Bustos’ men left two points after signing a 2-2 draw against Bragantino
The aurinegros are fifth, seven behind the first place held by Palmeiras
The Saints yielded this Saturday a draw at home by 2-2 against Bragantino in a match on the thirteenth day of the Brazilian Championship and remained in fifth place in the classification of the League in Brazil, from where he sees the first ones further and further away. The group commanded by Argentine coach Fabián Bustos reached 18 points and was 7 behind the leader Palmeiras, who on Monday will have to defend their position in a difficult derby against Sao Paulo, and 4 behind Corinthians, the second in the standings and that on Sunday receives the humble Goiás.
Despite taking a comfortable lead in the first half with two goals from Leo Baptistao at their fortress, the Vila Belmiro stadium in the port of Santos, the São Paulo team allowed Bragantino to equalize in the second half with goals from Hyoran and Luan Cándido. The draw away from home allowed Bragantino to rise to seventh place in the standings, with the same 18 points as Santos but worse goal difference.
In the other anticipated game of the thirteenth day, the Cuiabá and Ceará drew goalless in a match played at the World Cup Arena do Pantanal whose result left both rivals unsatisfied. Cuiabá, with 13 points, remained in eighteenth place in the standings, among the last four and threatened with relegation to the second division. And Ceará, despite hoping for a victory away from home, had to content themselves with a 0-0 draw that leaves them in tenth place, with 16 points and 9 behind leaders Palmeiras.
The thirteenth day will have another seven games on Sunday and will conclude on Monday with the classic between Palmeiras and Sao Paulo that can define the leadership of the League. The green club from Sao Paulo, champion of the last two editions of the Copa Libertadores and one of the great favorites for the Brazilian title this year, isolated itself at the top of the table on Thursday thanks to its 4-2 win over Atlético Goianinese, but it is still within reach of Corinthians. The group commanded by the Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira leads with 25 points and Corinthians escorts him with 22. But Palmeiras will have a theoretically more difficult commitment for having to face Sao Paulo in a traditional derby, which is sixth in the standings, while Corinthians will host Goiás at home on Sunday, which is sixteenth in the standings.
The great attraction of the day is the classic that will also be played on Sunday by Atlético Mineiro, who last year won the Brazilian Championship and the Copa do Brasil, and Flamengo, Brazilian champion in 2019 and 2021 and one of the favorites for the title. While Mineiro, seventh in the standings, is playing for the continuity of Argentine coach Antonio “El Turco” Mohamed, Flamengo, eleventh, will once again test Dorival Junior, who took over as coach last week instead of the Portuguese Paulo Sousa.
On Sunday, Atlético Mineiro-Flamengo, Corinthians-Goiás, Coritiba-Atlético Paranaense, Internacional-Botafogo, Fortaleza-América, Goianiense-Juventude and Fluminense-Avaí will be played, while Sao Paulo-Palmeiras will be played on Monday.
