Atlético and Cruzeiro draw in tense, controversial derby at Arena MRV | OneFootball

The Minas Gerais derby for the 28th round of the Brazilian Championship ended in a 1-1 draw, with excitement and controversy at Arena MRV. Cruzeiro opened the scoring just two minutes into the second half, with a goal from Matheus Pereira, but conceded the equalizer two minutes later, when Ruan Tressoldi headed in for Atlético-MG after a corner kick—a play that sparked strong complaints from Cruzeiro players, who claimed the ball had deflected off Dudu before going out, which would have invalidated the corner.

The match became even more tense shortly after, when Kaio Jorge was sent off for making a “robbery” gesture toward referee Paulo Zanovelli, whose performance was highly criticized. With one player down from the sixth minute of the second half, Cruzeiro had to reorganize to hold onto the result and prevent their rivals from turning the game around.

THE MATCH

The derby started at a high pace with strong marking from both sides. The teams tried to force mistakes from their opponents to launch quick attacks, but it was Atlético-MG who posed the greater threat in the opening minutes, creating the main opportunities.

Gustavo Scarpa had the first big chance, shooting dangerously inside the box. Shortly after, Bernard also made a good appearance but was blocked at the moment of the shot. Cruzeiro found it more difficult to build offensive plays and struggled with the initial pressure from their rivals.

The clash heated up with some tough tackles and provocations, especially between Kaio Jorge and Iván Román, who both ended up receiving yellow cards.

Just three minutes into the second half, a defensive error changed the course of the derby. Gabriel Menino poorly played the ball back and handed it to Kaio Jorge, who set up Matheus Pereira to open the scoring for Cruzeiro. Atlético-MG responded immediately: right after, Ruan Tressoldi rose well after a corner and equalized with a header.

Galo even hit the post with Dudu and maintained possession, trying to turn the game around, but ran into Cruzeiro’s strong defense and couldn’t create clear chances until the final whistle.

WHAT’S NEXT:

The result took Raposa to 53 points, keeping the club in third place in the Brasileirão. Their next match will be on Saturday (18th), at 9:00 PM, once again at the Mineirão, against Fortaleza. A large crowd is expected, as over 20,000 tickets have already been sold in advance.

With the draw, Atlético-MG reached 33 points and sits in 14th place in the Brazilian Championship. The team returns to the field on Sunday, at 6:30 PM, when they face Corinthians in São Paulo.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.