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The 1998–99 season was Sport Lisboa e Benfica's 95th season in existence and the club's 65th consecutive season in the top flight of Portuguese football. It involved Benfica competing in the Primeira Divisão and the Taça de Portugal. Benfica qualified for the UEFA Champions League by finishing 2nd in the previous Primeira Divisão.〔(【引用サイトリンク】url=http://www.foradejogo.net/team.php?team=2&ano=1999&escalao=0&mode=M )〕 It covers the events from 1 July 1998 to 30 June 1999. The first full season of Graeme Souness was not as successful as his first eight months. Poor results, conflicts with players and compromising decisions, saw him get sacked even before the end of the season, as Rui Miguel Tovar narrated in the Almanac: "An initial scare foresees an unsettling season. With the qualification for the millionaire Champions League almost assured, (Due to a 6–0 thrashing in the first leg to the fragile Beitar Jerusalem) Benfica unexpectedly crashes in Israel for unthinkable numbers (2–4), which forces the President to come down to the locker rooms and shout at the players. Still, the Champions League is a reality – as his the ever present controversy caused by Souness. His signings – Thomas and Pembridge in July, Saunders in January, Harkness and Charles in March – rarely ever get it right. Adding to this, the problems with the players are recurring (Once, João Pinto and Nuno Gomes arrive ten minutes late to the scheduled hour and are punished with bench time against Marítimo) and successive examples of stubbornness (Harkness and Charles, with only three training sessions with the team, start the crucial match against Boavista) force him out, after a home draw against Campomaiorense. By then, Champions League (five points lost to the amateurs of HJK Helsinki), Portuguese League and Portuguese Cup were a thing of the past. Till the end, it is Shéu who leads the team, and holds on to the third place with a draw in the last Match-day, the fifth at home, against Sporting. ==Season summary== Following a season, where Benfica made a convincing second round, collecting 41 out of 51 points. Souness had his status increased, with more influence on player signings and the technical staff around him. One of his first decisions was replacing Nelo Vingada by his personal friend, Phil Boersma. Vingada work as assistant was influential in helping Souness understand the intricacy of Portuguese football.〔 The Scottish also brought in reinforcements from England, inspired by the effect that Poborský and Brian Deane had in the team, when they joined in January. After a pre-season that saw them meet Newcastle United, Sheffield United and Italians, Empoli and Lazio, the team was set to debut in the qualifying rounds of the Champions League against Beitar Jerusalem. With a six nil thrashing in the first leg, the second leg was a mere formality. However, in Israel, the team suffered a setback, conceding four goals, that although it did not harm progress to the group stage, it upset the management.〔 In the league, Benfica started in the best possible way, amassing three consecutive wins and reaching top of the table. A loss in Faro dropped them to second, but did not stop their momentum, as two more wins and a hard-fought draw against F.C. Alverca followed. Equal on the first place, the team visited Boavista next. A last minute goal from Martelinho forced Benfica to spent the week in fifth place. In Europe, the situation was not any better, with five points dropped against HJK Helsinki, who were making their debut in the group stage of the Champions League. After five points earned in three match days in early November, the team faced FC Porto for the Clássico on the road, losing for a fifth consecutive season, and ending up in fifth place with a seven-point gap for the leader. In Europe, Benfica finished second in his group, with another late goal costing them points, now against PSV Eindhoven. Nonetheless, with the advancing season, Benfica performance improved, starting a seven-game winning streak that spread two months, and saw the jump to second, only a point behind leaders Porto. They were stopped in late January, when S.C. Beira-Mar draw them at home. In February the team conceded a fourth league loss, which was followed by the premature exit of the Portuguese Cup. Still, they recovered by winning the two subsequent games, matching Boavista on the league table, and facing them next, knowing that a win, would put the team one point behind leaders Porto. On 14 March, Souness decided to Gary Charles and Steve Harkness, the first was coming out of an injury and the second arrived days before. Benfica lost 0–3, dropped to third place and Souness saw his first handkerchiefs.〔 A week later Benfica draw against U.D. Leiria, bagging only one point out of six possible in a crucial part of the season. April would be much the same, with five points lost out of nine possible, the advantage over the fourth place, Sporting was reduced to two points. With a home draw against S.C. Campomaiorense in early May, and in danger of losing the third place, Souness was sacked with immediate effect. He was banned from entering the stadium, and Shéu replaced him in the final four matches, winning seven points out of twelve, but more importantly, securing the third place. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「1998–99 S.L. Benfica season」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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