Maritimo vs AVS

Van der Gaag fielded a strong starting XI featuring Alfonso Pastor in goal, a back four of Rodrigo Andrade, Romain Correia, Rafael Fernandes and Paulo Henrique, with Danilovic, Raphael Guzzo and Carlos Daniel in midfield, and Francisco Gomes, Martín Tejón and Adrián Butzke up front.

Tejón opened the scoring in the first half with a composed finish, giving the I Liga side a 1-0 lead at the break. After the interval, van der Gaag rang the changes — introducing Gonçalo Tabuaço, José Melro, Noah Madsen, Igor Julião, Maurice Boakye, Peña Zauner, Nélio Batista, Francisco Silva and Kimiss Zavala off the bench.

The fresh legs paid off when Melro found the net to double Marítimo's advantage, sealing a 2-0 scoreline that reflected the gulf between the Primeira and second-tier sides. Pedro Teixeira and Simo Bouzaidi were unused substitutes.

The match was the first opportunity to see van der Gaag's tactical ideas take hold after a narrow defeat to Académica. The Dutch coach — who took charge of Marítimo ahead of the 2026/27 season — used the full squad in Lousada, with 20 outfield players seeing action across the 90 minutes.

Marítimo's pre-season camp in Lousada, on the Portuguese mainland, served as a fitness and integration block for new signings including summer arrivals Maurice Boakye (from Hamburg) and Kimiss Zavala. The club are expected to add more reinforcements before the season opener.

For AVS, the match was a second consecutive 1-0 defeat in pre-season, following the loss to Chaves. Manager Jorge Costa used 19 players on the day, including goalkeeper Dani Rebollo and a mix of experienced heads and trialists. Devenish and Talles Wander were absent, completing individual training sessions as part of load management.

AVS will face Moreirense on Saturday 18 July, while Marítimo continue their Lousada camp with a training match against Leixões on Friday 17 July.

The Spanish winger opened the scoring with a well-taken first-half goal and was a constant threat on the flank before being substituted at half-time. His movement and link-up play with Butzke and Gomes were the brightest feature of Marítimo's first-half display.

Tejón's first-half opener settled any early nerves after Marítimo's defeat to Académica. The goal allowed van der Gaag's side to play with greater freedom in the second half, eventually leading to Melro's insurance goal.

Marítimo's first win of pre-season provides a confidence boost ahead of the Leixões test on Friday. The squad will return to Madeira after the Lousada camp to complete their preparations for the 2026/27 I Liga campaign. AVS, meanwhile, remain winless in pre-season and will look to change that against Moreirense on Saturday.

The two sides could meet again in competitive action this season — Marítimo in the top flight, AVS in the second tier — but for now, the pre-season form guide points firmly in the direction of the islanders.