Vila-condenses and Estorilistas face off in a clash relating to the 19th round of the League; At issue is the attempt to escape from dangerous places in the league table; rioavistas haven’t lost at home for over three months, canarinhos haven’t won away for almost… three months (since the triumph at Dragão, against FC Porto)
56′: Goal from Rio Ave!
Direct free kick from Patrick William, Marcelo Carné, who seemed to have the play under control, was unable to hold onto the ball, with Emmanuel Boateng appearing in the circumstance, who, already inside the small area, only had to touch the back of the opposing net. The asset is open in Vila do Conde and Rio Ave takes the lead.
55. Yellow card to Volnei (Estoril)
51. Good opportunity for Rio Ave! Cross from the right by Yakubu Aziz towards the edge of the small area, and when Emmanuel Boateng was preparing to deflect it towards the goal, Volnei appeared who, with an excellent cut, prevented the goal from the Ghanaian forward of the Vila Condenses.
46. Yellow card for Joca (Rio Ave)
Restart the game
Shortly after the teams left for the changing rooms, Guga went onto the pitch at Estádio dos Arcos and said goodbye to the Rio Ave fans. The former Vila-Condenses number 6 is leaving for China, where he will represent Beijing Guoan, but before heading to the East, he had the opportunity to receive the affection of the members and supporters of the Rio Vista emblem.
INTERVAL!
First part with little interest in terms of spectacularity. Rio Ave has been trying to take control of the game, it is the team with the most possession of the ball, but the pair of forwards in the team led by Luís Freire have not exactly had their sights set.
45+1′: Huge opportunity for Estoril! Excellent cross from the right by Rodrigo Gomes and Alejandro Marqués, who had received it with his back to goal, close to the penalty mark, turned and shot with his left foot for an extremely difficult save by Jhonatan.
Two minutes minimum additional time
40′: Answer Estoril! Rafik Guitane tried his luck from mid-range, but the shot from the Canarinhos number 10 went wide of the left post of the Vila-Condenses goal.
37′: Another good opportunity for Rio Ave! Costinha worked well on the right flank, took the cross to the center of the area, but Yakubu Aziz, with everything to score, shot over the bar of the goal defended by Marcelo Carné.
35′: Great opportunity for Rio Ave! Perfect assistance from Yakubu Aziz and Emmanuel Boateng, in the heart of the area and with only Marcelo Carné in front, a left-footed shot over the goal bar saved by Estoril’s Brazilian goalkeeper.
24′: Pass from Tiago Araújo to João Marques, with the Canarinhos’ number 33, already in the area and dropped to the left flank, shooting past the right post of the goal defended by Jhonatan. The assistant referee ended up raising the flag, signaling to the match referee that the move was already invalidated, due to Tiago Araújo being offside at the start of the play.
21′: Yellow card to Patrick William (Rio Ave).
16′: Patrick William tried his luck from distance, but Rio Ave’s Brazilian central defender’s shot went wide of the left post of the goal defended by Marcelo Carné.
Volnei, one of Estoril’s central defenders, is suffering from some physical problems and even had to leave the field after being assisted on the pitch. As a precaution, Vasco Seabra put Raúl Parra in the warm-up exercises.
11′: Strong shot by Rodrigo Gomes for a tight save by Jhonatan, who conceded a corner.
8′: Crossed shot by Alejandro Marqués, already inside the area, for a safe defense by Jhonatan.
7′: Cross from the right by Yakubu Aziz and João Graça, in the heart of the area, shot for an excellent save by Marcelo Carné. The move was, however, invalidated by the refereeing team, as the Ghanaian forward was in an irregular position.
Adrien Silva, a former Portuguese international who was recently presented by Rio Ave as one of January’s reinforcements, is present at Estádio dos Arcos watching his new team’s game.
BEGINNING OF THE GAME
The late afternoon is pleasant in Vila do Conde. Mild temperature, around 15 degrees and little wind. The stands at Estádio dos Arcos are relatively well composed, and in addition to Rio Ave fans, there are also a few dozen Estoril supporters.
As far as Estoril’s players are concerned, reference to the presence of Mor Ndiaye in the eleven. In addition to making his debut, the Senegalese midfielder was also the main beneficiary of the departure of Koba Koindredi, who was made official this Wednesday as a reinforcement for Sporting. Alongside Vasco Seabra, on the bench, are two reinforcements signed by Estoril in this transfer window and who are waiting for their debut with the Canarinhos: Vinícius Zanocelo and Nemanja Jovic.
Luís Freire has two reinforcements on the bench who could officially debut with the Rio Ave jersey: João Teixeira and Marious Vrousai. Also acting as substitutes are two other players who arrived in Vila do Conde this month, but who have already played for the Rioa fans: Mateo Tanlongo and Hélder Sá.
In the Rio Ave team, Guga’s absence naturally stands out. The midfielder is on his way to Beijing Guoan (China) and, contrary to what was expected, he is no longer included in Luís Freire’s accounts for tonight’s duel.
Vasco Seabra, Estoril’s coach, makes five changes to the starting eleven that he had presented in the League Cup final, against SC Braga: Dani Figueira, Pedro Álvaro, Wagner Pina, Koba Koindredi and Cassiano leave, Marcelo Carné, Volnei, Rodrigo Gomes, Mor Ndiaye and Alejandro Marqués.
