Lisbon to stage 2014 UEFA Champions League final
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
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Lisbon will stage its first European Cup final since 1967 after the Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica was chosen as the venue for the 2014 UEFA Champions League decider.
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The Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica will stage the 2014 UEFA Champions League final following a decision made at the UEFA Executive Commitee meeting in Istanbul.
Known across the world as the Estádio da Luz (stadium of light), the home of SL Benfica was formally inaugurated in 2003 in time to host several matches – including the final – of UEFA EURO 2004. The arena stands on the site of the original Estádio da Luz, which opened in 1954 and held the final of the 1992 European Cup Winners' Cup, where SV Werder Bremen beat AS Monaco FC 2-0.
The Portuguese capital has witnessed just one previous European Champion Clubs' Cup final, back in 1967 when Celtic FC's 'Lisbon Lions' overcame FC Internazionale Milano 2-1 at the Estádio Nacional. Meanwhile, the Estádio José Alvalade, home of Benfica's local rivals Sporting Clube de Portugal, staged the 2004/05 UEFA Cup final, with the host team losing 3-1 to PFC CSKA Moskva.
Benfica will hope to have the chance of competing in the 2014 final at their own ground, with the club boasting an impressive European pedigree. Founded in 1904, they have won a record 32 Portuguese titles and 24 Portuguese Cups, and lifted the Champion Clubs' Cup in successive seasons, 1960/61 and 1961/62. They have also finished runners-up in UEFA's top club competition five times.
