At least for one night, Atlético-MG will sleep as the leader of the Brazilian Championship. Galo beat Botafogo, away from home, at Estádio Nilton Santos, by 1 to 0 and went to 31 points. The team, which started the game in sixth position, surpassed five teams at once and now waits for the game of Palmeiras (runner-up with 30) this Monday (18) against Cuiabá to see if it remains in the lead. The Argentine Zaracho scored the goal of the game, marking the second consecutive defeat in the competition for Botafogo, which has 21 points and occupies the 11th position.
The Rooster will sing in the lead tomorrow morning! Great result for my current champion @Athletic! pic.twitter.com/ZKOAk1Nexl
— Brasileirão Assaí (@Brasileirao) July 17, 2022
Both teams had eliminations from the Copa do Brasil during the week and were looking to recover. Galo took control of the shares from the beginning, while Botafogo invested in counter-coups. At the beginning of the match, Atletico even had a penalty scored in their favor due to a hand touch from defender Philipe Sampaio inside the area, but after consulting VAR, the referee Raphael Claus annulled the marking.
Galo had a great chance when Zaracho hit the crossbar with a header. Botafogo took danger in a foul charged by Lucas Fernandes and in a move by Erison that Mariano deflected out.
In the second stage, Atletico’s dominance was accentuated. Nacho Fernández missed an unbelievable goal facing the opponent’s goal, finishing it wide. However, at nine minutes the score was opened: Zaracho recovered a lost ball already in Botafogo’s area and, counting on a dose of luck, lifted the ball in the area on the left side and ended up covering the goalkeeper Douglas Borges.
??⚫⚪ GAME END IN ENGENHÃO! THE ATLÉTICO WIN BOTAFOGO, 1 TO 0, ADD THREE POINTS AND ASSUME THE LEADERSHIP OF @BRASILEIRAO!
⚽ @zarachomatiasf1 scored for Alvinegro#VamoRooster #BOTxCAM ??️ pic.twitter.com/U1AYP3cHxA
— Atletico (@Atletico) July 17, 2022
Behind on the scoreboard, Glorioso went up and pressed, mainly, making use of the aerial ball and the back-line plays. In one of them, the ball fell to Tchê Tchê practically in the small area, but his shot was blocked by Allan.
In the final minutes, Matheus Nascimento and Lucas Fernandes had good chances, but they stopped at goalkeeper Everson.
In the last move of the match, new participation of the VAR. After Hulk hit a bomb on the post from a free-kick, Keno scored on the rebound. However, the goal ended up being invalidated due to the attacker’s offside position. Galo asked for a penalty on Ademir in the same bid, but Raphael Claus did not consider Kanu’s entry illegal.
In the next round, Botafogo will visit Santos in Vila Belmiro, on Wednesday (20). The team has been pressured by bad results: adding the Brazilian and Copa do Brasil, the team has accumulated nine defeats in the last twelve games. Galo enters the field the next day, when he faces Cuiabá in the Pantanal Arena.
END OF GAME IN GOIÂNIA WITH LEÃOÃO VICTORY! 1 TO 0 AND 3 MORE POINTS ON THE ACCOUNT! GOOOOOOOOOOO! ?
⚽️ Moses#ACGXFOR #VamosFortaleza #Brazilian pic.twitter.com/21JJT4KCJK
— Fortaleza Esporte Clube ? (@FortalezaEC) July 17, 2022
Fortaleza comes out of the bottom after beating Atlético-GO
In a duel between teams in the relegation zone, Fortaleza managed to leave the last position by defeating Atlético-GO 1-0 at Antônio Accioly Stadium, in Goiânia. With the victory, achieved thanks to a goal by Moisés in the 28th minute of the second stage, Leão went to 14 points, surpassing Juventude, who has 13 and is now the new lantern. Dragon, which lost the third consecutive year, comes just above the Ceará team, with 17 points. The team from Goiás tries to recover on Wednesday, away from home, against Athletico Paranaense. On the same day, Fortaleza visits Bragantino.
