The Athletic Mineiro, League leader in Brazil, drew 2-2 in his visit to Palmeiras this Tuesday in the thirty-fifth day of the Brazilian Championship but maintained its wide advantage, of 8 points, over Flamengo, second in the standings and the only one with the possibility of snatching the title. The Belo Horizonte team benefited from the draw that Flamengo gave up this Tuesday, also 2-2, in their visit to the Gremio, one of the last in the standings, and which allows them to be confirmed as the top favorite for the title with four games left to go. the only two rivals with a chance to be crowned champions. The team led by coach Alexi Stival ‘Cuca’ reached 75 points in 34 games and has an advantage of 8 over Flamengo (second with 67), so they can be crowned champion early the next day in case they get a victory on Sunday against Fluminense and that the Rio de Janeiro club suffers a defeat or a draw against Ceará on Tuesday. To keep their dream of winning the Brazilian Championship for the third year in a row, Flamengo has to win at least three of their remaining four games and hope that Mineiro loses theirs. Palmeiras, despite giving up a draw at home against the leader with a team in which several starters were reserved, regained third place in the standings, with 59 points, 16 points behind the leader and no longer able to reach it.
The two games this Tuesday were the last for Palmeiras and Flamengo before they met next Saturday in Montevideo for the title of the Libertadores Cup. The final to a single game in the Uruguayan capital will measure the last two champions of the Libertadores since the green team of Sao Paulo is the current owner of the title and that of Rio de Janeiro was in 2019. Despite the fact that the Palmeiras coach , the Portuguese Abel Ferreira, sent several reserves to the field for the match with the leader of the League, the Sao Paulo team went ahead twice and almost surprised Mineiro, who was forced to postpone his desire to be crowned champion In advance. Wesley and Deyverson they scored for Palmeiras but Patrick de Paula wasted a penalty that would have guaranteed victory for the paulistas.
Mineiro tied in the first half with a goal from the Argentine midfielder Matías Zaracho and guaranteed the tie in the second half thanks to a goal from the veteran Hulk, which was further isolated at the top of the league’s top scorers list, with 15.
The Gremio, the second to last in the standings and struggling to get out of the last four places, which are punished with relegation, achieved a heroic comeback at home against the powerful Flamengo after starting losing 0-2 and despite the expulsion of a player. The Rio de Janeiro club led by coach Renato Gaúcho scored two goals thanks to the skill of youth Vitinho, but the Gremio equalized in the last fifteen minutes of the second half with goals from Colombian Miguel Borja and Feirrerinha.
