League Play-Off

Meirinho
Spectators: 34 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 8, VIP seats: 0) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. António Paiva started the match with the kick off. Fernando Reis charged in rather forcefully in the 3rd minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Fernando Reis the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. Fernando Reis hit a great freekick 3 minutes into the match. Meirinho's Diamantino Anjos got a good chance for a goal in the 8th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. After a rather tough play, Rato's Fernando Reis got a free kick in the 9th minute. Diamantino Anjos recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 10th minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. After 11 minutes of play Rato's Fernando Reis was too eager in his attempt to stop his opponent and brought him down. With that he got his second yellow card and was ordered off the ground. After a rather tough play, Rato's Fernando Reis got a free kick in the 12th minute. After 15 played minutes Rato got a freekick which was hit by António Paiva. 17 minutes into the match, Meirinho's Tomás Silva sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that António Figueiredo narrowly saved just below the crossbar. In the 18th minute, Jacinto Abreu hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Amadeu Aguiar was probably a little too eager to shoot when he, in the 19th played minute, shot the ball from way out. The shot was hard, but the ball flew wide of the goal. In the 21st minute José Leite shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Henrique Pinho saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. When Diamantino Anjos came up free with the goalie in the 23rd minute, the Meirinho 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 Diamantino Anjos couldn't finish the play. If Diamantino Anjos had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 26th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. After 28 minutes, João Pereira mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Rato and the Meirinho players grew even worse after the yellow card. The supporters of Meirinho booed when Rato was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 28 match minutes in a wonderful position. João Pereira didn't get a good kick on the ball. After 36 played minutes Meirinho got a freekick which was hit by Jacinto Abreu. After some careless play in the Meirinho defense, José Leite kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Henrique Pinho. The Meirinho fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Henrique Pinho should have stopped the shot. After a rather tough play, Meirinho's Jacinto Abreu got a free kick in the 46th minute. The crowd was extremely unhappy with the home team's performance in the first half. They were losing 0-1.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Tomás Silva to make the kick off. António Figueiredo showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Diamantino Anjos in the 58th minute of the match. Rato's João Pereira got his second yellow card of the match in the 59th minute. The referee ordered João Pereira off the ground. In the 59th minute, João Pereira hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Tomás Silva sent away a hard shot on goal in the 63rd minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. The audience was convinced that Diamantino Anjos's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but António Figueiredo was relentless in the 66th minute of the game. António Figueiredo took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Diamantino Anjos, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. After 71 minutes of play, Meirinho's Tomás Silva made it 1-1 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. António Figueiredo was left in no man's land by his defense there! Tomás Silva sent away a hard shot on goal in the 75th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Diamantino Anjos sent away a hard shot on goal in the 77th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Tomás Silva fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 79th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without António Figueiredo having to interfere. Amadeu Aguiar kicked well hit freekick during the 80th minute of the match. Diamantino Anjos sent away a hard shot on goal in the 84th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Tomás Silva's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but António Figueiredo read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 87th minute of play. In the 88th minute, Diamantino Anjos got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. Jeers came from both ends of the stadium when the final whistle went. Neither team had looked impressive and the draw seeemd a fair result.