Round 36 (Nov/19-20) – Corinthians 2 Points Ahead With 2 Rounds To Go! Avaí & América-MG: First Relegation Victims
Round 36…Another round jam-packed with excitement – Corinthians come back after being down a goal, only this round’s hero instead of Peruvian MID “Cachito” Ramírez, it was none other than the Emperor himself, Adriano, and in the last minute! Avaí and América-MG were no match for Vasco and São Paulo, respectively, and had their passports stamped to the 2012 Série B. We also saw “Showman” and hat trick hero Fred completely annihilate Figueirense’s 14-match ubeaten streak, and in Florianópolis giving 3rd-placed Fluminense a 4×0 win. Ceará pulled off an amazing victory in Porto Alegre against a blasé and aspiration-less Grêmio, extending the Northeasterners’ lifeline in the Série A. These among many more exciting happenings, were what shook Brazil this past weekend. Only 2 rounds left, and much more action definitely awaits us!
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Luís Fabiano scored two out of three of São Paulo's goals in their victory against América-MG, ultimately relegating the Mineiros (Edson Lopes Jr./Terra)
São Paulo and especially Luís Fabiano, were finally able to find themselves, and against an América Mineiro who for the past three rounds had grabbed ahold of the Brazilian football world by storm after beating three G-5 teams. Unfortunately for the “Rabbit”, their awakening came too late and their one-year stint in the first division has come to an end with this loss.
São Paulo with the win keep their 2012 Copa Libertadores chances alive by jumping up to 7th-place only a point away from the G-5. Next round however, they will face bitter rivals Palmeiras, who themselves have ended a streak of 10 matches without a win. It’ll most definitely be an interesting Choque-Rei derby match.
América Mineiro remain in the same 19th-place position, and already relegated and without anything but the obligation to play their remaining two matches, will likely test out some players who perhaps didn’t get much of a chance to play this season against a desperate and still hopeful of escaping relegation Atlético Paranaense, in Sete Lagoas.
3×1
São Paulo (7th: 15W-11D-10L) x América Mineiro (19th: 7W-13D-16L)
Last Matchup: Round 17 – América-MG 1×1 São Paulo
Date: Saturday, November 19, 2011
Place: Morumbi Stadium (São Paulo, SP)
Goals: 25′, 41′ Luís Fabiano (SPO), 49′ Juan (SPO), 77′ Alessandro (AMG)
Attendance: 9.057
Match Highlights
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Ceará surprised Grêmio in their own Olímpico Monumental home stadium, beating them by a 3x1 result with all 3 goals by FWD Felipe Azevedo (Ricardo Rímoli/Agência Lance)
With a brilliant performance by Ceará and especially Felipe Azevedo, who scored all three of their goals, the Northeasterners pulled off a huge win in Porto Alegre where naturally, it’s already hard to play in, keeping their first division permanence dreams hopeful. Grêmio, already free from any dangers of relegation and with no chances of reaching the G-5 for a Libertadores spot, were simply playing because they had to, however Ceará, needed a win if they hoped to keep on playing in soft fields and keep getting those fat television revenue checks again next season, and they did.
Grêmio, in the same 11th-place position they’ve been in for four straight rounds, will be taking on Atlético Goianiense again at home in Porto Alegre, in the before-to-last round of the season.
Ceará, up a position from 18th to 17th, one spot away from exiting the dreadful relegation zone, will be back home in Fortaleza taking on a Cruzeiro who are exactly a spot above them in the table. It will be an all-out war between the two.
1×3
Grêmio (11th: 13W-8D-15L) x Ceará (17th: 10W-8D-18L)
Last Matchup: Round 17 – Ceará 3×0 Grêmio
Date: Saturday, November 19, 2011
Place: Olímpico Monumental Stadium (Porto Alegre, RS)
Goals: 30′, 49′, 58′ Felipe Azevedo (CEA), 37′ Douglas (GRÊ)
Attendance: 7.130
Match Highlights
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Veteran midfielder, Felipe, helped give Vasco the win against last-placed Avaí, keeping the Cruz-maltinos steady in 2nd-place behind Corinthians (Maurício Val/Fotocom)
Vasco did what was expected for them to do, but it didn’t come easily. After a scoreless first half and only after Avaí were a man down, did the home side open up the scoreline with a precise shot from veteran MID Felipe. Vasco’s win temporarily put them ahead in first place at the table, however only for a night, since Corinthians won their battle and regained the leadership scooting the Cariocas down to 2nd-place, where they’ve mostly occupied this season.