Luís Freire, coach of Rio Ave, presents four changes in relation to the eleven he had selected in the match of the last round of the League, against Chaves (0-0): Renato Pantalon, Miguel Nóbrega, Guga and Leonardo Ruiz leave, Patrick William enters , Aderllan Santos, Joca and Yakubu Aziz
Estoril (trainer): Vasco Seabra
Estoril (substitutes): Dani Figueira (99), Raúl Parra (2), Vinícius Zanocelo (7), Harouna Sy (17), João Carlos (20), Nemanja Jovic (29), Michel Costa (48), Wagner Pina (79) and Heriberto Tavares (91)
Estoril (holders): Marcelo Carné (31); Volnei (5), Bernardo Vital (3) W and Mangala (22); Rodrigo Gomes (21), Mateus Fernandes (82), Mor Ndiaye (64) and Tiago Araújo (78); Rafik Guitane (10), Alejandro Marqués (9) and João Marques (33)
Rio Ave (trainer): Luís Freire
Rio Ave (substitutes): Lucas Flores (1), Mateo Tanlongo (5), João Teixeira (7), Vítor Gomes (8), Leonardo Ruiz (9), Marious Vrousai (27), Hélder Sá (28), Renato Pantalon (42) and Zé Manuel (70)
Rio Ave (holders): Jhonatan (18); Josué (23), Aderllan Santos (33) W and Patrick William (4); Costinha (20), João Graça (21), Amine (10), Joca (14) and Fábio Ronaldo (77); Emmanuel Boateng (22) and Yakubu Aziz (81)
Referee: Bruno Vieira (AF Beja); Assistants: Rui Cidade and José Mira; 4th Referee: Ricardo Moreira; VAR/AVAR: Ricardo Baixinho and André Campos
There are now official teams!
Vasco Seabra, Estoril’s coach, is just without Erick Cabaco due to injury.
For today’s match, Luís Freire, coach of Rio Ave, is without three players: André Pereira and Ukra (due to injury) and Miguel Nóbrega (due to suspension).
Rio Ave and Estoril meet again more than five months after the last clash. On August 20, 2023, the 2nd round of the current edition of the League was played, the Canarinhos received and beat the Rioavistas, 2-0. Mangala and Alejandro Marqués scored the goals in the Estoril triumph, a team that, at the time, was coached by Álvaro Pacheco.
But the presence in the ‘final four’ of the League Cup – the semi-final took place last Wednesday and the final last Saturday – raises another question: what will the physical response of the squad led by Vasco Seabra be like? The answer will come in a few moments, on the grass of the Estádio dos Arcos…
Cassiano, with a penalty, put the Canarinhos ahead on the scoreboard, but Ricardo Horta, still in the first half, restored equality to the match; in the tiebreaker at the 11 meter mark, the Arsenalistas did not waste any maximum punishment, with the ‘fava’ going to Tiago Araújo on the Estorilistas’ side
But Estoril also returns to the League games with an added motivation: the historic (and highly meritorious) participation in the ‘final four’ of the League Cup. Last week, in Leiria, the Canarinhos eliminated Benfica in the semi-finals (victory on penalties after 1-1 in regulation time), then falling at the feet of SC Braga in the final (defeat on penalties after 1-1 in regulation time). This is after having eliminated FC Porto from the decisive phase of the competition!
The Estorilistas’ recent past in the national elite has been negative: three defeats in the last three games. Defeats at Sporting (1-5) and at home to Moreirense (1-3) and Arouca (1-2). A moment that undermined the excellent phase that the Canarinhos had been going through since the arrival of Vasco Seabra as technical command of the team…
Instead, playing away from home has been a real problem for Estoril. Away from Amoreira, the Canarinhos only account for 4 of the 17 points they currently have. This (meager) achievement is due to a victory and a draw: victory against FC Porto (1-0) and a draw at Famalicão (1-1).
Home games have been productive for Rio Ave. At Estádio dos Arcos, the team coached by Luís Freire won 12 of the 16 points they have at this point: triumphs over Chaves, Boavista and Portimonense (all by the same result, 2-0) , and draws against Famalicão, Estrela da Amadora and Vizela (also all with the same result, 1-1). To these results there are also three home defeats: FC Porto (1-2), Moreirense (0-4) and Farense (3-4). This defeat against the Algarvians, it should be added, was the last of the Rioavistas in the conditions. And it was more than three months ago, more precisely on October 29, 2023. Since then, at home, two wins and two draws.
Regarding the recent past of the two teams, the Vila-Condense team is (slightly) better, with four points added in the last three games: victory against Portimonense (2-0), defeat against Benfica (1-4) and draw with Chaves (0-0). Estoril is coming off a series of three consecutive defeats in the League: Arouca (1-2), Moreirense (1-3) and Sporting (1-5).
But there is another issue uniting them: the pressing need for victories so that they can leave the dangerous places in the league table. Rio Ave is, at the moment, in 16th and second to last place – a position that, at the end of the season, will give rise to the dispute for the stay/relegation play-off against the 3rd placed in League 2 -, while Estoril remains in the position immediately above, in 15th.
The two teams reach this stage of the Championship arm in arm, as they are separated by just one point. Estoril currently has an advantage (17), but Rio Ave follows close behind (16).
Rio Ave and Estoril face each other this Wednesday, starting at 6:45 pm, at Estádio dos Arcos, in a match related to the 19th round of the League. THE BALL will tell you everything about this duel painted in green and yellow and, as always, we are counting on you, dear reader. Come with us. He is called up and will be a starter!
Goodnight!
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