League Play-Off

Estadio Eja
Spectators: 33 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 7, VIP seats: 0) Amparo FC's António Aguiar started the match with a crisp pass. The crowd had been anticipating this game for weeks and the excitement in the stadium was easily visible. 2 minutes into the match, Amparo FC's goal looked a bit too open when Catarino Resende came free, but Sandro Monteiro reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. The audience was convinced that António Aguiar's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Alexandre Veiga was relentless in the 4th minute of the game. If António Aguiar had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 5th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Amparo FC's António Aguiar got a good chance for a goal in the 8th minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Sandro Monteiro took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Artur Antunes, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Augusto Correia kicked well hit freekick during the 12th minute of the match. 15 minutes into the match, Eja's goal looked a bit too open when António Aguiar came free, but Alexandre Veiga reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. 19 minutes into the match, António Aguiar had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Alexandre Veiga. Eja's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that António Aguiar was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 0-1. Bernardo Tavares fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 23rd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Sandro Monteiro having to interfere. In the 24th minute, Augusto Correia hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Catarino Resende in the 27th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Sandro Monteiro prevented the ball from getting in the gole. Bernardo Tavares could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 29th minute of the match, but Sandro Monteiro made a huge save. Catarino Resende fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 30th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Sandro Monteiro having to interfere. After 33 minutes of play, Amparo FC's Júlio Guerreiro made it 0-2 when he simply outclassed the defender marking him and hit a curling shot into the right side of the net. Alexandre Veiga was left in no man's land by his defense there! After a defensive mix-up in Amparo FC's zone, Bernardo Tavares stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Sandro Monteiro came out of the goal and Bernardo Tavares tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Bernardo Tavares received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 43rd minute. Sandro Monteiro tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Disappointed in the 0-2 score, the home team went to the dressing room to adjust tactics for the second half.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Catarino Resende to make the kick off. António Aguiar was extremely unlucky when he, in the 57th minute, took a shot that hit the right post and went out. With a little luck, Eja's Alexandre Veiga got control of the ball when Júlio Guerreiro tried to sneak it across the goal line. In the 66th match minute, Eja was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Catarino Neto to maneuver through the defense. Eja's Catarino Resende got a good chance for a goal in the 73rd minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. When Júlio Guerreiro came up free with the goalie in the 75th minute, the Amparo 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 Júlio Guerreiro couldn't finish the play. In the 78th minute, Bernardo Tavares made a precise shot to the right of Sandro Monteiro. Amparo FC's defense was at fault, and the scoreboard reflected the new score, 1-2. Alexandre Veiga took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from António Aguiar, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. With a couple of smart ball manuevers António Aguiar in the 84th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Alexandre Veiga saved Eja from getting behind. António Aguiar sent away a hard shot on goal in the 87th minute, but the ball hit the crossbar and went out. A very good chance for a goal. After 94 played minutes António Aguiar rounded Eja's defense and shot a beautiful shot into goal via left pole - 1-3. The Amparo FC supporters could be heard counting down the last seconds of the match. They errupted in celebration when the whistle blew, knowing Amparo FC would go home with victory in their luggage after a match that easily could have ended differently.