The Argentine Matías Zaracho sealed the victory of Atlético Mineiro this Sunday, who became the leader of the Brazilian Championship on the seventeenth day of the league while waiting for the Palmeiras match.
Mineiro beat Botafogo 0-1 and climbed to the top of the table, where it stands with 31 points, one more than Palmeiras, led by the Portuguese Abel Ferreira, who tomorrow will try to regain their leadership position against modest Cuiabá .
Galo’s victory was made possible thanks to a goal in the second half by Zaracho, who scored his sixteenth goal in an Atlético Mineiro shirt and the second of the season in the Brazilian Championship.
Mineiro’s leadership, however, could be temporary, as Verdao has a match tomorrow that a priori looks easy against Cuiabá, who with 19 points is in danger of falling into the relegation zone.
However, Palmeiras, two-time champion of the Copa Libertadores, where he is installed in the quarterfinals, arrives beaten after his elimination on Thursday from the Brazilian Cup, when playing in his yard he fell in the round of 16 against his neighbor and historic rival Sao Paulo in definition by charges from the penalty spot.
Palmeiras have good chances of coming back, as some of their direct pursuers tied or lost on matchday seventeen.
Corinthians, third with 29 points and coming after eliminating Boca Juniors in the second round of the Copa Libertadores, lost to Ceará 3-1.
Internacional de Porto Alegre, for its part, fourth with the same points, drew against Athlético Paranaense in a face-to-face match between former coaches Mano Menezes and Luiz Felipe Scolari.
This Sunday, Sao Paulo and Fluminense, which has the tournament’s top scorer, the Argentine Germán Ezequiel Cano, tied 2-2 in a high-voltage match played at the Morumbi stadium in the capital of São Paulo and which turned into a good duel for the technicians Rogerio Ceni and Fernando Diniz.
After the victory, Fluminense remains in fifth place with 28 points, while Tricolor remains anchored in the center of the table with 24 points, the same as Flamengo.
Mengao, who are experiencing an irregular campaign, beat Coritiba 2-0 the day before at the Mané Garrincha stadium in Brasilia, with a goal from Diego, a former Atlético de Madrid player who scored again after 153 days without moving the net .
