League Play-Off

Estádio Gurihu
Spectators: 33 (Terracing: 26, Seating: 7, VIP seats: 0) The sun was shining, the grass was green and the audience cheered when Aluísio Marinho got the match started through his kick off. A collision led to Gurihu getting a freekick after 5 minutes play. Décio Marquez hit a great ball. After having played for 11 minutes, Aluísio Marinho managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Gurihu's supporters crossed their fingers, but Aluísio Marinho was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. In the 20th minute Aluísio Marinho shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Gualter Cordeiro saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. The audience was convinced that Nicolas Quirino's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Doni Hames was relentless in the 23rd minute of the game. An unexpectedly hard shot by Nilson Pinho in the 26th minute of play forced Gurihu's goalkeeper Doni Hames to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. 30 minutes into the match, Gurihu's goal looked a bit too open when Nilson Pinho came free, but Doni Hames reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Gualter Cordeiro made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Aluísio Marinho in the 32nd minute of play. After a defensive mix-up in Gurihu's zone, Nicolas Quirino stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Doni Hames came out of the goal and Nicolas Quirino tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Doni Hames made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Nicolas Quirino in the 39th minute of play. Itapira's Nicolas Quirino got a good chance for a goal in the 41st minute, but he totally mistimed the shot and it went over the crossbar. Nicolas Quirino recieved an excellent pass in front of the goal in the 43rd minute. Unfortunately, he received the ball on his off foot and could only manage a weak shot that went over the goal. 45 minutes into the match, Itapira's goal looked a bit too open when Aluísio Marinho came free, but Gualter Cordeiro reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. 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.

The players of the away team seemed most concentrated when Nilson Pinho stepped up to make the kick off in the second half. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Nilson Pinho in the 52nd minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Doni Hames prevented the ball from getting in the gole. If Nilson Pinho had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 54th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Doni Hames was in the perfect position, and the defense had done a good job marking him, but Nilson Pinho showcased his skills and made a perfect shot to score 0-1 in the 56 minute of play. When Wilian Medeiros came up free with the goalie in the 59th minute, the Itapira 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 Wilian Medeiros couldn't finish the play. Gualter Cordeiro made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Aluísio Marinho in the 65th minute of play. Nilson Pinho sent away a hard shot on goal in the 69th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Gualter Cordeiro took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Aluísio Marinho, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. In the 87th minute of the match Décio Marquez sent off a long shot with destination to the right of the goalkeeper, but Gualter Cordeiro skillfully saved the ball. The Itapira supporters could be heard counting down the last seconds of the match. They errupted in celebration when the whistle blew, knowing Itapira would go home with victory in their luggage after a match that easily could have ended differently.