Portugal
Primeira Liga
Monday 6th March 2023
Kick Off 20.15 Actual 20.20
Casa Pia Atletico Club 2 F.C. Pacos Ferreira 1, attendance 530
45’ + 4, 0-1
67’ 1-1
76’ 2-1
@ Estadio de Honra do Centro Desportivo Nacional
Avenida Pierre de Coubertin
1491-751 Cruz Quebrada do Jamor
€5 Admission + 50c booking fee, Print at Home Ticket
No Programme.
This was the main reason for the trip to Portugal this weekend. The chance to see a game at the iconic Nacional Estadio in Lisbon, where Celtic famously beat Inter Milan to win the European Cup back in 1967, thus becoming the first British side to win the trophy. The ground stages the Portuguese Cup Final each year, but also now hosts regular league football as well, so getting to see a match here is now less problematic.
I had seen Casa Pia play at their traditional Estadio Pina Manique home back on 1st December 2019, when they lost 0-1 to Clube Desportivo Nacional in a Liga 2 match. Having now been promoted into the top division, they required a stadium capable of hosting larger crowds, hence the move here. Their relatively small crowds, for run of the mill fixtures, are lost in the huge bowl of a stadium that once held a crowd of 75,000 (Portugal v Spain friendly in 1956). It only holds 37,593 these days due to it now being all seated.
Despite being such a huge stadium, getting a ticket was a bit problematic. The club weren’t answering their phone, so I couldn’t confirm that tickets could actually be bought at the stadium on the night. They were on sale on their website though, but you had to register, then make payment via a Portuguese bank account on an app. Thankfully, the hotel staff sorted out payment and printed off the tickets, taking cash to cover the cost, so all sorted!
Once again it was an easy train ride about fifteen minutes west out of Lisbon towards Estoril, stopping at Cruz Quebrada station. From there it was a steep 16 minute walk up to the ground, the huge floodlights clearly visible through the trees high up in the woods above. You arrive at the stadium on the side with the huge gap in the seating, and enter at ground level, so it looks pretty impressive as you make your way towards the seats, with the bowl rising up around you. Unfortunately, all the facilities are round the top of the stadium, but once up there you get the full extent of how impressive it is, even if it has seen better days.
Casa Pia came into this sitting seventh in the league table, whilst Pacos Ferreira were bottom. Games involving the hosts don’t produce many goals. They had only managed to score 18 goals in their 22 games so far and had only conceded 22. The good news though, was that the reverse fixture had finished 2-3, which is the most goals scored in any Casa Pia game this season, so there was hope!
Pacos had a real go. They hit the post early on, when a looping header beat the ‘keeper, but bounced back out, and looked the brighter of the two sides in a reasonable first half. Four minutes into stoppage time the visitors went ahead, when a clearance from the box was returned with a dipping volley from 20 yards that flew into the bottom corner. Casa Pia almost levelled when a shot was deflected just wide on the hour mark, before the equaliser arrived seven minutes later, when a defender diverted a cross into his own net trying to cut out the pass. It was a case of whether the visitors could hang on for a point now. They couldn’t. Casa Pia squandered a great chance to go in front when the ball was headed back across the six yard box, but somehow not converted at the far post, before the inevitable winning goal arrived with fourteen minutes left, when a cut back from the right was saved at point blank range, before being poked in on the follow up.
After the game there was ample time to walk back down the hill for the 22.56 train back into Lisbon. So, another successful trip was over, with all five planned matches being achieved and home on the 13.05 TAP Air Portugal flight from Lisbon back to London Gatwick on Tuesday afternoon, which left 42 minutes late.
