League Play-Off

Estadio Espadaneira
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. José Baptista started the match with the kick off. After some fancy dribbling in the 2nd minute, Tiago Brito managed to get in a good position for a shot. SC Cantarola's supporters rose to their feet, but Tiago Brito was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. David Matias breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. An unexpectedly hard shot by José Baptista in the 5th minute of play forced SC Cantarola's goalkeeper Marco Borba to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Vasco Cruz charged in rather forcefully in the 5th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Vasco Cruz the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. After 5 played minutes SC Cantarola got a freekick which was hit by Vasco Cruz. A hard shot 8 in the game by José Baptista from a close distance when the talented Marco Borba managed to make a qualified save. SC Cantarola's players were relieved. José Almeida struck a weak shot in the 10th minute. Marco Borba didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for SC Espadaneira. David Matias came out of the goal in the 12th minute to try and stop a shot by SC Cantarola's Américo Martins. But to his dismay, Américo Martins quickly shot the ball in between his legs and into the goal making it 0-1. An unexpectedly hard shot by Américo Martins in the 17th minute of play forced SC Espadaneira's goalkeeper David Matias to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. David Matias made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Tiago Brito in the 22nd minute of play. David Matias showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Tiago Brito in the 24th minute of the match. 26 minutes into the match, SC Cantarola's Américo Martins sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that David Matias narrowly saved just below the crossbar. In the 31st match minute, SC Cantarola was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Tiago Brito to maneuver through the defense. The supporters of SC Espadaneira booed when SC Cantarola was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 32 match minutes in a wonderful position. Catarino Andrade didn't get a good kick on the ball. Américo Martins's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but David Matias read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 35th minute of play. After a defensive mix-up in SC Espadaneira's zone, Tiago Brito stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. David Matias came out of the goal and Tiago Brito tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. After some careless play in the SC Cantarola defense, José Almeida kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Marco Borba. The SC Cantarola fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Marco Borba should have stopped the shot. David Matias made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Américo Martins in the 47th minute of play. After a very even first half the match was still tied. The players went to their respective dressing rooms to discuss the tactics for the second half.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Tiago Brito to make the kick off. In the 53rd minute, José Almeida 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. In the 56th minute, Eusébio Amorim hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. When the match clock showed 66 minutes, the score became 2-1 when José Baptista sped through SC Cantarola's defense and sent away a curving shot that went into the net to the right of Marco Borba. When Tiago Brito came up free with the goalie in the 76th minute, the SC Cantarola 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 Tiago Brito couldn't finish the play. 78 minutes into the match, SC Espadaneira's goal looked a bit too open when Tiago Brito came free, but David Matias reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. An unexpectedly hard shot by Tiago Brito in the 83rd minute of play forced SC Espadaneira's goalkeeper David Matias to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. David Matias took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Tiago Brito, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. David Matias took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Tiago Brito, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. If José Almeida had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 94th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Nuno Carneiro during the 95th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card.