Botafogo secured this Sunday the honorary title of champion of the first round of the Brasileirao after beating Coritiba at home 4-1, on the 17th day of the tournament.
With two days to go before the end of the first half of the championship, Botafogo, with 43 points, can no longer be reached by any of their rivals.
The ‘Fogao’ is carrying out its best campaign since 2003, when the Brasileirao went on to play for straight points and could sign the best record in a first round if they win the remaining two games. If he did, he would surpass Corinthians’ 47 points in 2017, the best score so far in the first half of the tournament.
Playing at home and in front of their fans, Botafogo took the lead with an early goal in minute 3 from outside the box by Gustavo Sauer.
Coritiba equalized six minutes later with a great Vaseline goal from outside the box by Bruno Gomes, although ‘Fogao’ scored before the break, with goals from Tiquinho Soares, with a header, and again by Sauer. In the second half, Tiquinho Soares scored again with a header and with his 13th goal in the tournament, consolidating him as the top scorer, he closed the Rio de Janeiro rout.
golea palm trees
In Belo Horizonte, Palmeiras brought the results crisis to a halt with their second consecutive victory, beating América Mineiro 4-1 away.
Two goals before half an hour from Murilo and Rony put ‘Verdao’ ahead, although Nicolas, from a free kick, cut back for the locals before the break.
In the second half, Artur and Rony rounded off the score for a Palmeiras that climbed to third place, 12 points behind Botafogo, and further sinks an América that added its seventh game without winning and is penultimate, six points from safety .
save a point
In Goiania, Gremio lost second place after drawing 1-1 on their visit to Goiás. The locals, who are fighting to get away from relegation, took the lead in the second half with a header from rookie Matheus Babi, although in injury time, the young André, with a header, saved a point for the Gremistas, who fell to the fourth position.
Also this Sunday, Sao Paulo, after announcing the signing of Colombian James Rodríguez, drew 0-0 at home against Bahia, the first team in the relegation zone, and fell to eighth place.
Results of the matches of the 17th round of the Brazilian soccer championship, and classification table:
Saturday:
Internacional – Cuiabá 1 – 2
Fluminense – Santos 1 – 0
Atlético Paranaense – Cruzeiro 3 – 3
Fortaleza – Red Bull Bragantino 0 – 3
Corinthians – Vasco 3 – 1
Atlético Mineiro – Flamengo 1 – 2
Domingo:
Sao Paulo – Bahia 0 – 0
America Mineiro – Palmeiras 1 – 4
Botafogo – Coritiba 4 – 1
Goiás – Grêmio 1 – 1
Classification:
Pts J G E P GF GC Dif
1. Botafogo 43 17 14 1 2 32 10 22
2. Flamengo 31 17 9 4 4 30 20 10
3. Palm trees 31 17 8 7 2 32 15 17
4. Guild 30 16 9 3 4 26 21 5
5. Fluminense 28 17 8 4 5 22 16 6
6. Red Bull Bragantino 28 17 7 7 3 25 16 9
7. Atlético Paranaense 27 17 8 3 6 25 21 4
8. São Paulo 26 17 7 5 5 23 16 7
9. Cuiabá 25 17 7 4 6 18 19 -1
10. Cruise 23 17 6 5 6 19 15 4
11. Fortaleza 23 17 6 5 6 17 18 -1
12. International 23 17 6 5 6 14 18 -4
13. Atlético Mineiro 21 17 5 6 6 19 17 2
14. Corinthians 19 16 5 4 7 15 18 -3
15. Santos 17 17 4 5 8 18 26 -8
16. Goiás 16 17 4 4 9 16 27 -11
17. Bahia 15 17 3 6 8 15 23 -8
18. Coritiba 14 17 3 5 9 17 32 -15
19. America Mineiro 10 16 2 4 10 18 37 -19
20. Vasco 9 16 2 3 11 12 28 -16