In the Libertadores thread I said "not a bad day for Brazilian teams in Colombia". São Paulo earned a tie, but in the Sulamericana Fluminense did even better and beat America de Cali 2x1,. Despite early pressure, Fluminense was up 2x0 in 15 minutes. They gave up a very late goal, which probably makes things too close for comfort. Either way, they need just a draw at home to move to the quarters. Check out the highlights for a great own goal and a golaço for the second:
Copa do Brasil quarter-final first leg matches: Atlético-MG 0x2 Cruzeiro the biggest win of the round and the result is Cuca is leaving Atlético both convocados scored for Cruzeiro Athletico-PR 0x1 Corinthians should put Corinthians on the way to the semis Vasco 1x1 Botafogo good result for Vasco, but with the second game away, Botafogo still strong favorites Bahia 1x0 Fluminense Bahia dominated but Fluminense had the better chances, but Jean Lucas, another convocado, found a beautiful lançamento for Luciano Juba (a player everyone wants to see on the national team lately) to score the winner The return matches will be played immediately after the international break. And the semis are now scheduled for December.
Last night's matches were both won by the home team. That means Corinthians confirmed their spot in the semis and will wait for the winner of Cruzeiro x Atlético-MG (in progress, Kaio Jorge is playing, which is fortunate, he was doubtful when he left the national team injured). And Fluminense beat Bahia. With the 2x0 win, they turned around the deficit and qualified. They will face the winner of Botafogo x Vasco for another clássico carioca. Jean Lucas started despite playing in El Alto 24hrs earlier. I didn't watch the match, so I don't know how he did. He does have a slightly low score on sofascore, but the focus of post-match commentary about Bahia is that Ceni was too defensive. Thiago Silva was the standout, he was everywhere on the field and scored the winning goal. There is talk of whether he deserves a spot on the national team again, but central defense is not an issue so I don't think the hype will stay in the conversation for much longer.
Cruzeiro also won at home to confirm their spot. Another 2x0 win over Atlético-MG. This time Kaio Jorge scored both goals following a scramble after a corner kick on the first and deflecting a cross on the second. Botafogo x Vasco is in progress.
Botafogo and Vasco played to a 1x1 draw, same score as the first match, which meant it went to penalties. Alex Telles had scored Botafogo's goal on a penalty during the match, but Leo Jardim saved his shootout attempt. Vasco scored all five of theirs and are in the semis. Semis will be in December: Cruzeiro x Corinthians Vasco x Fluminense I'd make Cruzeiro and Fluminense favorites, but these matches will be in three months, so who knows.
Cruzeiro 4x0 Atlético, aggregate. Seeing my Cruzeiro again crushing their cross-town rivals was a pleasure. Kaio Jorge is now, with his 4th and 5th goals in the Copa do Brasil, the most prolific goal scorer in both the Brasileirão and the Copa do Brasil. He has had 20 goals this season, already. Also very satisfying was seeing Lyanco getting mocked by Kaio Jorge after the former said a bunch of idiocies prematurely putting down Cruzeiro when the two teams drew each other for the quarterfinals. Hulk on the other hand was classy, and in interviews said Cruzeiro were the better team and deserved to advance. Yes, on paper Cruzeiro and Fluminense should be the favorites, but 3 months from now a lot can happen (such as injuries to essential players) so it's hard to know, and I will not underestimate Corinthians; in their most recent Brasileirão game, Corinthians held Cruzeiro to a draw.
Disappointed. I have a soft spot for Flu, despite being rivals. But Renato resigning after the match and talking about how now all the influencers can ask someone another coach about the line up and see if the coach plays who fans want or the coach wants, was peak Renato Gaúcho.
With Flu out, Atlético-MG are the only Brazilian team left. They made it through on a late goal by Bernard last night, avoiding penalties.
And there were people who wanted him on the national team. Renato Gaúcho is a winner, both as a player and as a manager. But his conduct after that match was disgraceful.
What's maddening from a Fluminense torcedor perspective is that Renato escalou o time bem early on. Fluminense was winning 1-0 and could have even scored more. But Renato then made substitutions which weakened the team. The visitors made an effort, equalized, and advanced. Renato resigning would have been more acceptable if he did so humbly and admitting it was his choice of lineup changes which contributed to the team's elimination, and if he therefore left the job as an act of penance towards Flu and its fans. This tarnishes his legacy in Fluminense - which includes the Club World Cup - all the more he won no titles there