Sport win away at Athletic, keep Série B G6 dream alive | OneFootball

Sport took another step in its attempt to move closer to the top six in Brazil’s Serie B of the Brazilian Championship. In the opening match of the 31st round, Leão beat Athletic 2-1 this Thursday, the 1st, in São João del-Rei, and picked up three more important points in the final stretch of the competition.

Leão reached 47 points and remains in ninth place, but temporarily cut the gap to Atlético-GO, which sits in the promotion zone and still has to play this round, to just two points. Athletic, meanwhile, stayed on 42 points and sits in 13th place.

Sport started the match intent on controlling the game. In the opening minutes, it created chances and forced Luan Polli into action. The pressure paid off in the 14th minute, when Juan Alano took a corner and Neto Pessoa glanced a header in to open the scoring.

The lead almost doubled immediately. Neto Pessoa latched onto a long ball, got into the box and went one-on-one with Luan Polli, but the Athletic goalkeeper came out on top and prevented the Pernambuco side’s second goal.

Athletic responds, but Sport scores again

Athletic did not take long to respond. The Minas Gerais side pushed its lines forward and found spaces to pressure the Pernambuco defense. In the 24th minute, Douglas Pelé crossed for Kauan Rodrigues, who powered a header on goal.

Thiago Couto made a top-class save, but the play continued and ended with the equalizer. The tie did not last long. In the 34th minute, Claudinho floated the ball in from the right and Carlos De Pena arrived at speed to power home a header and put Sport back in front.

The goal increased the pressure from the home side. Before halftime, Thiago Couto became decisive in preserving the lead. The goalkeeper made more saves and denied an equalizer from a dangerous header by Aponzá.

Sport drops back and withstands pressure

In the second half, the scenario changed. Athletic had more possession and occupied attacking areas, while Sport adopted a more cautious approach. The Minas Gerais side moved the ball around well, but struggled to turn its territorial dominance into clear chances.

Leão, meanwhile, relied on counterattacks. On one of those breaks, Carlos De Pena received the ball in a good position and shot just wide of the post. In the closing stages, Athletic ramped up the pressure with its substitutions and pushed even harder in attack.

Sport’s defense had to work hard, while Thiago Couto came up big again. In the 44th minute, Max created space inside the box and unleashed a powerful high shot. Sport’s goalkeeper once again kept the ball out and sealed his starring role in the Pernambuco side’s victory.

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