SR Almancilense 0-1 FC Ferreiras
Algrave Cup Final
Wednesday 22nd May 2019
My last holiday in the Algarve in October 2015 was enjoyable but frustrating, missing out on an opportunity to watch some local football. I was expecting a similar fate this time around but thanks to the reliable http://www.algarvebus.info/football.htm website, I found a match at a ground I’ve been wanting to tick off since I caught a glimpse of it on the way to Albufeira from Faro Airport almost four years ago.
I arrived in the Algarve on Sunday morning, with the
breadknife Debra and our daughter Laura. Before leaving Newcastle I still
hadn’t worked out the logistics from the resort to the stadium which is just
off the A22 motorway, 5 miles from Faro and 25 miles from where I was staying
in Albufeira. Public transport meant two buses and a walk totaling nearly two
and a half hours or a taxi costing at least a whopping €50 each way.
Luckily I happened to
mention the match to an English lad (from Scunny) who lives out there, while I
was in the Fat Cat pub on Tuesday night. He told me to see the barman who would
sort me out a fixed price taxi, as the pub also runs its own transfer service
for holidaymakers to and from the airport.
Ben the barman told me to call in on Wednesday
afternoon and he would sort everything out for me. I also used this afternoon
drinking session for a meet up with our friends Lynn, Paul, Harry and their
granddaughter Amelia who had arrived the previous day. I got the taxi for
€60 return, which I was quite happy with, considering the price was based on
four people sharing, but as I am the only sad groundhopper among our party,
it was just me who coughed up the fair.
The Estádio Algarve is located between
Faro and Loulé built for the Euro 2004 tournament in Portugal. The 30,305
capacity stadium played host to three matches in the championship and since
then has hosted nine full Portugal internationals, the first of which was a 1-1
draw against England in February 2004.
The opening game was in November 2003 between local
sides Farense and Louletano, who have both used the stadium as their home
ground. It has also been temporary home to Olhanense, Portimonense and the
Gibraltar national team who played a dozen internationals there between 2013
and 2017.
The stadium is designed by architects Populous, having
two matching stands which have 73-metre-high curved roofs which are both held
up by interesting looking steel structures tied to four pillars. Behind both
goals is a bank of uncovered seats.
Sociedade Recreativa Almancilense faced Futebol Clube
Ferreiras in this year’s Taça do Algarve. The match was a tense affair,
littered with niggly fouls and a lack of top quality in front of goal. However
both teams were hungry to lift the trophy and there was always just going to be
a single goal in a match which could have gone either way. The winning goal
came with fifteen minutes remaining when a ball from the left was flicked onto
João Bonifácio who fired home from close range to give Ferreiras a first
Algarve Cup triumph in their 36 year history.
Matchday Stats
SR Almancilense 0
FC Ferreiras 1(Bonifácio 75)
8.30pm ko
Att.800.est
Admission:free
Programme:none, but latest and back copies of the Algarve football magazine readily available for free
Programme:none, but latest and back copies of the Algarve football magazine readily available for free
