Estoril Praia. Hugo Gomes festeja o primeiro golo

Estoril wins in Póvoa and is the isolated leader of Liga Portugal 2

In a historically difficult journey, round 7 of the Portugal League 2 SabSeg brought Varzim SC and Estoril Praia face to face, with the line team winning and ascending the lead of the second in national football.

Daniel Figueira in goal, Carles Soria, Hugo Basto, Hugo Gomes and Joãozinho in the defensive quartet, Gamboa, Crespo and Franco in midfield, Vidigal, Harramiz and Aziz in front of attack, were the 11 chosen by Bruno Pinheiro to start the match at the Varzim Sport Club Stadium.

With the sun shining after João Pinheiro’s opening whistle, Varzim kicked off the match for the 7th round of the Portugal 2 League, with Estoril Praia taking control of the game right away, opting to build from the their defensive stronghold, with the opponent choosing to lower the lines to bet on fast transitions. At 15 minutes of play Estoril Praia had 72% possession of the ball, against 28% of Varzim.

The first dangerous play of the encounter came for the men of Póvoa, with a combination on the right of the attack that ended with a shot from Ofosu next to the nets in the guard of Daniel Figueira, the 18th minute of the encounter was taking place.

Hugo Gomes opened the scoring with a header

With little space to play, Estoril Praia reached the goal through a set-piece. Free from André Franco lifting to the second post where Hugo Basto appears, who cushions into the small area, Aziz still tries to heel, but Hugo Gomes heads the first for the Magician, the 25th minute of the match was taking place.

To win, Estoril Praia forced Varzim to play more openly, and it was in a quick transition between Hugo Basto, Aziz and Vidigal that Mágico was close to extending the lead.

In the 34th minute Gamboa discovers Franco, with the midfielder leaving to Vidigal who centers for Soria who first forces Ricardo to a great defense, in an attempt to reload, the right side Estorilista is knocked down inside the area and João Pinheiro points to the mark penalty.

In charge of the marking, Yakubu Aziz makes the second for Mágico Estoril Praia, his fourth goal in Liga Portugal 2 SabSeg this season.

The striker scored the second in the penalty kick

Varzim tried to react and at minute 42 André Vieira, inside the small area, unleashed a powerful shot for Daniel Figueira’s defense for a corner.

The first half ended with Estoril Praia leaving Varzim to control the operations, without losing control of the game and betting on quick transitions, creating danger near the Ricardo area.

Varzim returned for the second half with more initiative, but in the first 10 minutes the best goal chances were for the Cascais team, in the most striking André Vidigal, he enjoys a quick transition and running from the midfield line with the ball in his foot, he enters the area lying on the right and with two opponents in front, he shoots for the tight defense of goalkeeper Poveiro.

After a sunny first part in Póvoa de Varzim, the second part was toasted with a torrential rain, leaving the field of play quite heavy and almost impracticable, wearing out the men of the attack front of Estoril Praia, much in demand in ball recoveries and in fast transitions.

At minute 71 Bruno Pinheiro moved the team for the first time, precisely to refresh the attacking front, bringing in André Clóvis to replace Aziz and Bruno Lourenço to replace André Vidigal.

With the changes Estoril Praia gained new breath and went up on the ground, with the initiatives of the canarinhos being almost always fought by the men of Varzim.

Until the end Bruno Pinheiro played with the team twice more, in the first, in the 87th minute, he took André Franco out and brought in Marcos Valente, in the second, in the 90th minute, allowed Lazare to make his debut, replacing Crespo.

Until the end the result did not change, Estoril Praia won 3 points and took the lead isolated to the condition of Liga Portugal 2 SagSeg.

In the aftermath of the match, Hugo Gomes was elected Man of the Match by SportTV.

“It was a very important victory in a very difficult field, and I am not just talking about the state of the pitch, the quality of Varzim does not reflect its place in the league table it occupies at this moment,” said Bruno Pinheiro, at the post-game press conference.

Estoril has 16 points after 7 days. On the next matchday, scheduled for October 30, Mágico receives Cova da Piedade at António Coimbra da Mota Stadium.

Estoril Praia is leader of the Liga Portugal 2 Sabseg