League Play-Off

Gigante
Spectators: 32 (Terracing: 25, Seating: 7, VIP seats: 0) The mood of the audience was pleasant when Humberto Teixeira made the kick off which started today's match. When the match clock showed 3 minutes, the score became 0-1 when Emílio Gomes sped through Gigante's defense and sent away a curving shot that went into the net to the right of Amílcar Santos. João Martins's shot when he came free in front of the goal in the 7thth minute, Raul Fontes skillfully showed off with a save to what seemed to be an obvious goal. After a rather tough play, Gigante's Paulo Andrade got a free kick in the 10th minute. 12 minutes into the game, Ricardo Castro was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Gigante's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Bencanta FC the free kick. Ricardo Castro hit a great freekick 12 minutes into the match. Manuel Queirós was probably a little too eager to shoot when he, in the 13th played minute, shot the ball from way out. The shot was hard, but the ball flew wide of the goal. 16 minutes into the match, Bencanta FC's goalkeeper Raul Fontes had to clear away a ball on his right side after a cunning shot by João Martins. After some fancy dribbling in the 18th minute, Emílio Gomes managed to get in a good position for a shot. Bencanta FC's supporters rose to their feet, but Emílio Gomes was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Amílcar Santos breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. After 29 played minutes Bencanta FC got a freekick which was hit by Daniel Leão. Raul Fontes acted impressively in front of the goal and made a superb save when he, in the 30th minute, took the ball on the long shot from Álvaro Freitas. After having played for 34 minutes, João Martins managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Gigante's supporters crossed their fingers, but João Martins was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. If Rafael Guarda had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 36th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. A collision led to Gigante getting a freekick after 49 minutes play. Ricardo Castro hit a great ball. The Gigante players were disheartened as they walked off the pitch after the first half. Bencanta FC were winning 0-1.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Rafael Guarda to make the kick off. In the 54th minute, João Martins left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Gigante fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 1-1. 58 minutes into the match, Gigante's Rafael Guarda sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Raul Fontes narrowly saved just below the crossbar. Emílio Gomes in the 60thth minute had a little luck and got a chance for a shot in front of the goal. Without hesitation aimed to the right of Amílcar Santos, who managed to lunge to the right direction and made a save. The audience was convinced that Rafael Guarda's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Raul Fontes was relentless in the 66th minute of the game. In the 72ndth minute of the game Rafael Guarda who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Bencanta FC's Raul Fontes was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. In the 80thth minute of the game Rafael Guarda who was perfectly placed tried to make a shot on goal, but Bencanta FC's Raul Fontes was lucky and managed to grab hold of the ball. When Humberto Teixeira came up free with the goalie in the 85th minute, the Bencanta FC 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 Humberto Teixeira couldn't finish the play. 87 minutes into the game, Bencanta FC's Emílio Gomes nearly tore a hole in the net with a booming shot. Amílcar Santos made a valiant effort, but he could not reach the ball in time, 1-2. When Sandro Esteves fell near the penalty area in the 94th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Gigante's protests and gave Sandro Esteves a yellow card for diving instead. The supporters of Bencanta FC booed when Gigante was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 94 match minutes in a wonderful position. Sandro Esteves didn't get a good kick on the ball. Emílio Gomes who was well placed in front of the goal fired away a dangerous shot that in the 96thth minute tested the skills of Amílcar Santos when he managed to save the team from getting behind. With his leg Amílcar Santos managed to avoid a goal in the 96thth minute, when Bencanta FC's Emílio Gomes fired away a shot with a lot of spin towards his right hand side. The referee blew the final whistle, and the away crowd roared, having watched Bencanta FC eke out a victory against a very well matched opponent.