League Play-Off

Arneiro
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. Paulo Trindade started the match with the kick off. 9 minutes into the match, Zebras FC's goal looked a bit too open when Carlos Nascimento came free, but Amadeu Sousa reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. SC Arneiro's Paulo Moreira played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Manuel Cabral in the 10th minute of play. Amadeu Sousa made a fantastic save in the 12th minute, when Cristiano Paredes sent off a good shot on target. After some fancy dribbling in the 20th minute, Manuel Cabral managed to get in a good position for a shot. Zebras FC's supporters rose to their feet, but Manuel Cabral was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Paulo Moreira breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Manuel Cabral fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 23rd minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Paulo Moreira having to interfere. An unexpectedly hard shot by Paulo Trindade in the 25th minute of play forced SC Arneiro's goalkeeper Paulo Moreira to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. After a defensive mix-up in Zebras FC's zone, Cristiano Paredes stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Amadeu Sousa came out of the goal and Cristiano Paredes tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. A collision led to Zebras FC getting a freekick after 28 minutes play. Alexandre Mendes hit a great ball. With a little luck, Zebras FC's Amadeu Sousa got control of the ball when Cristiano Paredes tried to sneak it across the goal line. Carlos Nascimento sent away a hard shot on goal in the 37th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Amadeu Sousa stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Carlos Nascimento's shot from short distance in the 39th minute. After 41 played minutes SC Arneiro got a freekick which was hit by Joel Moreira. After a defensive mix-up in SC Arneiro's zone, Paulo Trindade stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Paulo Moreira came out of the goal and Paulo Trindade tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. With his leg Amadeu Sousa managed to avoid a goal in the 47thth minute, when SC Arneiro's Cristiano Paredes fired away a shot with a lot of spin towards his right hand side. Manuel Cabral's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Paulo Moreira read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 48th minute of play.

Zebras FC's Amadeu Sousa played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Carlos Nascimento in the 52nd minute of play. In the 53rd minute, Artur Campos hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. When the match had gone on for 56 minutes, Carlos Nascimento put it in 1-0 from a short distance just to the right of Amadeu Sousa. Cristiano Paredes fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 68th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Amadeu Sousa having to interfere. After some careless play in the Zebras FC defense, Carlos Nascimento kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Amadeu Sousa. The Zebras FC fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Amadeu Sousa should have stopped the shot. The audience was convinced that Carlos Nascimento's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Amadeu Sousa was relentless in the 80th minute of the game. In the 89th minute the ball was on its way in behind Zebras FC's goalkeeper Amadeu Sousa, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. Carlos Nascimento fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 95th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Amadeu Sousa having to interfere. For all the effort they put into the match, the Zebras FC players left disappointed. They had fought hard, but couldn't break down the home team's defense. The match ended in a win for SC Arneiro.