Casa Pia is a unique club for European football
On Saturday, October 28, Benfica lost points for the second time in the 2023/2024 Portuguese Championship. After losing to Boavista in the first round, the Eagles played draw with the modest Casa Pia. Ukrainian goalkeeper for Benfica Anatoly Trubin saved the penalty, but made a mistake on the opponent’s goal, allowing Casa Pia to get a historic draw. We talk about this unique team and historical achievement.
Let’s start with the fact that for the first time in its recent history, Casa Pia not only took points from Benfica, but also scored a goal for the Eagles. Last season the team lost to Benfica twice: 0:1 at home and 0:3 away.
On the other hand, there is nothing surprising in the minimum number of meetings with the grandee. Last season was Casa Pia’s first in the elite division of the Portuguese Championship in 83 years. And we must admit, it was successful – the team finished the championship in 10th place, 12 points behind the European Cup zone.
Casa Pia has one of the smallest budgets and the most modest line-ups in the Portuguese Primeira Libre. The cost of the team’s roster is 13.7 million euros, only Farense and Estrela have less. This season, Casa Pia is following its last year’s schedule – so far 11th place and 10 points in 10 matches played.
Casa Piya is a club founded at an orphanage. This is a multi-sports organization that develops 25 sports, and it itself was founded back in 1780. Casa Pia is one of the oldest clubs in Portugal, founded in 1920, and its students, according to media reports, were, for example, the creators of the same Benfica.
At the time of its founding, Casa Pia was one of the strongest clubs in the country, not only winning the championship and the Lisbon Cup, but also not losing a single match.
Casa Pia Cândido de Oliveira captained Portugal in its first ever match, against Spain in December 1921 (a 1-3 defeat).
In the first two years of its existence, Casa Pia took part in three international tournaments – in Paris, San Sebastian and Seville.
Casa Pia was the first European team to play in the Azores.
Between 1940 and 1954 the club played without its own stadium. The Casa Pia arena, the Estadio Novo, was requisitioned by the Portuguese government to host the World’s Fair and was never returned. The current Pea Manik arena was opened at the end of August 1954.
The author of Cas Pia’s first goal against Benfica in the elite was the 25-year-old Spanish midfielder Gaizka Larrazabal, who once played for Zaragoza and Athletic.
Source: Sportarena
I’m Scott Moore, a professional writer and journalist based in the US. I’ve been writing for various publications for over 8 years now, and have been working as an author at athletistic for the past five years. My work has been featured by some of the leading sports websites and magazines across Europe.