Avaí, already relegated, put up a good fight, but weren’t strong enough to hold against a much powerful Vasco backed up by their crowd at São Januário Stadium. The Catarinenses remain in last place at the table, 20th, and as we all know, next season we won’t see the always well-fought and bitter rivalry Catarinense Derby, between Avaí and Figueirense.
2×0
Vasco da Gama (2nd: 18W-11D-7L) x Avaí (20th: 7W-9D-20L)
Last Matchup: Round 17 – Avaí 0×2 Vasco
Date: Saturday, November 19, 2011
Place: São Januário Stadium (Rio de Janeiro, RJ)
Goals: 50′ Felipe (VAS), 66′ Élton (VAS)
Attendance: 16.296
Match Highlights
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After 1 year and 6 months, Adriano scores a goal, perhaps his most important goal ever, along with his last-minute 2004 Copa América Final equalizer against Argentina (Edson Lopes Jr./Terra)
After a truly heroic mid-week performance by substitute midfielder Luís Ramírez, scoring Corinthians’ winning goal in Fortaleza against Ceará, Corinthians were not short of heroes in their match against Atlético Mineiro at a packed Pacaembu Stadium on Sunday.
After a scoreless first half, and even after being down a goal against the Mineiros, coach Tite went “all in” when calling forward Adriano, who still isn’t in his best shape, as well as midfielder Alex, who was injured and had missed a few matches. Everything changed for Corinthians – for the better, that is. Alex brought lots of movement and made the dull and uncreative midfield loose and offensive. The result came quick with a perfect Liédson header from an even more perfect Alessandro cross for the equalizing goal.
Adriano, with his massive size and intimidating presence on the opponent’s defenders, came in with a vengeance, and in the end of the match when all seemed over and the match would end in a draw, Emerson “Sheikh” stole the ball still in Corinthians’ defensive sector, impressively ran with it 50 yards and passed it to none other than the “Emperor” – Adriano put all of his might and anger after taking so much of all the “was he worth it?” and “will he ever be good again?” or “did Corinthians make a huge mistake on signing this guy?” on a powerful and precise, wicked left-foot (his best) shot on the young Atlético-MG goalie Renan Ribeiro, who simply and helplessly with his eyes, accompanied the trajectory of the ball, which hit the left post and went in the net for the winning goal and the automatic explosion and roar of the Pacaembu Stadium.
With these two goals, Corinthians turned the match around and saw themselves one more step closer to their fifth title.
Next round, leaders Corinthians will have another decisive battle. They’ll be taking on a Figueirense who’ll be coming from a 4×0 home loss to Fluminense. desperately seeking to avoid screwing up their season and not qualifying for the 2012 Copa LIbertadores. If by chance, Corinthians win against Figueirense, and Vasco lose to Fluminense, consider the season over and done with – Corinthians will be season champions a round early.
Atlético Mineiro were betting on a good result this match to distance themselves from any remaining threats of relegation, however, Corinthians’ will to win proved too strong. The “Rooster” remain in the same 14th-place they were in before the round’s matches started, and will be back home next round to take on a Botafogo in pieces, who’ll be looking to not embarass themselves even further this last stretch of the season after dramatically falling out of the G-5.
2×1
Corinthians (1st: 20W-7D-9L) x Atlético Mineiro (14th: 12W-6D-18L)
Last Matchup: Round 17 – Atlético-MG 2×3 Corinthians
Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Place: Pacaembu Stadium (São Paulo, SP)
Goals: 55′ Leonardo Silva (ATL), 77′ Liédson (COR), 87′ Adriano (COR)
Attendance: 37.157
Match Highlights
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Not even the always outspoken "Loco
Botafogo are being called the “Palmeiras of Rio”. Don’t be mad at me, look at the results. Statistics speak for themselves. Of the past five matches, they won 1 and lost 4, seeing themselves fall dramatically in the table from 3rd-place, well in the G-5 and still with slight title possibilities, to 8th-place, no title chances and perhaps even finishing outside the Copa Libertadores zone, which will crush Botafogo fans, who before this awful month of November which they haven’t won yet, were among the most hopeful.
Internacional went to Rio and saw their golden boy Leandro “Damigol” Damião finally score again after being away due to injury. Aside from the loss, the 45-thousand-seater Engenhão Stadium had a mere 6-thousand spectators, far below the expected number and Botafogo’s average attendance rate this season – a definite sign of where fans’ hopes have gone to.
