League

Gigante do Vale
Spectators: 7184 (Terracing: 5390, Seating: 1652, VIP seats: 142) Dark clouds were building up when the players entered the field. None of the them looked very eager to play. Umberto Meirelles started the match with the kick off. 3 minutes into the match, Laurentino da Gama's goal looked a bit too open when Edvaldo Guedes came free, but Rafinha Mendes reached the ball before it rolled over the goal line. Umberto Paulista received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 16th minute. Víktor Sergipano tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. Víktor Sergipano was a little too slow when Umberto Meirelles got a fine hit on the ball which went right into the goal in the 18th minute. The score was now 1-0. Edvaldo Guedes's shot was meant for the net just under the crossbar, but Rafinha Mendes read the situation well and was quickly in position to make a wonderful save in the 26th minute of play. When Luiz Fábio Meireles fell near the penalty area in the 27th minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Laurentino da Gama's protests and gave Luiz Fábio Meireles a yellow card for diving instead. In the 27th minute, Luiz Fábio Meireles hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. 29 minutes into the match, Edvaldo Guedes notched a goal, 1-1, to the right of Laurentino da Gama's Rafinha Mendes. Rafinha Mendes was clearly disgusted with the effort of the defense and let the defenders know about it. In the 33rd minute, Cesinha da Silveira hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. After some fancy dribbling in the 35th minute, Edvaldo Guedes managed to get in a good position for a shot. Sabiuca's supporters rose to their feet, but Edvaldo Guedes was a bit off balance and shot the ball just wide of the left post. Rafinha Mendes breathed a sigh of relief and went to take the goal kick. Luiz Fábio Meireles struck a weak shot in the 42nd minute. Víktor Sergipano didn't even have to move as the ball rolled over the line well wide of the goal. A wasted opportunity for Laurentino da Gama. Umberto Paulista who was well placed in front of the goal fired away a dangerous shot that in the 44thth minute tested the skills of Víktor Sergipano when he managed to save the team from getting behind. After fighting hard for a draw in the first half, the players were able to take a much needed rest.

Both teams looked relatively alert before the second half when the referee blew his whistle to tell Eusébio Medeiros to make the kick off. If Umberto Paulista had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 53rd minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Umberto Meirelles received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 55th minute. Víktor Sergipano tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. In the 69th minute, Edvaldo Guedes 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. After 70 played minutes Laurentino da Gama got a freekick which was hit by Matías Mattos. In the 73rd minute the ball was on its way in behind Laurentino da Gama's goalkeeper Rafinha Mendes, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. 75 minutes into the match, Umberto Meirelles had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Víktor Sergipano. Sabiuca's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Umberto Meirelles was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 2-1. During the 78th minute of the match Luiz Fábio Meireles completely mistimed his tackle and brought down his opponent. The referee gave Luiz Fábio Meireles a yellow card, his second in the match, which meant he could no longer take part in the game. After 79 played minutes Laurentino da Gama got a freekick which was hit by Luiz Fábio Meireles. Eusébio Medeiros might have been able to make a better finish in the 81st minute when he tried to place a hard shot over Rafinha Mendes. Instead the ball went over the crossbar and out. Eusébio Medeiros ran back to his position shaking his head. In the 83rd match minute, Laurentino da Gama was awarded a freekick, the ball was picked up by Umberto Meirelles to maneuver through the defense. After having played for 85 minutes, Eusébio Medeiros managed to get in a good position for a shot on goal. Sabiuca's supporters crossed their fingers, but Eusébio Medeiros was, after a quick turn that froze the defenders, out of balance and shot the ball just to the right of the goal. Víktor Sergipano showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Umberto Paulista, who was totally free with the ball in the 91st minute. When Emílio da Costa fell near the penalty area in the 93rd minute he thought he would be awarded a free kick. The referee ignored Sabiuca's protests and gave Emílio da Costa a yellow card for diving instead. In the 93rd minute, Emílio da Costa hit a crossing free kick to the open man running down the field. For all the effort they put into the match, the Sabiuca players left disappointed. They had fought hard, but couldn't break down the home team's defense. The match ended in a win for Laurentino da Gama.