Match 3. Portimonese v Feirense

Sunday 2^nd September 2012 @4pm

Portuguese Segunda Liga

PORTIMONESE 2-1 FEIRENSE

Admission: €10 (€2 Club members)

Programme: No

Attendance: 972

Estadio Municipal Portimao

Food: No

Drink: Sagres (small): €1.50 tea hut at half time

 Estadio Municipal ground was a 5 minute drive from Aqua Portimao shopping centre, where the family had lunch and would be entertained for 3 hours while I get my first foreign football fix for nine years.  Staying at Carvoeiro and the 20 Euro taxi into Portimao the additional journey  was 5 Euros.  Those coming by rail, there is a station and would be no more the 10 Euros each way as the 2 mile walk in 90°F isn’t recommended.  I purchased my ticket at the ticket office near Porta 2 entrance without any problem, this all seated stadium hold just shy of 10,000 and average crowd is a tenth of that.  Looking from outside the stadium, if you are a member, facilities are in the main stand, others (and quite a few members, go to the clubhouse in the adjacent tennis centre “O Tenis” where a large Sagres only sets you back 1.90, compared to the €4 I had been paying at the holiday resort.  Local Portuguese food here would only set you back 4-5 Euros as well.

The Non-members enter in Porta 6 and have access to most of the open seated stand opposite the Main Stand which is partially covered.  A small stand with white seats is behind one goal and a temporary seated stand with green seats is behind the other.  The half time facilities are by each corner flag which is portacabin toilets and a small kiosk, where a mad rush for drinks ensues throughout half time.  I found it better to shade from the heat and get mine just before the second half (Uma cerveja, por favor), where you can take drinks back to your seat.

The local but friendly vociferous fans stand in the corner of the open stand next to the main stand and they do a kind of “We will rock you” chant for any home set pieces and also have a main song to what sounds like “Yellow Submarine”.  The away fans from Faro numbered about 50 and were in the open stand towards the corner, but there was no clash and all met up amicably at half time.

The game started really well from the home side, which attacked immediately and pressured Feirense to play an awful offside attempt, easily beaten by the skilful Luis Carlos (no21), cut across the keeper and sent him the wrong way with a carefully placed shot.  Something a certain Chelsea striker used to do with such ease.  To be fair to the away side in all blue, they fought back into the game, and equalised courtesy of bad defending as a cross to the far post was barely cleared by the left back wearing number 55 I think!  This allowed the right back to cross, miss both centre backs and find no7 Cuhna to beat the keeper easily from close in. The fast pace in the heat made mistakes occur regularly and the level of skill diminished as the half came to a close.  The energy sapping heat made substitutions necessary from the hour mark including the magical Luis 21 but the home side deserved a goal, and it came with 7 minutes left.  A through ball to number 25 took about 6 touches to control it (think Heskey) and passed to the on running skipper Fernandes to tap in the winner from 6 yards.

All in all an ok game in the heat, I would mark the English equivalent at about Conference level, with the exception of 1 or 2 players.  This ground is worth a look in if on holiday in the Algarve.