New Cathedral: and it all began with a mega show...

October 25th 2003 is one of the proudest days for a Benfica supporter. In a journey loaded with Mystic and "Benfiquismo" the new Estádio da Luz was inaugurated. A new football Cathedral was lifted!

An authentic pilgrimage that began in the afternoon and that continued long into the night. It was the first day of the rest of Estádio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica's life, venue that would held the final of the Euro 2004.

Built in record time (just over two years), the inauguration was made with pomp and circumstance. A light, color and sound show that filled out the space and colored the skies of Lisbon. Each one of the 65 400 "Benfiquistas" in the stands was moved, happy and with a feeling of accomplishment.

It all began with a pyrotechnics show in shades of reds, at the same time as 1 000 160 million lights lit up in the pitch, corresponding to the number of minutes it took to build the stadium. 

The supporters also watched a retrospective of the new stadium history, with images of the general meeting the approved its construction, going through the early works, the demolition of the old stadium, ending in the day of the inauguration.

Before the match against Nacional de Montevideu, the Portuguese Anthem was chanted with the lungs out, with Eusebio giving the symbolic kick-off.

It begins here, with the memory of this moment, a 14-day journey through 14 years of the new Estádio da Luz...

MATCH SHEET

Referee: Pedro Proença.

BENFICA: Moreira; Miguel, Hélder (c), Argel, Ricardo Rocha; Petit, Tiago, Giovanni, Simão; Nuno Gomes and Sokota.

Substitutes: Bossio, Armando, Cristiano, Fernando Aguiar, Andersson, Roger, João Pereira, Carlitos, Alex and Fehér.

Goals: Nuno Gomes (7’ and 47’).

Discipline: yellow card to Petit (38’).

Coach: José Antonio Camacho.

NACIONAL DE MONTEVIDEU: Bava; Benoit, Machado, Curbelo, Wesley; Eguren, Scotti, Albin, Coelho; Mello and Ferreira.

Substitutes: Viera, Leites, Valdez, Sosa, Guerrero e Guglielmone.

Goal: Mello (11’).

Discipline: yellow card to Coelho (52’), Mello (52’ e 54’); Red card to Mello (54’).

Coach: Daniel Carreño.

Text: Marco Rebelo