William Lopes and Marcos Paulo shine as Xerém U20s beat Cuiabá | OneFootball

In the pursuit of a second straight Brazilian U-20 title, the Moleques de Xerém beat Cuiabá 2-0 last Saturday thanks to standout performances from William Lopes and Marcos Paulo. Wearing the No. 9 shirt, William provided two assists for the No. 7, who scored the goals in the Tricolor victory. With the result, Felipe Canavan’s team reached 9 points and moved into 11th place, just one point behind Bahia, the first team inside the qualification zone.

Coached by Felipe Canavan, the team returns to the field this Wednesday (04/29), when they face Santos at 3 p.m., once again in Xerém, for the ninth round.

How the match went

Marcos Paulo found the net on Fluminense’s first attacking move. In the 16th minute, after a precise pass from William Lopes, the midfielder broke into the box down the right and went one-on-one before finishing past the goalkeeper to score his first goal since returning to Fluminense after a loan spell at Avaí. It was also his first start in this period.

On the eve of Goalkeeper’s Day, celebrated on April 26, Gustavo Felix made sure his goal remained untouched and saw the opposition threatened again in the 32nd minute, when Vagno took a free kick that was saved by the keeper. Fed by Naarã Lucas in the 38th minute, William Lopes burst down the left and, already in a dangerous area, sent a cross-shot just inches wide of the post. Soon after, he received a pass from Breno, turned past his marker, and from the edge of the box caused even more trouble.

In stoppage time, after a cross from Wesley Natã following a good move down the left, Naarã Lucas headed dangerously. The midfielder then combined with Breno, who tried a header over the bar. There was still time for a third effort from the No. 10, who received a pass from Natã and fired wide from the wing. In the 48th minute, Marcos Paulo flicked on a header for William Lopes to shake off his marker and return the ball to the midfielder, who doubled the lead in a move similar to the one that opened the scoring.

Making the most of his inspired afternoon, Marcos Paulo tried his luck from distance in the 13th minute of the second half. Then, in the 35th minute, after being played through by Gorgulho, Kelwin brought it down with class and unleashed a powerful shot from the edge of the area, forcing the goalkeeper into action.

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