Academica

The Associacao Academica de Coimbra  (A.A.C.), also referred to as Academica de Coimbra (Portuguese pronunciation: [ɐkɐˈðɛmikɐ ðɨ kuˈibɾɐ]) or simply Academica, is a professional football club based in Coimbra, Portugal. The club competes in LigaPro, the second division of the Portuguese football league system, and hosts home games at the Estadio Cidade de Coimbra

The club was created in 1887, when Clube Atletico de Coimbra (founded in 1861) and Academia Dramatica (founded in 1837) merged. The club have won the Taca de Portugal twice, in 1938–39 and 2011–12. In 1966–67, they achieved their highest position of runner-up in the Primeira Liga table.

History

Academica was founded on 3 November 1887. In honour of their 130th birthday, they joined the Club of Pioneers.

Academica won the 1938–39 Taca de Portugal, the inaugural staging of the competition; they defeated S.L. Benfica 4–3 in the final. In 1966–67, the club finished as Primeira Liga runners-up to Benfica (best-ever finish), and lost the cup final 3–2 after extra time to Vitoria de Setubal. Two years later, a cup-final defeat to Benfica meant that the team competed in Europe for the first time, entering the 1969–70 and losing in the quarter-finals to eventual champions Manchester City via a single extra-time goal.

Academica moved frequently between the top two divisions in the years that followed. Under Joao Alves, they ended a three-year exile by winning promotion in 2001–02 as runners-up to Moreirense FC. Following a decade of almost exclusively bottom-half finishes, the team won its first silverware in 73 years when they took the cup in 2012, Marinho scoring the only goal after four minutes against Sporting CP. This allowed them entry into the group stage of the UEFA Europa League – a first European campaign in 30 years. Eliminated in third place in the group, they managed one win, 2–0 at home to holders Atletico Madrid with a brace from Wilson Eduardo.

A fourteen-year spell in the top division ended for Academica i

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