The palm treeswith goals from the Argentine José López and Dudú, won this Saturday at home, by 2-1, Ceara and thus extended its advantage in the leadership of Serie A of the Brazilian Championship soccer.
The team led by Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira and two-time champion of the Copa Libertadores reached 42 points with their victory at the Castelao stadium in the city of Fortaleza, seven ahead of their backyard rival, Corinthians, who played later. Ceará, who cut back with a penalty goal from Colombian Stiven Mendoza, is stagnant with 24 points in the standings, within the second ‘lot’ of twenty teams in the tournament.
In another of Saturday’s games, which opened the twentieth day, Goiás, with a solitary goal from Pedro Raúl, won 1-0 in Goiania over Coritiba, led by Paraguayan coach Gustavo Morínigo, and reached 25 points, three more than his rival.
In the second hour of Saturday, Corinthians led by Portuguese coach Vítor Pereira and second in the standings with 35 points, received and won 1-0 in Sao Paulo against Botafogo from Rio de Janeiro, coached by also Portuguese Luis Castro.
The Flamengo of the Chilean Arturo Vidal and that on Friday made official the also southern midfielder Érick Pulgar and the Uruguayan defender Guillermo Varela, thrashed in his Maracaná fort against Atlético Goianiense (4-1).
This Sunday, Atlético Mineiro de Belo Horizonte, last champion and to whom Cuca returned as coach, after the departure of Argentine Antonio Mohamed, will visit Internacional de Porto Alegre, which on Friday announced the hiring of Argentine striker Braian Romero, from River Plate de Argentina.
Atlético Mineiro is fourth in the standings with 32 points.
Athletico Paranaense, of the veteran coach Luiz Felipe Scolari and who appears fifth with 31 points, will face Sao Paulo in Curitiba, which announced this Saturday the signing of goalkeeper Felipe Alves, from Fortaleza and who at 34 years old defends a club for the first time “great”.
In the other matches on Sunday, América will host Avaí from Florianópolis in Belo Horizonte, Cuiabá will host Fortaleza and Bragantino from São Paulo will host Juventude de Caxías.
The twentieth matchday ends on Monday, when Fluminense, led by Argentine gunner Germán Ezequiel Cano -the tournament’s top scorer- and third with 34 units, visits Santos from São Paulo.
read also