The loss has left Fogão in 8th-place, 2 points away from the G-5. Next round, they’ll be taking on Atlético Mineiro in Minas Gerais, which if they still expect to make the G-5, a win is considered mandatory.
Internacional on the other hand, saw their “light at the end of the tunnel”, and after being out of the G-5 for 27 straight rounds, has finished the round, only two before the end of the season, inside the Copa Libertadores zone, in 4th-place. Inter will also remain in Rio, since their next round’s rivals will be Flamengo, at the Claudio Moacyr Stadium in Macaé, about 200km northeast of Rio de Janeiro proper.
1×2
Botafogo (8th: 16W-7D-13L) x Internacional (4th: 15W-12D-9L)
Last Matchup: Round 17 – Internacional 1×0 Botafogo
Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Place: Engenhão Stadium (Rio de Janeiro, RJ)
Goals: 45′ Leandro Damião (INT), 73′ Oscar (INT), 76′ Felipe Menezes (BOT)
Attendance: 5.483
Match Highlights
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Emotions were running high in Sete Lagoas between these two, but to no avail, the match ended in a draw - not what they were hoping for (Washington Alves/Vipcomm)
“A Batalha dos Desesperados” – “The Battle of the Desperates”. This was exactly what the match at Sete Lagoas’ Arena do Jacaré consisted of, two utterly desperate teams – desperate to stay in the Série A that is. Cruzeiro and Atlético Paranaense can be considered two of their states’ most important powers, however, the situation each team see themselves in, would tell another story, but that’s another story.
The match was Arena do Jacaré’s all-time record attendance (18.139 spectators), a sign that Cruzeiro fans were hoping to see their team end this god-awful phase they’re in once and for all. But not even with their criticism-spared-forward, Walter Montillo’s return, could Cruzeiro beat the other desperate Atlético Paranaense side. It couldn’t have ended another way. End of story: 1×1 – and the two remain in the same place they were at before the match started, on the brink of relegation.
Cruzeiro, 16th-place and only 1 point away from the bottom-four, will be away and taking on yet another team who’s fighting for their lives to rid themselves from relegation this season, Ceará.
Atlético Paranaense are in 18th-place, and could be the next ones scratched off the 2012 Série A list in case of a negative result next round against an already-relegated América Mineiro in Minas Gerais.
1×1
Cruzeiro (16th: 10W-9D-17L) x Atlético Paranaense (18th: 9W-11D-16L)
Last Matchup: Round 17 – Atlético-PR 2×1 Cruzeiro
Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Place: Arena do Jacaré (Sete Lagoas, MG)
Goals: 28′ Marcinho (ATP), 44′ Charles (CRU)
Attendance: 18.139
Match Highlights
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The air of desperation was everywhere - seen here, a restless but detained Flamengo fan who invaded the field (Carlos Costa/Agência Lance)
Just like América Mineiro x Corinthians in Uberlândia, Atlético Goianiense x Flamengo in Goiânia was a match where the home side seemed as if they were playing away from home, due to the much higher number of visiting fans, in this case, Flamengo fans. The fans did their part, but the team, sadly for the sold-out crowd, didn’t. Ronaldinho and Thiago Neves were again irrelevant throughout the 90 minutes of the match, without much action going through their feet. The result: Flamengo walk away for the second match in a row with a scoreless draw (third straight match without scoring).
The result saw Atlético-GO drop a spot to 13th-place, still in the 2012 Copa Sudamericana zone though. Next round, the Goianienses will be in Porto Alegre taking on Grêmio.
Flamengo also dropped a position, only their drop was far more serious, from 5th-place to 6th, outside the G-5. Next round, Flamengo will be in the neighboring city of Macaé, taking on Internacional who’ll be bringing their guns out for yet another battle, this one to avoid losing a G-5 spot in case of a loss.
0×0
Atlético Goianiense (13th: 11W-11D-14L) x Flamengo (6th: 14W-15D-7L)
Last Matchup: Round 17 – Flamengo 1×4 Atlético-GO
Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Place: Serra Dourada Stadium (Goiânia, GO)
Goals: None
Attendance: 37.828
Match Highlights
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Fred (R) was the man of the match with 3 goals - one of which he saw Lanzini (L) perfectly assisting him with a chip-shot pass (Cristiano Andujar/Photocâmera)
Figueirense’s amazing 14-match unbeaten streak has ended. And in what amazing style was it ended in. Another “Showman” performance by the opportunistic Fluminense striker, Fred, scoring 3 of Flu’s 4 goals of the night – in the past two matches, it’s been 7 goals for the Minas Gerais-native.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to manage. All I care about is scoring for my team and helping my teammates out, that’s it” said Fred on whether he thinks it’s possible to reach the season’s top goalscorer, Santos’ Borges, with 23 goals (Fred has 20 goals).
