During a significant portion of this Wednesday’s round (4), Botafogo was winning the title of Brazilian champion of 2024 in advance. The team even confirmed the victory over Internacional, away from home by 1-0. However, in the moments In the finals, Palmeiras overcame Cruzeiro, winning 2-1 at Mineirão and postponing the definition of the championship until the final round, next Sunday (8). Botafogo has 76 points, against 73 for Verdão. A draw against São Paulo, at the Nilton Santos Stadium, guarantees the trophy for Alvinegro.
Glorioso achieved their goal right at the beginning of the match. Just before five minutes, after a quick corner kick from the right, Argentine midfielder Thiago Almada lifted the ball to the edge of the area and Savarino shot first time to score a great goal, hitting the corner of the goal defended by Uruguayan Rochet.
From then on, Internacional occupied the opponent’s defensive field. Adryelson deflected a shot from the edge of the area where the goal was headed. Shortly afterwards, Enner Valencia hit a strong shot against the post. Colorado circled the Botafogo area, without letting the opponent breathe.
When we returned to the second half, the panorama did not change. Early on, Bruno Henrique had a great chance at the edge of the area, but his shot went over. Having the ball, Inter crossed many balls into the area, but stopped at goalkeeper Gatito Fernandez. Three times, Colorado called for penalties in plays in the area, checked by the VAR (video referee).
Botafogo looked for counterattacks, mainly with Júnior Santos, but was unable to pose enough danger to breathe. However, the defensive effort secured the three points. Now the team seeks to confirm the Brazilian title playing at home, after 29 years.
With goals in the second half, Verdão stays alive
In a Mineirão without an audience, Palmeiras defeated Cruzeiro, 2-1, with the last goal coming in the final minutes. A draw would have taken away any chance Verdão had of winning the third consecutive Brasileirão championship. The goals of the match were all scored in the second half.
At seven, Matheus Pereira finished first, with his left leg, touching Weverton’s counterfoot, opening the score for Raposa in a counterattack.
Palmeiras equalized nine minutes later. Maurício shot from outside the area, the ball deflected off the defense and deceived Cássio.
The winning goal came in style: in the 45th minute Estêvão took a free kick perfectly, into the left corner of the goal defended by Cássio. It was the 13th goal scored by the young striker in the championship.
With the result, Palmeiras must defeat Fluminense in the last round and hope that São Paulo defeats Botafogo in Rio. Any other combination of results will end with the title for the Rio club.
