League Play-Off

Estádio Aguacuzinho
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. Nildo dos Santos started the match with the kick off. In the 3rd minute of the match Victor Barbosa shot from a long distance. The ball could have gone into the goal to the right of the goalkeeper, but Laércio Tavares showed his good shape when he easily got hold of the ball. Tadeu de Mendonça sent away a hard shot on goal in the 5th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Tadeu de Mendonça fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 7th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Laércio Tavares having to interfere. An unexpectedly hard shot by Wiliam Alvarenga in the 10th minute of play forced Rio Claro FC's goalkeeper Laércio Tavares to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Tadeu de Mendonça's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Laércio Tavares read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 11th minute of play. After 11 played minutes Rio Claro FC got a freekick which was hit by Luan Queirós. In the 14th minute the ball was on its way in behind Rio Claro FC's goalkeeper Laércio Tavares, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. In a very dangerous position, a player in Rio Claro FC fell when an opponent tried to get the ball from him in the 15th minute. Penalty! The referee gave Taiba a penalty, 16 minutes into the game. The penalty shot was made by Glauco Matorin, who made a well placed shot into the net to the right of Rio Claro FC's Laércio Tavares. 0-1. Wiliam Alvarenga received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 22nd minute. Laércio Tavares tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. 26 minutes into the match, Tadeu de Mendonça had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Laércio Tavares. Rio Claro FC's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Tadeu de Mendonça was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 0-2. If Wiliam Alvarenga had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 31st minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Laércio Tavares showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Wiliam Alvarenga, who was totally free with the ball in the 34th minute. Laércio Tavares made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Wiliam Alvarenga in the 41st minute of play. Gerson Meireles was a little too slow when Nildo dos Santos got a fine hit on the ball which went right into the goal in the 46th minute. The score was now 1-2. Disappointed in the 1-2 score, the home team went to the dressing room to adjust tactics for the second half.

The wind increased when Tadeu de Mendonça made the kick off in the second half. After 52 played minutes Rio Claro FC got a freekick which was hit by Romeu Arruda. In the 57th minute Nildo dos Santos shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Gerson Meireles saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. 57 minutes into the match, Nildo dos Santos had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Gerson Meireles. Taiba's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Nildo dos Santos was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 2-2. Laércio Tavares made an important save on a dangerous shot by Wiliam Alvarenga in the 60th minute. Tadeu de Mendonça fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 62nd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Laércio Tavares having to interfere. If Nildo dos Santos had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 70th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. 81 minutes into the match, Rio Claro FC's goalkeeper Laércio Tavares had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by Wiliam Alvarenga. Laércio Tavares took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Tadeu de Mendonça, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. When Tadeu de Mendonça came up free with the goalie in the 90th minute, the Taiba 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 Tadeu de Mendonça couldn't finish the play. In the 94th minute, Nildo dos Santos left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Rio Claro FC fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 3-2. The Rio Claro FC support was delighted with a win in a match that could easily have ended differently.