The fact of the matter is, with this win, Fluminense are the only team, aside from Corinthians and Vasco, who have any serious chances of also winning the title. The win has left the Tricolor Carioca steady in 3rd-place, with 62 points, 3 less than Vasco (whom they play next and will have a chance to reach or pass in the table), and 5 less than leaders Corinthians. It’s a slight possibility, things must heavily go their way in order for them to even think about any title chances, plus Corinthians and Vasco will have to royally screw up in their last two matches of the season…hard, but not impossible – as we all know, this IS the Brasileirão and anything could happen.
Figueirense have fallen to 5th-place, still inside the G-5 and only in front of 6th-placed Flamengo due to having one more victory than them. Next round, Figueirense will be taking on leaders Corinthians, in what is being labeled as the “match of the round”. They have lost a major asset for the match though, midfielder Elias, who was booked against Fluminense, automatically suspending him against Corinthians.
0×4
Figueirense (5th: 15W-12D-9L) x Fluminense (3rd: 20W-2D-14L)
Last Matchup: Round 17 – Fluminense 3×0 Figueirense
Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Place: Orlando Scarpelli Stadium (Florianópolis, SC)
Goals: 48′, 57′, 86′ Fred (FLU), 72′ Marquinho (FLU)
Attendance: 16.279
Match Highlights
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Palmeiras' last win was exactly 2 months ago, against another club from the northeast, Ceará, on September 22nd (Edson Ruiz/Gazeta Press)
After 10 straight agonizing rounds without a single win, Palmeiras went up to the mystical land of Brazilian folklore, Salvador da Bahia, and brought home a 2×0 victory. One which will calm things down for a bit in their highly restless surroundings, one which saw players being attacked by fans, bad results, and who could forget the former player (Kléber) who left running his mouth and speaking very badly of the general atmosphere at the club.
The important this is though that Palmeiras has won again, and achieved another three points, three points which will keep them safe from relegation this year. Palmeiras (12th-place) last two matches are far from calm ones though – next round, they will be taking on bitter rivals São Paulo at the Pacaembu Stadium and after that they’ll be facing their worst rivals (historically-speaking) and leaders, Corinthians.
Bahia are not completely safe from relegation. The 15th-placed Tricolor Bahianos, will be taking on none other than Santos, who’ll be in front of their home crowd for the last time this season before taking off for Japan and the FIFA Club World Championship to represent South America. Most likely, they’ll be looking to leave their beloved fans in style, and with a win.
0×2
Bahia (15th: 10W-12D-14L) x Palmeiras (12th: 10W-16D-10L)
Last Matchup: Round 17 – Palmeiras 1×1 Bahia
Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Place: Pituaçú Stadium (Salvador, BA)
Goals: 19′ Ricardo Bueno (PAL), 90′ Marcos Assunção (PAL)
Attendance: 32.157
Match Highlights
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With a single goal from Leonardo, Coritiba can only dream now for any possibilities of making it into the G-5 - they'll have to win both their matches and hope for a major combination of results from other matches in order to do so - in other words, highly unlikely (Robertson Luz/Gazeta Press)
Santos sent their reserve team to Curitiba, hoping for a win just as they had acquired in Fortaleza on round 34. But this is Coritiba, and in their home stadium this season, they’re 12W-4D-2L.
Coritiba has played a perfect two matches against Santos this year. A 3×2 victory in Santos and a 1×0 victory in Curitiba just now.
Next round, Coritiba, who are in 9th-place and without anymore aspirations this season, facing no relegation threats and even less chances to make it to the Libertadores in 2012, will be again in their home ground taking on an already relegated Avaí, perhaps one of the few avoidable matches of next round.
Santos with this slim 1×0 defeat has fallen to 10th-place. Next round, they’ll be playing in front of their home crowd for the last time this season, in what will truly be a “farewell match spirit” from the Santistas, who’ll be going full force with Neymar & co. against Bahia.
1×0
Coritiba (9th: 15W-9D-12L) x Santos (10th: 15W-7D-14L)
Last Matchup: Round 17 – Santos 2×3 Coritiba
Date: Sunday, November 20, 2011
Place: Couto Pereira Stadium (Curitiba, PR)
Goals: 61′ Leonardo (CTB)
Attendance: 18.444
Match Highlights
