League Play-Off

Coronel Mário Cunha
Spectators: 32 (Terracing: 25, Seating: 7, VIP seats: 0) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Artur Semedo started the match with the kick off. Ricardo Silveira received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 9th minute. Jairo Pimentel tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Sérgio Freire received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 13th minute. Nuno Távora tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Nivaldo Madureira recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 16th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. Nivaldo Madureira struck a weak shot in the 20th minute. Nuno Távora didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Ponta Do Pargo. When Raul Costa fell near the penalty area in the 24th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Clube Atlético Riachense's protests and gave Raul Costa a yellow card for diving instead. Raul Costa hit a great freekick 24 minutes into the match. When Porfírio Benevides came up free with the goalie in the 25th minute, the Ponta Do Pargo 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 Porfírio Benevides couldn't finish the play. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Artur Semedo in the 30th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Jairo Pimentel saved Ponta Do Pargo from getting behind. Clube Atlético Riachense's Ricardo Silveira got a good chance for a goal in the 31st minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. A collision led to Ponta Do Pargo getting a freekick after 33 minutes play. Armando Teixeira hit a great ball. If Nivaldo Madureira had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 43rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. 45 minutes into the match, Clube Atlético Riachense's goal looked a bit too open when Sérgio Freire came free, but Nuno Távora reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Clube Atlético Riachense's Nuno Távora played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Sérgio Freire in the 46th minute of play. After the first half the score was level. The break gave the players a chance to catch their breath, whilst the managers went over the tactics with them again.

If Sérgio Freire had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 53rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Nuno Távora showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Nivaldo Madureira, who was totally free with the ball in the 55th minute. In the 61st minute, Nivaldo Madureira ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Nuno Távora was frozen by the shot and now it was 0-1. With a little luck, Clube Atlético Riachense's Nuno Távora got control of the ball when Sérgio Freire tried to sneak it across the goal line. The audience was convinced that Artur Semedo's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Jairo Pimentel was relentless in the 70th minute of the game. Ponta Do Pargo's Lázaro Soares got his second yellow card of the match in the 71st minute. The referee ordered Lázaro Soares off the ground. After a rather tough play, Ponta Do Pargo's Lázaro Soares got a free kick in the 72nd minute. Sérgio Freire recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 76th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. 77 minutes into the match, Ponta Do Pargo's Nivaldo Madureira sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Nuno Távora narrowly saved just below the crossbar. Nuno Távora made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Nivaldo Madureira in the 79th minute of play. In the 81stth minute of the game Artur Semedo who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Ponta Do Pargo's Jairo Pimentel was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. In the 82nd minute of the match Clube Atlético Riachense got a corner. Ponta Do Pargo's goalie ran out to the linesman to protest the call, but the linesman resolutely pointed his flag at the cornerflag. José Figueiredo ran over to the corner to take the kick. A nice corner shot did that José Figueiredo got away a dangerous shot. Despite this Jairo Pimentel quite easily got ahold of the ball to make the save. Nuno Távora took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Nivaldo Madureira, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Armando Teixeira kicked well hit freekick during the 89th minute of the match. The audience was convinced that Ricardo Silveira's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Jairo Pimentel was relentless in the 90th minute of the game. Ricardo Silveira sent away a hard shot on goal in the 91st minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. When the final whistle was heard the away supporters stood up and showed their joy. Ponta Do Pargo had managed to secure a win in what was a close match throughout.