Author: Serg Atrakhov, Vishwajit Sawant
Goiás – Internacional – 0:0
In a very tight match at the Serrinha Stadium, Goiás and Internacional played out a goalless draw in the 22nd round of the Brazilian Championship. Internacional coach Eduardo Coudet fielded a strong side and adopted a 4-5-1 formation, with an emphasis on solid defending and dominance in midfield. The Copa Libertadores semi-finalists lacked attacking creativity, although they did seriously trouble goalkeeper Tadeu on two occasions, who made some impressive saves.
Internacional pressed at the start of the first half, but Goiás defended their goal firmly, denying the visitors any chances. In the second half, the game became more even, with Goiás creating promising chances but failing to convert them. The teams finished the game in the minority. In the 92nd minute, Maguinho received his second yellow card. Tempers flared and the referee showed red cards to Halter and Luis Adriano.
With this draw, Internacional extended their winless streak to 10 games and are currently in 12th place with 26 points, just one point ahead of Goiás, who are in 15th place. Despite their eight-game unbeaten run, Internacional are still struggling to distance themselves from the threat of relegation.
Atlético Paranaense – Atlético Mineiro – 1:1
In a top-of-the-table clash at the Ligga Arena, Atlético-MG and Athletico-PR couldn’t break away, drawing 1-1 in a Campeonato Brasileiro match that had significant implications for their G-4 aspirations. The game was marked by an early goal, when Paulinho took advantage of Pedrinho’s exquisite cross to put Atlético-MG ahead in the sixth minute. Vitor Roque, showing his goalscoring skills, leveled the score for Atlético-PR.
Notably, the game marked Luiz Felipe Scolari’s reunion with Athletico-PR, where he previously served as head coach before taking over at Atlético-MG. Paulinho continued his impressive scoring streak, netting his fourth goal in a row for Atlético-MG, while Vitor Roque extended his scoring streak for Athletico-PR to three games (this is his 11th league goal).
However, the match wasn’t without its drama, as striker Hulk received his third yellow card for challenging a substitution, making him unavailable for the upcoming clash against league leaders Botafogo. And in the 82nd minute, Fernandinho received his second yellow card, and the hosts had to end the match on a low note.
With this draw, Atlético-MG maintain their position in 9th place with 31 points, while Athletico-PR remain in 7th place with 34 points.
Botafogo – Flamengo 1:2
After leaving the Copa Sudamericana, the league leaders received one of their main pursuers. The atmosphere was electric, with more than 35,000 passionate fans in attendance, despite a 15-minute delay at the start of the game due to bus delays. It’s worth mentioning that Botafogo had Soares (who recovered from his injury). However, the league’s top scorer (13 goals) failed to score and was replaced by Diego Costa in the 57th minute.
Flamengo took the lead in the first minute of the game when Botafogo’s Marlon Freitas accidentally deflected a cross into his own net. However, Botafogo, spurred on by their enthusiastic fans, responded strongly, with Victor Sá scoring the equalizer in the 18th minute – 1-1.
In the second half, both teams came back unchanged and, despite Bruno Henrique having a goal disallowed for offside, he hit a sensational shot into the corner in the 73rd minute, sealing Flamengo’s victory. Botafogo fought bravely until the final whistle, even involving goalkeeper Lucas Perri in their attacking efforts, but were unable to overturn the result. The team hasn’t lost a league game since June 4.
Botafogo are 12 points ahead of Flamengo, but now they won’t be able to break the record. Before that, the team had won 11 consecutive league matches at home. To break Internacional’s record in 1976, just three wins were not enough.