League

Arena do Morro
Spectators: 7265 (Terracing: 5484, Seating: 1681, VIP seats: 100) It was fairly windy and cold on the field when Guilherme Dracena kicked off to start the match. In the 4th minute Duarte Pena shot on, it seemed, an open goal, but Tomé Alcântara saw the ball coming and threw himself on it before it passed the goal line. Marco Maia was a little too slow when Wilson Duarte got a fine hit on the ball which went right into the goal in the 5th minute. The score was now 1-0. After a rather tough play, Morro do Sabão FC's Nildo Vasconcelos got a free kick in the 8th minute. If Duarte Pena had kept his shot down it would have been a goal in the 9th minute. The ball went over the crossbar and out instead. Marco Maia showed his good apprehension of the play when he made a fantastic save on a shot from Guilherme Dracena, who was totally free with the ball in the 13th minute. A hard shot by Diego da Costa from long distance, 15 minutes into the match, got Marco Maia's attention. Through a fast twist with his body, he could stop the ball from going in on his right side. Duarte Pena took the ball and in the 18 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Tomé Alcântara. Tomé Alcântara dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 1-1. Xapeco EC's Marco Maia played magnificently when he managed to stop the ball from hitting the goal, after a sharp shot by Guilherme Dracena in the 26th minute of play. An unexpectedly hard shot by Guilherme Dracena in the 28th minute of play forced Xapeco EC's goalkeeper Marco Maia to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. A collision led to Morro do Sabão FC getting a freekick after 29 minutes play. Nildo Vasconcelos hit a great ball. When Morro do Sabão FC's Guilherme Dracena in the 35th minute got a chance for a shot 35th didn't hesitate and placed the ball to the right of the goalie. A beautiful save bye Xapeco EC's goalie prevented a goal. An unexpectedly hard shot by Venelin Kotzakov in the 41st minute of play forced Morro do Sabão FC's goalkeeper Tomé Alcântara to throw himself to the left, to be able to save the ball. Guilherme Dracena received a nice pass in the box and took a hard shot in the 45th minute. Marco Maia tensed up and prepared to dive, but the shot went over the goal with him having to interfere. The first half was very even, with the score at 1-1 when the whistle went for half-time. The players welcomed the break and quickly retired to the dressing rooms.

The wind increased when Duarte Pena made the kick off in the second half. Duarte Pena took the ball and in the 51 minute, shot a rapid shot to the right of a surprised Tomé Alcântara. Tomé Alcântara dived to the right, and did manage to get a hand on the shot, but it still went into the right corner making it 1-2. The audience thought a goal was coming when Duarte Pena got free with Tomé Alcântara in the 55th minute, but the goalkeeper managed to catch the ball with a huge effort. Thanks to some nice foot action and superb ball handling Guilherme Dracena in the 60th minute a chance for a shot on goal. With an extended leg and a bit of luck Marco Maia prevented the ball from getting in the gole. In the 64th minute the ball was on its way in behind Xapeco EC's goalkeeper Marco Maia, but with the help of a sacrificing defense, he could catch the ball at the crossbar. 67 minutes into the match, Wilson Duarte had an open shot that he just couldn't miss and scored to the right of Marco Maia. Xapeco EC's manager could be seen yelling to the referee that Wilson Duarte was offside, but the referee ignored the protest. 2-2. The audience was convinced that Guilherme Dracena's extremely hard shot when he got free in front of the goal was going in, but Marco Maia was relentless in the 74th minute of the game. Tomé Alcântara showed brilliant goalkeeper skills when he caught the ball after a hard shot from Duarte Pena in the 77th minute of the match. Marco Maia took care of the ball after a well-directed shot from Guilherme Dracena, even though the ball almost passed him on his left side. Donato Martins kicked well hit freekick during the 84th minute of the match. After some careless play in the Xapeco EC defense, Nildo Vasconcelos kicked a shot that curved into the net to the right of Marco Maia. The Xapeco EC fans voiced their displeasure as they felt that Marco Maia should have stopped the shot. Marco Maia stood for a superb save when he managed to get hold of Guilherme Dracena's shot from short distance in the 92nd minute. 95 minutes into the game, Donato Martins was given a yellow card after he appeared to trip an opposing player. Morro do Sabão FC's manager was livid on the sidelines, but the referee was unmoved and gave Xapeco EC the free kick.