Gabigol misses penalty, Cruzeiro out as Corinthians reach final | OneFootball

Cruzeiro is out of the Copa do Brasil. After defeating Corinthians in regular time at the Neo Química Arena and taking the decision to penalties, the celestial team was ultimately beaten 5-4 in the shootout and bid farewell to the competition in the semifinals. The elimination came in a painful way, after a competitive away performance, marked by intensity, created chances, and a contest decided in the details.

Cruzeiro counted on a great performance from Arroyo, responsible for both of the team's goals, one in each half, while Matheus Bidu scored for Corinthians in the second half. Since they had lost 1-0 in the first leg at Mineirão, Raposa needed to win by two goals to secure direct qualification, and the minimum victory took the decision to penalties.

In the shootout, the celestial team converted with Matheus Pereira, Wanderson, William, and Lucas Silva, but missed with Gabigol and Walace, being surpassed by Corinthians, who were perfect with their shots from Memphis, Garro, Vitinho, Gustavo Henrique, and Breno Bidon, securing their spot in the final.

MATCH SUMMARY

Needing to overturn the negative result from the first leg, Cruzeiro took control of the match from the opening minutes. With greater possession, the celestial team made good use of the spaces left by Corinthians, especially with Matheus Henrique and Matheus Pereira, who stood out in midfield at the Neo Química Arena.

The first clear chance came at 16 minutes, when Matheus Pereira volleyed and forced Hugo Souza into a great save. On the rebound, Sinisterra tried to finish, but was blocked by Gustavo Henrique, who prevented the goal. The Corinthians goalkeeper appeared again at 24 minutes, saving a shot from Kaio Jorge.

The resistance, however, fell at 39 minutes: Arroyo, brought on shortly before after Sinisterra's injury, got the better of Matheuzinho and headed firmly to find the net and put Cruzeiro ahead away from home.

In the second half, the game gained intensity and became marked by alternating moments and many shots. Just seven minutes in, Cruzeiro extended their lead after a good exchange of passes on the right: Matheus Henrique found Kaio Jorge, who crossed low for Keny Arroyo to finish into an open goal and make it 2-0, putting the Minas Gerais side ahead on aggregate.

Corinthians responded immediately. Pushed on by the crowd, the São Paulo team began to press and created a series of clear chances. At 11 minutes, after a free kick from Rodrigo Garro, André Ramalho nodded at the far post, Cássio failed to come out, and Bidu took advantage to pull one back, leveling the aggregate score. Soon after, Corinthians nearly turned it around: Memphis Depay and Rodrigo Garro forced Cássio into good saves, while Bidu and Breno Bidon hit the crossbar and the right post in quick succession, keeping the tension high at Neo Química Arena.

Cruzeiro also remained dangerous. From a corner taken by Matheus Pereira, Fabrício Bruno flicked on and Jonathan forced a good save from Hugo Souza. The match became more scrappy in the final stretch, with hard fouls and yellow cards for André Ramalho and Matheus Henrique. Even under pressure, the celestial team managed to reorganize defensively, slowed the opponent's pace in the final minutes, and held the result in a thrilling second half, taking the decision to penalties.

Qualification decided on penalties

The penalty shootout ended bitterly for Cruzeiro. Even starting better, with Matheus Pereira converting the first kick and Cássio saving Yuri Alberto's shot, Raposa ended up eliminated after losing 5-4. After converting their first three kicks, the celestial team saw Hugo Souza step up by saving the poorly taken penalty by Gabriel Barbosa, which could have qualified Raposa.

In the decisive kicks, Corinthians were more efficient. Wallace was stopped by Hugo Souza and Breno Bidon scored the final penalty, sealing Cruzeiro's elimination in the Copa do Brasil semifinals.

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