League Play-Off

Estadio Meruge
Spectators: 32 (Terracing: 25, Seating: 7, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Fábio Faro got the match started through his kick off. Rui Aguiar showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Manuel Correia in the 3rd minute of the match. The audience was convinced that Viriato Resende's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Eusébio Bessa was relentless in the 6th minute of the game. 7 minutes into the match, SC Ichou's goal looked a bit too open when Manuel Correia came free, but Rui Aguiar reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. After a defensive mix-up in SC Ichou's zone, Manuel Correia stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Rui Aguiar came out of the goal and Manuel Correia tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. SC Ichou's Rui Aguiar proved his good apprehension of play when he, in the 14th minute of the match, managed to save SC Ichou from getting a goal against them. Eusébio Bessa showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Fábio Faro in the 33rd minute of the match. An unexpectedly hard shot by Fábio Faro in the 37th minute of play forced Meruge's goalkeeper Eusébio Bessa to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After having played for 38 minutes, Viriato Resende managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. SC Ichou's supporters crossed their fingers, but Viriato Resende was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. When Sérgio Magalhães fell near the penalty area in the 43rd minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Meruge's protests and gave Sérgio Magalhães a yellow card for diving instead. Meruge's Eusébio Bessa played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Fábio Faro in the 44th minute of play. Eusébio Bessa took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Viriato Resende, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Rui Aguiar made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Manuel Correia in the 47th minute of play. The fans had the chance to grab some refreshments as the whistle went for half-time. The score stood at 0-0 after a close first half.

When the second half was about to start, both teams quickly lined up and Manuel Correia made a kick off. An unexpectedly hard shot by Manuel Correia in the 52nd minute of play forced SC Ichou's goalkeeper Rui Aguiar to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Fábio Faro fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 54th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Eusébio Bessa having to interfere. Rui Aguiar took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Manuel Correia, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. The supporters of Meruge booed when SC Ichou was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 56 match minutes in a wonderful position. Amadeu Matos didn't get a good kick on the ball. In the 58th minute, Paulo Nunes made a precise shot to the right of Rui Aguiar. SC Ichou's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 1-0. Manuel Correia received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 62nd minute. Rui Aguiar tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Manuel Correia in the 65th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Rui Aguiar prevented the ball from getting in the gole. If Paulo Nunes had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 74th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. If Paulo Nunes had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 78th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. When Viriato Resende came up free with the goalie in the 83rd minute, the SC Ichou 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 Viriato Resende couldn't finish the play. Eusébio Bessa didn't have a chance when a screaming shot from Viriato Resende went, in the 86th minute, to the upper right corner, 1-1 was the resulting score. With 92 minutes on the clock, Diogo Amaro commited a dangerous tackle. The referee had no choice but to show him the red card. Viriato Resende could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 98th minute of the match, but Eusébio Bessa made a huge save. The referee blew the final whistle, and the away crowd roared, having watched SC Ichou eke out a victory against a very well matched opponent.