Leão played well and defeated Vila Nova at Arena de Pernambuco (Photo: Sandy James/DP) Second victory
Second game in Series B. Second victory for Sport, remaining firmly in the fight for access to the Brazilian Championship, after the 2-0 victory over Vila Nova/GO. In both stages of the match, Leão knew how to control the opponent. Without Alan Ruiz and Barletta, coach Mariano Soso had few offensive options on the bench (just Pedro Vilhena and Pablo Dyego). Leão needed to be intense from the beginning, looking for the goal, even to hold back any desire from the team from Goiás, which came with the proposal to stay closed and explore the counterattack. In the first minutes of the initial phase, Sport followed the script almost every match: creating a lot and making too many mistakes in finishing. Responsible for the red and black ball, Felipe was closely marked by Ralf. Still, the sides were open to the Leonine advance. At 26, the ball came and was deadly: a corner kick and captain Rafael Thyere scored the goal. Score open and Sport slows down, allowing Vila to reach Caíque França’s goal, even with high balls. Leão lacked a little more desire to get the second goal.
In the second half, Vila Nova made three changes. A sign that would open up the team more and score more ball releases. However, he was too exposed in defense and ended up forgetting the speed of the red and black players. At 6, in a deadly counterattack, the ball fell to Gustavo Coutinho. The detail is that this second goal made Sport more comfortable on the field. Soso started changing the team, thinking about Tuesday’s match, against Atlético/MG, for the Copa do Brasil. As the options on the bench were more in midfield, he ended up opening space for the opponent. Caíque França appeared in at least two balls. Of course the game was dangerous, but Sport knew how to contain any reaction from the team from Goiás, which if they don’t reinforce, will remain in the middle of the table. Good victory and Leão is among the first in the Brazilian Championship.
Win at Christmas
This Náutico game is very important for the team’s progress in Series C. A victory puts the black and white team back on the road to access and Mazola Júnior gains momentum and time to adjust the team in the coming days. However, this is a game that cannot be missed. Today, I don’t see ABC fighting for one of the places in the next phase. And the defeat increases the fans’ dissatisfaction. Let’s react, Timbu!
Premieres in Series D
Saturday holds the debuts of Retrô and Petrolina in Series D. Fera Sertaneja plans to advance to the next stage and bet on the knockout stage. Fênix is the favorite for the title. For the cast and structure. No more hitting the goal post. Itamar Schülle has a good team to reach not only the dream of promotion, but the club’s first great achievement: the title in the national division.
For less wax
Look what an interesting rule in MLS, the North American football league. The substituted player has 10 seconds to leave the field. If the deadline is not met, the athlete who enters the field has to wait 1 minute or until the ball comes out. Until the last round, 114 substitutions were made and no one was punished.