League

Estádio do Sal
Spectators: 7510 (Terracing: 5633, Seating: 1727, VIP seats: 150) Sport Aveiro e Benfica's Seb Appleton 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. Benji Blunt fired away a screaming shot towards the goal in the 4th minute, but the shot went just over the crossbar without Bruce Ingram having to interfere. If Seb Appleton had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 6th minute. The ball went over the crossbar instead. 12 minutes into the match, Olimpiaa Elblag's Benji Blunt sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Bruce Ingram narrowly saved just below the crossbar. After a defensive mix-up in Sport Aveiro e Benfica's zone, Noel Hitchen stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Bruce Ingram came out of the goal and Noel Hitchen tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. In the 19th minute, Noel Hitchen hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. After a defensive mix-up in Olimpiaa Elblag's zone, Denzil Beattie stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Bill Gilroy came out of the goal and Denzil Beattie tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. If Noel Hitchen had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 26th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Bruce Ingram took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Benji Blunt, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Noel Hitchen sent away a hard shot on goal in the 36th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. In the 37th minute Benji Blunt shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Bruce Ingram saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Bill Gilroy made a fantastic save in the 40th minute, when Denzil Beattie sent off a good shot on target. Bruce Ingram made a wonderful reflex save on a shot from Benji Blunt in the 41st minute of play. The first half was very even, with the score at 0-0 when the whistle went for half-time. The players welcomed the break and quickly retired to the dressing rooms.

The players of the home team were most fresh-looking when they entered the field to play the second half. Benji Blunt was the one to do the kick off. When Sidney Goodman fell near the penalty area in the 51st minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Sport Aveiro e Benfica's protests and gave Sidney Goodman a yellow card for diving instead. A collision led to Sport Aveiro e Benfica getting a freekick after 51 minutes play. Sidney Goodman hit a great ball. Dave Maxell was probably a little too eager to shoot when he, in the 52nd played minute, shot the ball from way out. The shot was hard, but the ball flew wide of the goal. After 54 played minutes Sport Aveiro e Benfica got a freekick which was hit by James Jenkins. Seb Appleton sent away a hard shot on goal in the 66th minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. After 70 minutes, Seb Appleton made it 1-0 with a short kick to the right side. Olimpiaa Elblag's Bill Gilroy tried to save the shot but he was too slow in reacting to the shot. Oscar Neville charged in rather forcefully in the 79th minute of the match, and managed to knock his opponent down. The referee showed Oscar Neville the yellow card, and asked the players to shake hands before continuing play. Oscar Neville hit a great freekick 79 minutes into the match. Sport Aveiro e Benfica's Bruce Ingram played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Benji Blunt in the 80th minute of play. Noel Hitchen could have scored with his fast shot on goal in the 82nd minute of the match, but Bruce Ingram made a huge save. The referee was alert and spotted a serious foul by Pierre Sharples during the 86th minute. The player immediately received a yellow card. After 86 played minutes Olimpiaa Elblag got a freekick which was hit by Pierre Sharples. In the 94th minute, one of Olimpiaa Elblag:s players had the ball in front of the goal but got pushed and fell. The referee felt it was an obvious case and blew a penalty for Olimpiaa Elblag. Sport Aveiro e Benfica's supporters were highly satisfied with the result. They cheered their team of the pitch, having watched them win a very even match.