League Play-Off

Gandara
Spectators: 35 (Terracing: 27, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) The field was rather wet after several days of rain when Catarino Resende took the kick off in the first half of the match. In the 5th minute, Pedro Leão collided with one of Edral FC's players - so bad that he fractured his nose. Xavier Valente's late challenge caught a Gandara's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Xavier Valente helped the player get up and apologised. After a rather tough play, Edral FC's Xavier Valente got a free kick in the 6th minute. Óscar Esteves blasted a shot towards the goal in the 7th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Lúcio Matos having to make a save. António Cunha struck a weak shot in the 9th minute. Joaquim Veiga didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Edral FC. 12 minutes into the match, Gandara's goal looked a bit too open when Xavier Valente came free, but Joaquim Veiga reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. António Cunha sent away a hard shot on goal in the 13th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Catarino Resende's late challenge caught a Edral FC's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Catarino Resende helped the player get up and apologised. A collision led to Gandara getting a freekick after 15 minutes play. Catarino Resende hit a great ball. In the 21st minute, António Marques made a precise shot to the right of Joaquim Veiga. Gandara's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 0-1. Lúcio Matos didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Óscar Esteves went, in the 25th minute, to the upper right corner, 1-1 was the resulting score. António Cunha fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 31st minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Joaquim Veiga having to interfere. After 32 played minutes Gandara got a freekick which was hit by Catarino Resende. In the 34th minute António Cunha shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Joaquim Veiga saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. In the 35th minute, Jorge Leite hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Joaquim Veiga made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from António Cunha in the 38th minute of play. António Marques's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Joaquim Veiga read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 44th minute of play. António Marques fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 47th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Joaquim Veiga having to interfere. 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.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell António Cunha to make the kick off. The crowd rose to their feet as António Cunha kicked a wonderful shot that went in to the left of a diving Joaquim Veiga. That made the score 1-2 in the 52 minute of play. If António Cunha had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 58th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Óscar Esteves received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 65th minute. Lúcio Matos tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. In the 72nd minute of the match, António Cunha tried to roll the ball into the goal by the right post, but Joaquim Veiga saw his intentions and got control of the ball before it passed the line. 76 minutes into the game, António Cunha cracked a shot to the right of the goalkeeper, 1-3. Joaquim Veiga was not in position, and could only watch the ball fly in. In the 80th minute, Edral FC's António Cunha dribbled the ball into the box and hit a shot with the outside of his foot, sending the keeper the wrong way. 1-4. After 83 minutes of play, Edral FC's António Marques made it 1-5 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Joaquim Veiga was left in no man's land by his defense there! 88 minutes into the game, Gandara's Óscar Esteves nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Lúcio Matos made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 2-5. When Óscar Esteves came up free with the goalie in the 96th minute, the Gandara 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 Óscar Esteves couldn't finish the play. The Edral FC players were relieved to hear the final whistle blow to end the match. The away crowd was happy to see their team win after a very tight game.