The encounter
Benfica qualified on away goals · aggregate 1–1
Match cassette · results and dates
Romanian club’s score first.
- 6 April 1983 · AwayUniversitatea Craiova 0–0 SL Benfica (Portugal)
- 20 April 1983 · HomeUniversitatea Craiova 1–1 SL Benfica (Portugal)
One tie from the final
By April 1983, Universitatea Craiova were one tie away from the UEFA Cup final. Benfica were the opponents. A 0–0 draw in Lisbon on 6 April left everything to play for in Craiova.
The goal that decided it
The return on 20 April finished 1–1. Craiova had not lost either match, but Benfica’s away goal put the Portuguese club through. At the end of two semi-final legs, the difference was simply where the goals had been scored.
What Craiova came so close to
The final was gone, although the team had matched Benfica over both games. That is the frustration at the heart of Craiova’s 1982/83 campaign: a European semi-final reached, and a final missed without a defeat in the tie.
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Sources & image credits
Match results and dates follow the archive records. Reference pages:
- UEFA · Benfica 0–0 Universitatea Craiova ↗
- DFB · Craiova 1–1 Benfica ↗
- Club milestone · historical reference ↗
Club crest: the image already stored in the club archive, used as a visual identifier rather than a photograph of this encounter.
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