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On May 29, 2015, Benfica - Portugal's reigning Primeira Liga champion - managed the unusual feat of winning two different games of soccer in two different countries.
A 2-1 win over Maritimo gave the Lisbon club its sixth Portuguese League Cup title (the competition has only existed for eight editions to date).
Campeões!! Mais um titulo nesta época! olrgulho de formar parte desta equipa extraordinária!! pic.twitter.com/d6fIH0EL0y
— Bryan Cristante (@Cristante) May 29, 2015
Meanwhile, in England, Benfica provided FC United of Manchester with opposition for the inaugural match at Broadhurst Park, the brand new home of the largest supporter-owned club in English football (FC United has a reported 4,200 shareholders, who raised around $4.2 million toward the $9.6 million cost of the new stadium, according to a Guardian report).
I helped build this!!! #fcum @FCUnitedMcr pic.twitter.com/DKD3OW16nj
— vertigo_alan (@vertigo_alan) May 29, 2015
Benfica beat FC United, 1-0.
Winning in two countries on the same day is impressive evidence of Benfica's playing resources and a neat way to cap another successful season.
But such achievements count for nothing in International Champions Cup. The challenge of the summer tournament proved too great for FC Porto, subsequently replaced by Benfica - who must now address the task of catching ICC's runaway leaders, the New York Red Bulls.
RBNY sits pretty at the top of the ICC table with four points, and will play the Portuguese league champion on July 26.