Match Summary
Penarol have disputed seven Intercontinental Cup finals over the years, including home-and-away legs as well as play-offs. From that total they have come away with three trophies, having won five games, lost three and drawn one. Their first outing in the competition came in its inaugural year, 1960, but it was an experience to forget as Real Madrid brushed them aside easily (0-0, 1-5), with Puskas scoring twice in the second leg and Gento, Di Stefano and Herrera netting one each. They were back the following season, though, and got the better of Eusebio's Benfica in a dramatic decider at the Centenario stadium, thanks to a double from Jose Francisco Sasia (0-1, 5-0, 2-1).

Key player
Paradoxically, the greatest names from Penarol's history had no role in the club's Intercontinental and Toyota Cup triumphs. But a player like defender Nestor Gonçalvez, who made 571 appearances for Penarol and 62 for Uruguay between April 1957 and November 1970, perfectly sums up the defensive rigour of a side that generally set the tone for the national team.

Coach
A former right-back for Penarol in the 1940s, Uruguayan boss Roberto Scarone became one of the greatest coaches in South American history. He had a unique gift for motivating his squad and was legendary for organising games between his first team and the reserves that had all the intensity of league encounters. In fact, so hard-fought were these matches that the fans regularly flocked to the training ground to watch them.

Power, pace, adaptability, technical mastery and a pinch of gamesmanship were the pillars of Scarone's philosophy, although some of his tactical choices often came in for criticism. He nonetheless led Penarol to the first two Copa Libertadores titles (1960 and 1961), as well as taking them as far as the final in 1967 (Nacional Montevideo) and 1972 (Universitario du Pérou). He is one of just three coaches to have achieved this feat, along with his compatriot Luis Cubilla and Carlos Bianchi of Argentina.


Intercontinental Cup 1961
First leg : Benfica beat Penarol 1-0
Venue:Lisbon
Stadium: Stadio de la Luz
Attendance: 40,000 spectators
4 september
Referee: Othmar Huber (SUI)
Goal: Coluna (60')
Benfica: Costa Pereira, Angelo, Saraiva, Mario João, Neto, F.Cruz, José Augusto, Santana, Aguas, Coluna, Cavem.
Coach: Bela Guttman
Penarol:Luis María Maidana, William Martínez, Núber Cano, Edgardo González, Néstor Gonçalves, Walter Aguerre, Luis Alberto Cubilla, José Francisco Sasía, Angel Ruben Cabrera, Alberto Pedro Spencer, Juan Víctor Joya.
Coach: Roberto Scarone
Second leg : Penarol beat Benfica 5-0
Venue:Montevideo
Stadium: Centenario stadium
Attendance: 56,358 spectators
17 September
Referee : Carlos Nai Foino (ARG)
Goals : Sasía (10' pen.), Joya (18', 28'), Spencer (42', 58')
Penarol : Luis María Maidana, William Martínez, Núber Cano, Edgardo González, Néstor Gonçalves, Walter Aguerre, Luis Alberto Cubilla, Ernesto Ledesma, Alberto Pedro Spencer, José Francisco Sasía, Juan Víctor Joya.
Coach : Roberto Scarone.
Benfica :Costa Pereira, Angelo, Saraiva, Mario João, Neto, F.Cruz, José Augusto, Santana, Mendes, Coluna, Cavem.
Coach : Bela Guttman
Play-off : Penarol beat Benfica 2-1
Venue: Montevideo
Stadium: Centenario stadium
Attendance: 60,241 spectators
19 September
Referee: José Luis Praddaude (ARG)
Goals: Penarol: Sasia (5', 40' pen.)Benfica: Eusebio (35')
Penarol: Luis María Maidana, William Martínez, Núber Cano, Edgardo González, Néstor Gonçalves, Walter Aguerre, Luis Alberto Cubilla, Alberto Pedro Spencer, Ernesto Ledesma, José Francisco Sasía, Juan Víctor Joya
Coach: Roberto Scarone .
Benfica: Costa Pereira, Angelo, Humberto, F.Cruz, Neto, Cavem, José Augusto, Eusébio Ferreira, Aguas, Coluna, Simões.
Coach: Bela Guttman