Juventude fell 3-1 on their visit to Sao Paulo this Monday for the penultimate day of Brazilian championship, a result that kept alive the Guild’s hopes of remaining in the first division, practically depending on a miracle on the last day, next Thursday.
In order not to be relegated to the second division, the Gremio, one of the most traditional clubs in Brazil and three times champion of the Copa Libertadores, he has to beat Atlético Mineiro on Thursday, which last week won the Brazilian Championship title two days in advance, and “prayed” for the defeats of both Bahia and Juventude.
The Guild, with 40 points, currently occupies the penultimate position in the league standings, that is, it is among the last four, which are punished with the loss of the category, and has the possibility of reaching Bahia and Juventude, who precede it in the table with 43 points each.
In case he manages to beat the leader at home and the defeats of his two opponents, Gremio will equal them in number of points, but will have the advantage of having a greater number of victories, which is the first classification criterion.
While Bahía will have to make a difficult visit to the Fortaleza on the last day, Juventude will host Corinthians, fourth in the standings and that nothing is played anymore because he already has a guaranteed place in the Copa Libertadores.
The Guild’s only advantage is that the Atlético Mineiro will reserve several of its starters for Sunday, in which Athletico Paranaense will be measured in the first leg for the final of the Copa do Brasil, a title he aspires to conquer in order to hold the double Brazilian crown this year.
While the tricolor set of Porto Alegre will line up all its holders because it is a life or death match, the Mineiro will use substitutes in a game in which he no longer has an interest.
But a setback against the new Brazilian champion or a draw or a victory for Bahia or Juventude will punish the Gremio with the third descent to the second division in its history, after having lost the category in 1991 and 2004.
The Guild still survives mathematically despite the fact that on Sunday, in its match for the penultimate round, gave up a 1-1 draw on their visit to Corinthians after having opened the scoring and kept the lead for most of the game.
It could have fallen to the second division this Monday in case Juventude and Cuiabá won their commitments. But while Cuiabá beat Fortaleza 1-0 and escaped relegation, Juventude failed to achieve victory.
The Sao Paulo, with two goals from a prominent Luciano and another from Argentine Jonathan Calleri, beat Juventude 3-1 and saved the Guild.
The victory allowed Sao Paulo to climb to twelfth place. in the classification, with 48 points; confirm their permanence in the first division without depending on any results in the last day and guarantee a place in the Copa Sudamericana next year.
Juventude only managed to discount at the end of the second half through Sorriso.
In another match on the penultimate round, Athletico Paranaense gave up a 0-0 draw against Palmeiras, who is already guaranteed third place in the standings, with no chance of reaching the champion Mineiro or Flamengo, and has been playing with his substitutes for a week, when he won his second Copa Libertadores title.
The Paranaense, who won the Copa Sudamericana title last month, used his headlines despite the fact that on Sunday he played the first match of the Copa do Brasil final due to the fact that I needed at least a draw to guarantee their permanence in the first division.
And the tie allowed him reach 46 points and stay out of the reach of those who are still threatened with decline.
Also in a match for the penultimate round, Santos surprised Flamengo in the Maracana stadium The one they beat 0-1, with a goal from Marcos Leonardo, and, with 49 points, was also far from the reach of the clubs that are still struggling not to fall to the second.
The result assumes another setback for Flamengo, Brazilian champion in 2019 and 2020 and the club with the most valuable cast in Brazil, which last month fell to Palmeiras in the dispute for the Libertadores title and this Monday was booed by the 42,000 fans who came to Maracana.
