Artur Jorge highlights Cruzeiro's strength and praises players' attitude

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·9 August 2026

Artur Jorge highlights Cruzeiro's strength and praises players' attitude

Cruzeiro’s 3-1 win over Mirassol this Sunday (9) at Mineirão left coach Artur Jorge satisfied not only with the result, but also with the responses given by the players who were given opportunities throughout the match.

With goals from João Marcelo, Kaio Jorge, and Wesley, Cruzeiro reached 33 points in the Brazilian Championship and temporarily moved into fifth place. The coach also highlighted the contributions of new signings Wesley and João Costa, who made their debuts for the club and played an important role in building the result.

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In Artur Jorge’s assessment, the win was built consistently, even under the adverse conditions of a match played at 11 a.m. and in the intense heat in Belo Horizonte.

“It’s a victory that we dedicate to our fathers and our children. It was a very important win, very well built on our part. I have to point out, to be fair, what the options were, everyone who had the opportunity on the pitch to make a difference. Not only Kaio and Wesley, but everyone who kept the team’s level high, like Lucas, João, Gabriel as well. We do in fact have a squad that gives us these solutions, when we need energy, having people ready to bring value to the team when they are called upon.”

Cruzeiro took the lead through João Marcelo, conceded the equalizer from the penalty spot, and only managed to regain the advantage in the second half, when Kaio Jorge scored a beautiful goal. Wesley, on his debut, completed the scoring shortly afterward.

Besides the opponent, Artur Jorge pointed to the kickoff time and the heat as factors that required the team to adapt throughout the 90 minutes.

“My job becomes easier when I have the players themselves in the locker room saying that we have to be prepared for all competitions. To keep winning because that brings us motivation and energy. At least mentally, the team is able to be at a higher level when it gets positive results. Today the team went onto the pitch determined, the difficulty wasn’t only Mirassol, which is a tough team, but also the heat, the lack of habit of playing in the morning, and the team was able to adapt to the context. There were moments when it ended up being slower, but it always looked for the opponent’s goal, knew how to manage the game time when necessary, and above all today they were intelligent.”

Artur Jorge explains expectations for the new signings

Wesley and João Costa played their first matches for Cruzeiro, while Zé Lucas had already made his debut earlier. Lucho Rodríguez is also part of the group of signings brought in by the club during this transfer window.

The coach stressed that the new players still need to reach their best physical level, since they are coming from a preseason period, but praised the attitude they showed on their debuts.

“What they can add for me is being physically available for more than 45 minutes. That they can quickly understand the way we play, that they can quickly build chemistry with their teammates, and the fact that they played helped with all of that. That’s what I expect from them, that gradually—though they won’t be 100% by next Wednesday—it’s a path we have to follow. They came from a league that is in preseason, therefore physically behind the rest, but they gave their best and contributed directly. In the case of Wesley and João Costa, they did what we asked, they worked offensively and defensively, it was important how they behaved because they ran from the first to the last minute on the pitch. The goal is a consequence of the team’s work, but the important thing is to have players committed to the team.”

Cruzeiro enjoying a positive moment ahead of the Libertadores

The recent run was also valued by the coach. After advancing to the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals by eliminating Chapecoense, Cruzeiro beat Mirassol and now turns its attention to the Libertadores.

The first match against Flamengo in the round of 16 will be next Wednesday (12), at 9:30 p.m., at Mineirão. For Artur Jorge, the goal is to maintain the team’s progress without losing sight of the need to achieve results in every match.

“We always expect to do good work, to keep growing, and we aim for the best. Sometimes that doesn’t come, but we naturally understand that there is still a long road ahead. Each one of them has been approached with the same ambition, to be in the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals, to be fifth in the league, and now to start thinking about Flamengo. It’s a path of process and continuity, we can’t think about a game a month from now and what we’re going to do to arrive well there, we need to keep winning consistently. A team that never gets tired of winning will always be more capable. I’m naturally satisfied, but there is still a long way to go.”

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