"Cria da Toca" fires Cruzeiro to 2-0 friendly win over Defensor-URU | OneFootball

Cruzeiro returned to action on Saturday morning (4) and beat Defensor Sporting of Uruguay 2-0 in an international friendly played at Independência. The goals for the team in blue were scored by Kaio Jorge in the first half and youngster Felipe Morais in the second.

The match was part of Raposa’s preparation for the official restart of the season after the calendar was paused due to the World Cup. With a solid performance, Artur Jorge’s side controlled the game for most of the contest, created the best chances, and confirmed their superiority on the scoreboard.

THE MATCH

The team in blue showed intensity right from the opening minutes. Before the two-minute mark, Sinisterra made a good run down the left and crossed into the box. Caballero’s clearance almost ended in an own goal, but the ball crashed off the crossbar.

With dominant possession, Cruzeiro found it difficult to break through Defensor’s defensive line, as the Uruguayan side relied exclusively on counterattacks. Their main response came in the 20th minute, when Alexander Machado got a shot away inside the box and forced Otávio into a good save.

The Minas Gerais side kept pushing. Sinisterra remained one of the main outlets on the left, while Gérson and Matheus Pereira tried to speed up the ball circulation to find spaces.

The reward came in the 40th minute. After a failed challenge by Amaro, Kaio Jorge won the ball, drove into the box, cut past his marker, and finished into the corner with class to open the scoring. Just before halftime, the No. 19 found himself free inside the area again, but dragged his shot too wide and missed the chance to extend the lead.

Artur Jorge made virtually a complete team change at halftime. Only goalkeeper Otávio and youngster Rayan Lelis stayed on the field, allowing the coach to assess different setups and squad options.

Cruzeiro came back still in control and began creating good chances. Marquinhos threatened with a header, Villarreal forced Dawson into saves twice, and also hit the crossbar after a great intervention from the Uruguayan goalkeeper.

Despite Cruzeiro’s superiority, Defensor had their best chance of the second half when Barrios appeared unmarked inside the box. Otávio, however, made an excellent fingertip save to prevent the equalizer.

In the closing minutes, their persistence paid off again. First, Lucas Romero struck the crossbar with a long-range effort. Shortly after, Felipe Morais tried his luck from outside the box, the ball bounced in front of Dawson and ended up in the back of the net to seal the 2-0 win.

There was still time for Villarreal to waste one last chance before the final whistle.

Friendly leaves good impressions for the rest of the season

More than the result, the friendly fulfilled its main purpose: to give the squad match rhythm and allow the coaching staff to make important observations before the return of official competitions.

Cruzeiro showed organization in controlling possession, intensity in winning the ball back, and managed to create attacking volume even against a very defensive opponent. In addition, players pushing for more space, such as Villarreal, Felipe Morais, and Rayan Lelis, got important minutes during the preparation period.

The team in blue continues to use this midseason period to make adjustments before the return of the Brazilian Championship, the Copa do Brasil, and the Libertadores.

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