Santa Clara beat Marítimo 2-0 in Funchal to climb to fourth in the Primeira Liga

Santa Clara win in Funchal

Santa Clara won 2-0 at Marítimo on Sunday, 1 November, in the tenth round of the Primeira Liga, with the match played at the Barreiros stadium in Funchal. Guilherme Romão broke down the left in the 36th minute and pulled the ball back for Tiago Ribeiro to finish. Vinícius Lopes doubled the lead in the 60th minute. The win lifted Santa Clara to fourth place on 21 points, level with Sporting in third. Marítimo remain 14th on eight points, and their coach Mitchell van der Gaag said his side has not won a league match since the second round, against Famalicão.

Chances at both ends

Marítimo had the first real opening in the 4th minute, when Mons Bassouamina failed to convert a cross after Santa Clara goalkeeper Neneca had come off his line badly. Ribeiro then struck the crossbar from the edge of the box in the 10th minute. Bassouamina sent another effort over the bar in the 43rd minute, and the teams went in at half-time with Santa Clara ahead. Marítimo used a five-man back line at the interval, which made them more secure without the ball, while Santa Clara built their attacks down the flanks. In the 48th minute Adrián Butzke was left one-on-one after a cross from the right, but Neneca stopped his shot.

Reaction from the benches

Petit said Santa Clara had gone to Funchal to take three points from a ground where Marítimo are always difficult to play, and he credited his side with personality, quality and a clear plan to play out from the back. He summed up the result in comments to Sport TV.

“It's three points and we keep looking up, close to third place.”

Van der Gaag said his side had started the second half well, created chances and conceded a second goal to a Santa Clara side with very fast forwards. He said efficiency was the main difference between the teams, and after the defeat he added:

“I did not see a team afraid. It was also important to see that.”

He added that winning games requires not conceding and scoring, and he described the current spell as bad.

Table and team news

Santa Clara's Gonçalo Paciência was absent again, after Petit had said before the match that the forward would be available following an injury. Académico de Viseu came from behind to beat Rio Ave 2-1 in the same round, a sixth straight league win that moved them to 20 points, level with Arouca in sixth. Sporting beat Casa Pia in the same round, which kept them level with Santa Clara on 21 points.

Sporting (3rd)21

Santa Clara (4th)21

Marítimo (14th)8

Sporting (3rd)

21 points

Santa Clara (4th)

21 points

Marítimo (14th)

8 points

Data from the article text

One report counts the defeat as Marítimo's sixth league loss of the season, while another puts it at seventh, so the exact tally is disputed.