City London defeated Cambé 4:0 in the semi-finals of the Third Division of Paraná on Thursday evening. The result means the visitors advance to the final after winning both legs of the tie. Cambé had looked comfortable in their recent run, but City London's away performance told another story altogether.
Cambé sat fourth on ten points from six games, while City London occupied fifth with nine points. The home side had won three, drawn once and lost twice. City London matched three wins but carried three defeats and no draws. To be fair, the table positions didn't predict this outcome.
City London had edged Cambé 1:0 in the first leg on August 30. Since then they'd endured four straight defeats — 0:1 at Hope Internacional, 0:1 against PSTC Procopense and 0:1 versus Portuguesa Londrinense, before their 4:3 victory over Hope Internacional on September 6. And here's the thing: they came back from that trough to dismantle the team that had beaten them weeks earlier.
Cambé's recent form had been steadier. They'd drawn twice with Oeste Brasil and kept clean sheets against Portuguesa Londrinense and PSTC Procopense. Their only loss in five games came against City London on August 30. By then they'd built something, but it crumbled in the semi-final.
The 4:0 scoreline changed everything in the tie. Cambé's home record, their consistency through August and September, meant nothing against four unanswered goals. City London's unbeaten run against Cambé extended to two matches, and they now held the advantage going into the final.
