A goalless draw against Trofense. Alex Costa’s team could see rivals closing in, but they could also secure promotion in this round.
Amarante drew 0-0 away to Trofense on Friday afternoon, adding another important point in their fight for promotion to the Second Division, in a game where they held on despite being down to ten men in the final 20 minutes following the sending off of Fernando Almeida.
In the match that opened the 12th and penultimate round, the home team started slightly better, but Amarante adjusted and the half-time score was 0-0, in a first half where clear goalscoring opportunities were scarce: in both quality and quantity.
In the second half, the game became more dynamic on both sides, until, in the 70th minute, after the referee reviewed the images, Fernando Almeida was sent off. The referee considered that the visiting team’s midfielder had committed a serious foul on Vasco Paciencia, having struck the opponent in the face with his right foot.
With Trofense already in numerical superiority, Vasco Paciencia hit the post of the goal defended by Martim Duarte, in a play that dictated a stoppage of a few minutes, to adjust the net of the Amarante goal, which broke with the impact of Martim Duarte when trying to make the save against Paciencia.
As a result of this incident and the sending=off following VAR review, nine minutes of added time were given. Trofense remained closer to the opponent’s area than the other way around, but the team coached by Alex Costa managed to hold on to the draw and, consequently, maintain their lead in the promotion phase of Liga 3, even if Academica wins. In the final play of the game, Arome Idache almost secured the victory in Amarante’s most dangerous attack, but his chipped shot went wide.
With the draw, Amarante has 25 points and could be promoted this round, but only if Belenenses loses against U. Santarem and if Vitoria B doesn’t win against Mafra . In this regard, remember that Amarante has an advantage in the head=to=head record against Belenenses (won 2-1 at Restelo and drew 2-2 at home) and, against Vitoria B, has a partial advantage (won 2-1 at home, but still has to play in Guimaraes in the last round). Trofense, already out of contention for promotion, temporarily occupies seventh place with nine points.
Matchday 12:
Trofense=Amarante, 0-0
Belenenses=U. Santarem (Saturday, 11:00 AM)
Vitoria B=Mafra (Sunday, 11:00 AM)
Academica=Varzim (Sunday, 7:00 PM)
CLASSIFICATION:
1st: Amarante, 25 points/12 games
2nd: Académica, 21/11
3rd: Belenenses, 19/11
4th: Vitoria B, 16/11
5th: Varzim, 13/11
6th: Mafra, 13/11
7th: Trofense, 9/12
8th: U. Santarém, 8/11