League Play-Off

Estadio Cruz
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. Salvador Castanheira started the match with the kick off. In the 5th minute, Salvador Castanheira left the goalkeeper for dead before tapping the ball into the right side of the net. The Belenenses fans were clearly happy with the effort and the scoreboard reflected the new score: 0-1. Belenenses's goalkeeper couldn't reach when Telmo Faria 8 minutes into the game got a good kick on the ball which found its way into goal just inside left pole. 1-1. Salvador Castanheira received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 12th minute. Luís Veríssimo tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Telmo Faria might have been able to make a better finish in the 16th minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Quintino Varela. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Telmo Faria ran back to his position shaking his head. Benedito Fidalgo sent away a hard shot on goal in the 18th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. When Cândido Moutinho fell near the penalty area in the 21st minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Belenenses's protests and gave Cândido Moutinho a yellow card for diving instead. The supporters of SC Cruz booed when Belenenses was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 22 match minutes in a wonderful position. Cândido Moutinho didn't get a good kick on the ball. The audience was convinced that Benedito Fidalgo's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Quintino Varela was relentless in the 27th minute of the game. If Benedito Fidalgo had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 32nd minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. In the 35th minute, SC Cruz's Benedito Fidalgo ran free of his marker and smoothly shot the ball into the goal behind Quintino Varela. Quintino Varela yelled at his defense, as they had left him out to dry. 2-1. In the 41st minute, Noel Barata ran past the defenders and hit a shot which went straight ahead into goal. Luís Veríssimo was frozen by the shot and now it was 2-2. Joel Marinho kicked well hit freekick during the 45th minute of the match. When Salvador Castanheira came up free with the goalie in the 50th minute, the Belenenses 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 Salvador Castanheira couldn't finish the play. The first half was very even, with the score at 2-2 when the whistle went for half-time. The players welcomed the break and quickly retired to the dressing rooms.

The wind increased when Benedito Fidalgo made the kick off in the second half. Noel Barata kicked well hit freekick during the 54th minute of the match. A collision led to SC Cruz getting a freekick after 58 minutes play. Antero Araújo hit a great ball. Diogo Caneira's late challenge caught a Belenenses's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Diogo Caneira helped the player get up and apologised. A collision led to SC Cruz getting a freekick after 63 minutes play. Diogo Caneira hit a great ball. 64 minutes into the match, SC Cruz's goal looked a bit too open when Salvador Castanheira came free, but Luís Veríssimo reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. If Benedito Fidalgo had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 66th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Dércio Sardinha was probably a little too eager to shoot when he, in the 69th played minute, shot the ball from way out. The shot was hard, but the ball flew wide of the goal. Quintino Varela made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Benedito Fidalgo in the 71st minute of play. When Hermano Laureano came up free with the goalie in the 76th minute, the Belenenses 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 Hermano Laureano couldn't finish the play. The crowd rose to their feet as Noel Barata kicked a wonderful shot that went in to the left of a diving Luís Veríssimo. That made the score 2-3 in the 79 minute of play. After some fancy dribbling in the 82nd minute, Telmo Faria managed to get in a good position for a shot. SC Cruz's supporters rose to their feet, but Telmo Faria was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Quintino Varela breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. If Hermano Laureano had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 85th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Luís Veríssimo made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Salvador Castanheira in the 87th minute of play. 90 minutes into the game, one of SC Cruz:s players got tackled near the goal, and the referee blew for a penalty. When the match had been going on for 92 minutes, Belenenses's Claudemiro Lameirinhas got an opportunity to shoot a penalty. He stayed cool and waited for the goalkeeper to move, before he confidently shot the ball into the goal, to the left of Luís Veríssimo. Telmo Faria received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 99th minute. Quintino Varela tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. The Belenenses supporters could be heard counting down the last seconds of the match. They errupted in celebration when the whistle blew, knowing Belenenses would go home with victory in their luggage after a match that easily could have ended differently.