League

Arena Corinthians
Spectators: 7506 (Terracing: 5630, Seating: 1726, VIP seats: 150) It was fairly windy and cold on the field when Luís Fernando Cardoso kicked off to start the match. Luís Fernando Cardoso sent away a hard shot on goal in the 3rd minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. 7 minutes into the game, Flávio Fonseca recieved a splendid long ball, split the defenders, and gently placed the ball to the left of Luiz Gustavo de Souza. Flávio Fonseca showed that you don't have to tear a hole in the net to score, 1-0. After a defensive mix-up in Laguinho's zone, Luís Fernando Cardoso stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Luiz Gustavo de Souza came out of the goal and Luís Fernando Cardoso tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. Lucas Pitta showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Agnaldo Fernandez in the 16th minute of the match. In the 17th minute Agnaldo Fernandez shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Lucas Pitta saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. 19 minutes into the match, Agnaldo Fernandez had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Lucas Pitta. Corinthians's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Agnaldo Fernandez was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 1-1. In the 22nd minute, Agnaldo Fernandez got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. Wilton Medeiros hit a great freekick 25 minutes into the match. The audience thought a goal was coming when Válter Lago got free with Luiz Gustavo de Souza in the 33rd minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. Lucas Pitta took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Luís Paulo Mandrak, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Lucas Pitta took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Luís Paulo Mandrak, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. 40 minutes into the match, Corinthians's goal looked a bit too open when Agnaldo Fernandez came free, but Lucas Pitta reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. After a defensive mix-up in Corinthians's zone, Luís Paulo Mandrak stole the ball and had only the goalie to beat. Lucas Pitta came out of the goal and Luís Paulo Mandrak tried to chip the ball over his head. To his dismay, the ball went over the crossbar and out of play. 45 minutes into the match, Corinthians's goal looked a bit too open when Luís Paulo Mandrak came free, but Lucas Pitta reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Lucas Pitta showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Luís Paulo Mandrak in the 47th minute of the match. In the 49th minute of the match Diamantino Duarte sent off a long shot with destination to the right of the goalkeeper, but Luiz Gustavo de Souza skillfully saved the ball. After the first half the score was level. The break gave the players a chance to catch their breath, whilst the managers went over the tactics with them again.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Agnaldo Fernandez to make the kick off. Diamantino Duarte's late challenge caught a Laguinho's player on the shin and left him crawling around in pain. The referee blew his whistle and produced the yellow card. Diamantino Duarte helped the player get up and apologised. A collision led to Corinthians getting a freekick after 53 minutes play. Diamantino Duarte hit a great ball. With a couple of smart ball manuevers Luís Fernando Cardoso in the 58th managed to get into a good position. With a left leg Luiz Gustavo de Souza saved Laguinho from getting behind. After 59 minutes, Olívio Soares mouthed his way into the referee's book. The tension between the Laguinho and the Corinthians players grew even worse after the yellow card. The supporters of Corinthians booed when Laguinho was adjudged a doubtful freekick after 59 match minutes in a wonderful position. Olívio Soares didn't get a good kick on the ball. Corinthians's Wilton Medeiros couldn't find anyone to pass the ball to, so he shot a long shot towards the goal in the 60th minute. The shot went wide which resulted in a goal kick for Laguinho. In the 64th minute, Luís Fernando Cardoso got an opportunity to score, but he didn't get a solid hit on the ball and ended up kicking it wide of the goal. 68 minutes into the match, Corinthians's Luís Fernando Cardoso sent off a blazing shot straight on target, a shot that Luiz Gustavo de Souza narrowly saved just below the crossbar. In the 70th minute, Corinthians's Dito Mendonça seemed to kick out at an opponent. The referee saw this and, surprisingly, showed Dito Mendonça the red card, dismissing him from the pitch. The coaching staff of Corinthians protested bitterly, but the referee would have none of it, and Dito Mendonça had no choice but to slowly walk off the pitch. In the 69th minute, one of Corinthians: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 Corinthians. In the 72nd minute there was a penalty for Laguinho. Olívio Soares stepped forward and shot the ball to the right of a diving Lucas Pitta. 1-2. If Válter Lago had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 77th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. With a little luck, Corinthians's Lucas Pitta got control of the ball when Arnaldo Salgado tried to sneak it across the goal line. Lucas Pitta made an important save on a dangerous shot by Luís Paulo Mandrak in the 83rd minute. Luís Paulo Mandrak struck a weak shot in the 86th minute. Lucas Pitta didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Laguinho. Válter Lago sent away a hard shot on goal in the 91st minute, but the ball went just over the crossbar and out. A very good chance. Luís Paulo Mandrak blasted a shot towards the goal in the 97th minute, but the shot hit the top of the crossbar and went out without Lucas Pitta having to make a save. The Laguinho supporters could be heard counting down the last seconds of the match. They errupted in celebration when the whistle blew, knowing Laguinho would go home with victory in their luggage after a match that easily could have ended differently.