Botafogo defeated Flamengo 0-2 this Sunday and leads the Brazilian Soccer Championship alone with nine points, followed with one less by Atlético Mineiro and Bragantino. In a new edition of a traditional Rio de Janeiro derby, Botafogo surprised the powerful Flamengo at the Maracaná stadium and won with goals from former Betis player Luis Henrique and Venezuelan Jefferson Savarino.
Last year, Botafogo led the tournament from the third round and for thirty of the 38 rounds, but in the last four they collapsed and finished in fifth place. In terms of classification, this Sunday’s defeat was a disaster for Flamengo, which reached this fourth round sharing the lead with Bragantino, but stagnated at seven points and plummeted to eighth place.
It was surpassed by Botafogo itself and was also below Atlético Mineiro and Bragantino, both with eight points, and Atlhetico Paranaense, Bahía, Internacional and Cruzeiro, who with the same seven points have a better goal difference.
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Paranaense tied 1-1 with Juventude, Bragantino tied for the same result with Fortaleza, Mineiro defeated Cuiabá (0-3), Bahía beat Gremio (1-0) and Cruzeiro, amid rumors that Ronaldo Nazario will sell his shares in the club, defeated Vitória (3-1). Internacional also drew 1-1 with Goianense, in a match that had the unprecedented curiosity of being the first in the history of the Brazilian Championship directed entirely by women, even in the VAR, with Edina Alves as central judge.
Image of Corinthians-Fluminense
In Sao Paulo, Corinthians received Fluminense, who arrived with the experience of Argentine Germán Cano, Marcelo, Felipe Melo and Paulo Henrique Ganso, but lost 3-0. The irreverence of Wesley shone, a 19-year-old young man who tempts European teams and scored two great goals in the first half to leave the 2023 Copa Libertadores champion touched. At the beginning of the second half, Cacá scored with a header and buried all reaction from Flu, which fell to 14th position, with the same four points as Corinthians.
Controversy at Vasco da Gama
At the bottom of the table, Vasco da Gama entered the relegation zone after being beaten 0-4 by Criciúma, a result that precipitated the departure of Argentine coach Ramón Díaz from the Rio team. The coach assured that he was fired, but the club maintains that he resigned. The controversy, according to the local press, would be due to a termination clause that appears in the contract that Díaz signed last year with Vasco, which bound him until the end of 2025 and included a large compensation in case of dismissal.
