Cruzeiro beat Vitória at Mineirão, stay in Brasileirão title race | OneFootball

Cruzeiro made the most of their home advantage and defeated Vitória 3-1 on Saturday afternoon (1st) at Mineirão, during the 31st round of the Brazilian Championship. With this result, the team led by Leonardo Jardim maintained their good form in the competition and stays close to the leaders, with 60 points (2 behind Palmeiras and 1 behind Flamengo, who still have to play this round), consolidating their position at the top of the table.

Line-up

With significant absences in defense, as Villalba and Fabrício Bruno were suspended, and Wanderson's injury in midfield, Leonardo Jardim had to make changes to the team. Jonathan Jesus and João Marcelo formed the central defense duo, while Arroyo started among the starters.

The Match

The game started off intense. In the very first minute, Vitória threatened with Matheusinho, forcing Cássio to make a great save. Cruzeiro's response came quickly: in the 4th minute, Kaio Jorge was brought down in the area by goalkeeper Thiago Couto, and after a VAR review, the penalty was confirmed. The striker himself took the shot and opened the scoring: Cruzeiro 1-0 Vitória.

Spurred on by the packed Mineirão, Cruzeiro maintained the pace and continued to press. Despite the celestial team's efforts, Vitória found space on counterattacks and nearly equalized when Cantalapiedra hit the post. In the next play, however, the Fox extended their lead. Kaiki made a beautiful pass to Kaio Jorge, who sprinted and finished with skill to score the second: Cruzeiro 2-0 Vitória.

When the game seemed under control, Vitória pulled one back in the 36th minute, with William Oliveira heading firmly at the near post after a corner kick. But the red-black reaction was short-lived. At 44 minutes, Romero capitalized on a mistake in the opponent's ball exit and passed to Arroyo, who entered the area and fired a powerful shot, scoring his first goal in the celestial shirt: Cruzeiro 3-1 Vitória.

In the second half, Cruzeiro adopted a more measured approach, exchanging passes and controlling the game's pace. Matheus Pereira led the offensive actions and was one of the highlights of the match.

At 20 minutes, Jardim made the first change: Eduardo replaced Christian. Shortly after, Sinisterra and Gabigol substituted Kaio Jorge and Arroyo, respectively. With a secure lead and the opponent lacking strength to react, the coach made the final substitutions, with Walace and Japa coming in for Lucas Silva and Matheus Pereira.

In the final minutes, the fans were still thrilled by a beautiful shot from Gabigol, from outside the area, which hit the crossbar.

Without any scares, Cruzeiro confirmed the 3-1 victory, added three more important points, and once again showed consistency and intensity under Leonardo Jardim's command.

What's Next…

Cruzeiro returns to the field next Wednesday (5th), for the 32nd round of the Brasileirão, against Grêmio in Porto Alegre, aiming to maintain their positive streak and continue chasing the top positions in the competition.

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