 5000 Esc per month, the club bought the stadium area on October 21, 1969.

In the mid-1980s, the Terceiro Anel was completed above the main grandstand and the back doors and turned the stadium into a giant bowl. The costs for this amounted to Esc 521,673,020 million. Officially, the Estádio da Luz had 125,000 seats from 1985. In 1983, Benfica reached the 1982/83 UEFA Cup final . On May 18, 1983, 80,000 fans played the second leg in the Lisbon stadium. The club couldn't get past a 1-1 draw against RSC Anderlecht from Belgium and couldn't make up for the 0-1 defeat in the first leg. On January 4, 1987, 135,000 spectators filled the stadium for the league game against FC Porto (3-1) and set a record number of visitors.

The Estádio da Luz was one of five stadiums in the 1991 World Junior Cup . The final between hosts and defending champions Portugal and Brazil was decided on June 30th in front of 127,000 spectators on penalties with 4: 2 (0: 0, 0: 0 a.s.) for Portugal. In the final of the 1991/92 European Cup Winners' Cup , Werder Bremen and AS Monaco (2-0) met at the Estádio da Luz . Only 15,000 to 16,000 spectators were lost in the wide circle. An unworthy setting for a final in the European Cup. The local fans were not attracted by the names of the two teams and the supporters from Bremen and Monaco had only made the trip in small numbers. The guests of honor invited by Werder such as Federal Chancellor Helmut Kohl , Interior Minister Rudolf Seiters or national coach Berti Vogts were not present either. In the 1990s, the stadium was rebuilt and equipped with seats. From 1994 a total of 78,000 were left of the 125,000 places that were once. On October 12, 1999, Portugal won the 2004 European Football Championship . There were considerations to renovate the old stadium and to roof the stands. On September 28, 2001, the club decided to build a new stadium at a general assembly.

On March 22, 2003, SL Benfica competed for the last time in the cathedral, which had already been partially demolished . The club won 1-0 through a Simão penalty against CD Santa Clara . The remaining home games of the season were played at the Estádio Nacional in Oeiras . In total, SL Benfica played 1075 games in the Estádio da Luz. He won 846 of them. There were also 167 draws and 62 defeats. The home team scored 3121 goals and had to accept 692 hits. From March 2, 1969 to December 18, 1973, Benfica remained at home in 91 consecutive games without loss. In addition to 80 wins, there were 11 draws. Between December 1, 1979 and April 22, 1981, the SLB celebrated 37 home victories in a row in the cathedral .

gallery

  • Side view of the model (October 2015)

  • The three phases of the stadium at the Museu Benfica - Cosme Damião (October 2015)

See also

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c Other Stadia ( Memento from June 1, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (English)
  2. ↑ João Simões (1908-1995). In: dossierdelutas.pt. Retrieved June 19, 2020 (Portuguese).
  3. ↑ a b c d e f g Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica (1954) ( Memento from December 3, 2014 in the web archive archive.today ) (Portuguese)
  4. ^ Estádio da Luz inaugurated on December 1, 1954. In: record.pt. September 20, 2001, accessed June 19, 2020 (Portuguese).
  5. ↑ a b c Estádio da Luz - o Gigante de betão ( Memento from June 23, 2001 in the Internet Archive ) (Portuguese)
  6. ↑ Europa League 1982/1983 - final - SL Benfica - RSC Anderlecht 1: 1. In: weltfussball.de. Retrieved June 19, 2020 .
  7. ↑ U20 World Cup 1991 in Portugal - final - Portugal - Brazil 4: 2. In: weltfussball.de. Retrieved June 19, 2020 .
  8. ↑ EC Cup Winners 1991/1992 - Final - Werder Bremen - AS Monaco 2-0. In: weltfussball.de. Retrieved June 19, 2020 .
  9. ↑ European Cup triumph in 1992: The normal Werder miracle. In: dfb.de. DFB , July 31, 2018, accessed June 19, 2020 .