IMORTAL FOOTBALL CLUB ALBUFEIRA

According to the official Algarve FA website, the game on 13th December away to Farense B will be played at the Algarve Stadium. Heaven knows why. I shall of course check this at the game this Saturday.

For me this is do-able by train, leaving Albufeira on the 1403 to Parque das Cidades and returning on the 1725.

This will provide a totally surreal setting for a county game. Maybe 100 fans in a 29,000 seater ground. There is no bar there for this sort game

Imortal 2 Mexilhoeira Grande 0

Imortal duly beat the bottom club but as is often the case made very hard of work of breaking down the massed ranks of defenders.

I spoke with club officials about next Saturday's game as so far as they are concerned it will be at the Algarve Stadium. I will double check later in the week.

Farense B 3 Imortal 0

Imortal were undone in the last quarter when the defence cracked under great pressure.

The game was played in the Algarve Stadium on a rather wet and mottled looking pitch.



Among the crowd of about 100 was a disreputable character upon whom the five GNR present kept a close eye.

No detailed match report this week as I forgot to take my notebook and pen!

It was 0-0 at half time with neither team playing particularly well. Farense had a speedy and skilful left winger, who was starting to cause problems and so it proved to be in the second half.

Three goals in rapid succession, of which he scored one and set up the second. Their third was a superb shot on the run from about 25 yards which three goalkeepers would not have stopped.

Imortal did rally a bit once 3-0 down, but it was far too late. Over the course of the match the strikers were totally ineffective. Defenders were left standing by the speed of their opponents.

Much thinking to be done by management before next week's match at home to 11 Esperanças.

Imortal Albufeira 2 - 1 the 11 Esperanças

Imortal gained a deserved victory with a goal four minutes into the five added on at the end. The visitors, I can safely say, are the worst team seen here so far. Their spoiling tactics and very defensive play allied to some pretty blatant cheating made for a poor spectacle. But rather oddly there were 'only' twenty-four free kicks in the game, around half the usual number.

The game as a whole was pretty scrappy. The visitor's earned three yellow cards in the first half hour, two for cynical fouls and one for what looked like retaliation - Nelson Mountinho was flattened on the touchline after he had fouled an opponent. To the ire of the crowd it was only a yellow.

Imortal were completely dominating the game in terms of possession but some ill advised passing lead to moves breaking down before the enemy goal came into any danger.

There were only a small handful of shots and nothing much happening until ten minutes before half time. A rare foray over the halfway line by the 11 cheats found Imortal's defence wanting. A poor defensive header was seized on the edge of the area and blasted home.

Five minutes later there was a most bizarre incident, earning 11 Esperanças their fourth yellow card. Imortal had a corner, Mauro's resulting shot was blocked and the clearance was booted up the field. Moments before that, one of the visitors asked to leave the field as he was 'injured'. He was strolling off, boots in hand, along the half way line. The ref was wrong to allow the game to restart before the player had left the field. When the clearance arrived at his feet he proceeded to play the ball while still in his socks. Yellow card was flourished, for unsporting conduct and / or not being properly attired - you can't play in your socks!

Imortal had a late chance to equalise but a good run by Nascimento was finished with a very poor shot, miles over the bar from the edge of the area.

Nascimento earned himself a booking at the start of the second half when he clattered an opponent about half an  hour after the ball had gone. Cue some really dramatic rolling around and screaming from the victim, but the ref ignored him. Needless to say a miraculous recovery then occurred. There were several more such incidents later.

Ten minutes into the half Marco Benje replaced Mauro in the centre-forward position. Imortal started to play a lot better. Baldé was set up nicely by Nascimento on the half way line, made a good run down the left, was fouled, the ref played advantage but Baldé shot high and wide.

Nascimento then managed a shot which was pushed round for a corner and from that came the equaliser.  Corner taken, there was a right old scrum in the six yard box ending with Benje stabbing the ball over the line. Cue much yelling and shouting from the opposition but the goal stood.

Imortal then applied the pressure. Several more fouls and two more yellow cards resulted as the resistance grew increasingly desperate. Imortal's finishing was poor, Chico firing over when he should have done a lot better.

Five minutes stoppage time was announced. Imortal piled  forwards and were rewarded after four of those minutes. Mass defence failed to clear, there followed a bit of chaos ending with a great knockdown header by Nascimento which was swept into goal by young midfielder Mica, from about fifteen yards.

A good win against horrible opposition. That's five unbeaten now in a row at home. The away form needs addressing as the last three games, all defeats, have seen Imortal score nil and concede eight.

No game for Imortal next weekend. Next game will be away to Lagoa on Saturday 3rd January.

Match stats

Free kicks conceded : Imortal 12, 11 Esperanças 12.
Offside : Imortal 2, 11 Esperanças 2
Shots on target : Imortal 5, 11 Esperanças 2
Shots blocked : Imortal 1, 11 Esperanças 0
Shots off target : Imortal 5, 11 Esperanças 0
Corners : Imortal 4, 11 Esperanças 2
Yellow cards : Imortal 2, 11 Esperanças 6

Imorrtal 3 Os Armancanenses 1 they made hard work of it at times but a good performance overall. More later.

Imortal Ultra entering the stadium.