In his first season in charge, Benítez guided the club to victory in the Coppa Italia, defeating Fiorentina 3–1 in the final, and into the last 16 of the Europa League, exiting after a 3–2 aggregate defeat to Porto. Napoli finished third in Serie A in 2013–14 to qualify for the next season's Champions League. They lost 4–2 on aggregate to Athletic Bilbao in the qualifying stages, thus entering the Europa League.