Back to Da Luz: The Stadium Where La Décima Was Won

Some stadiums are just venues. For Madridistas, the Estadio da Luz in Lisbon is something more. It is where La Décima happened. So when the Champions League league-phase draw sent Real Madrid back to Benfica for the final matchday, it was impossible not to think of 2014.

24 May 2014

Real Madrid had waited twelve years for a tenth European Cup, and for most of the final against Atlético de Madrid it looked like they would have to wait longer. Atlético led until stoppage time. Then, in the 93rd minute, Sergio Ramos headed in a corner, and everything changed. Madrid scored three more in extra time to win 4-1.

That header is one of the most replayed moments in the club's history. Ask any Madridista where they watched it and most will have an answer.

The start of an era

La Décima did not just end a long wait. It opened one of the most successful periods any club has had in Europe, with more European Cups following in the years after. Álvaro Arbeloa, part of the 2014 squad, returned to the stadium years later as Real Madrid's head coach and called it the place where that era began.

About the stadium

The Estadio do Sport Lisboa e Benfica opened on 25 October 2003. After its most recent expansion it holds 68,100 people, making it the largest stadium in Portugal. Besides La Décima, it hosted the 2019-20 Champions League final between PSG and Bayern Munich, and it is one of the home grounds of the Portuguese national team.

For us, though, it will always be the stadium of the 93rd minute.