League

Estádio Mutuns
Spectators: 7222 (Terracing: 5418, Seating: 1661, VIP seats: 143) The mood of the audience was pleasant when Váldson Esteves made the kick off which started today's match. In the 7th minute, Jefferson da Cunha made a precise shot to the right of Benedito Neto. U. S. Soccer's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 0-1. An unexpectedly hard shot by Váldson Esteves in the 10th minute of play forced Iturama F.C.'s goalkeeper Filipe Salgado to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Iturama F.C.'s Jefferson da Cunha got a good chance for a goal in the 12th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Fellipe Marinho charged in rather forcefully in the 15th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Fellipe Marinho the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. Fellipe Marinho hit a great freekick 15 minutes into the match. Jefferson da Cunha struck a weak shot in the 18th minute. Benedito Neto didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Iturama F.C.. Benedito Neto made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Ricardo Severo in the 20th minute of play. After a rather tough play, U. S. Soccer's Rubens Quintal got a free kick in the 21st minute. Jefferson da Cunha charged in rather forcefully in the 22nd minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Jefferson da Cunha the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. A hard shot by Nico Lopes from long distance, 24 minutes into the match, got Filipe Salgado's attention. Through a fast twist with his body, he could stop the ball from going in on his right side. Iturama F.C.'s Filipe Salgado proved his good apprehension of play when he, in the 26th minute of the match, managed to save Iturama F.C. from getting a goal against them. After some careless play in the U. S. Soccer defense, Ricardo Severo kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Benedito Neto. The U. S. Soccer fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Benedito Neto should have stopped the shot. 39 minutes into the match, Iturama F.C.'s goal looked a bit too open when Váldson Esteves came free, but Filipe Salgado reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Ricardo Severo fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 41st minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Benedito Neto having to interfere. With a little luck, Iturama F.C.'s Filipe Salgado got control of the ball when Bernardinho Penha tried to sneak it across the goal line.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Jefferson da Cunha to make the kick off. Filipe Salgado showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Bernardinho Penha, who was totally free with the ball in the 56th minute. When Ricardo Severo came up free with the goalie in the 57th minute, the Iturama F.C. fans jumped to their feet. But the shot missed the goal by a fraction of an inch, and the fans sat back down disappointed that Ricardo Severo couldn't finish the play. In the 59th minute, Jefferson da Cunha reached a very good position and smashed the ball with a huge effort into the net, just to the left of Benedito Neto. The goal made the score 0-3. Filipe Salgado came out of the goal in the 69th minute to try and stop a shot by U. S. Soccer's Bernardinho Penha. But to his dismay, Bernardinho Penha quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 1-3. When U. S. Soccer's Váldson Esteves in the 74th minute got a chance for a shot 74th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Iturama F.C.'s goalie prevented a goal. In the 74th minute, Leonardo Moreira hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. An unexpectedly hard shot by Bernardinho Penha in the 76th minute of play forced Iturama F.C.'s goalkeeper Filipe Salgado to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Benedito Neto showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Jefferson da Cunha in the 77th minute of the match. Benedito Neto took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Jefferson da Cunha, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Benedito Neto made an important save on a dangerous shot by Ricardo Severo in the 88th minute. An unexpectedly hard shot by Jefferson da Cunha in the 90th minute of play forced U. S. Soccer's goalkeeper Benedito Neto to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. The supporters of Iturama F.C. booed when U. S. Soccer was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 90 match minutes in a wonderful position. Rubens Quintal didn't get a good kick on the ball. After a defensive mix-up in U. S. Soccer's zone, Ricardo Severo stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Benedito Neto came out of the goal and Ricardo Severo tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. The U. S. Soccer supporters were disappointed that their team didn't take anything from the match, despite matching Iturama F.C.'s performance. The match ended with a win for Iturama F.C..