League Play-Off

Stella Gianta
Spectators: 32 (Terracing: 25, Seating: 7, VIP seats: 0) Aloísio Pirani started the match with the kick off in front of an excited audience. Maracajatuba's Pedro Carioca played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Zé Paulo Tavares in the 4th minute of play. In the 4th minute, Jarbas Simão hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 6 minutes into the game, Marco Couto was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Maracajatuba's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Stella Alba the free kick. After 9 minutes of play, the referee blew the whistle. It was a penalty for Maracajatuba! Maracajatuba:s Pedro Carioca showed great skill when he stopped Romário do Nascimento:s penalty. 1-0 came in the 11th minute when Romário do Nascimento all by himself managed to get straight through the defense and place the ball into the net to the right of Pedro Carioca. After some fancy dribbling in the 14th minute, Aloísio Pirani managed to get in a good position for a shot. Stella Alba's supporters rose to their feet, but Aloísio Pirani was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Pedro Carioca breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. If Aloísio Pirani had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 16th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Aloísio Pirani recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 17th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. 25 minutes into the match, Stella Alba's Aloísio Pirani sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Pedro Carioca narrowly saved just below the crossbar. Aníbal Tavares made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Jerônimo Prado in the 31st minute of play. In the 33rd minute, Romário do Nascimento hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Aníbal Tavares didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Jerônimo Prado went, in the 45th minute, to the upper right corner, 1-1 was the resulting score. The fans had the chance to grab some refreshments as the whistle went for half-time. The score stood at 1-1 after a close first half.

The hometeam waved at the audience when it was time for Jarbas Simão to strike the kick off in the second half. Jerônimo Prado charged in rather forcefully in the 51st minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Jerônimo Prado the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. In the 51st minute, Jerônimo Prado hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. A collision led to Maracajatuba getting a freekick after 54 minutes play. Álvaro Paulista hit a great ball. The audience was convinced that Aloísio Pirani's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Pedro Carioca was relentless in the 55th minute of the game. An unexpectedly hard shot by Emanuel Pitta in the 65th minute of play forced Maracajatuba's goalkeeper Pedro Carioca to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. If Emanuel Pitta had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 67th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. After some careless play in the Maracajatuba defense, Aloísio Pirani kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Pedro Carioca. The Maracajatuba fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Pedro Carioca should have stopped the shot. When Vítor da Fonseca fell near the penalty area in the 73rd minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Stella Alba's protests and gave Vítor da Fonseca a yellow card for diving instead. In the 73rd match minute, Stella Alba was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Vítor da Fonseca to maneuver through the defense. When Emanuel Pitta came up free with the goalie in the 76th minute, the Stella Alba 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 Emanuel Pitta couldn't finish the play. In the 79th match minute, Maracajatuba was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Wilson Alvarenga to maneuver through the defense. 82 minutes into the game, Aloísio Pirani cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 3-1. Pedro Carioca was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. Stella Alba's Aloísio Pirani got a good chance for a goal in the 86th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Stella Alba's supporters were delighted with their team's performance and swarmed onto the pitch at the end of the match to celebrate the victory with the players.