Artur Jorge hails point, questions refereeing and praises Otávio

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·7 de mayo de 2026

Artur Jorge hails point, questions refereeing and praises Otávio

Even with one player less for practically the entire second half, Cruzeiro left Chile with a point considered important in their push to qualify for the Libertadores round of 16. On Wednesday night, the team drew 0-0 with Universidad Católica away from home, in a match valid for the fourth round of Group D of the continental competition.

After the match, coach Artur Jorge praised the result achieved given the context of the game, especially because of the red card early in the second half, which forced Cruzeiro to completely change their strategy on the field.

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“Taking the context of the game into account, I have to say that when we can’t win, we have to do everything not to lose. The team had that principle and behaved exceptionally in the second half in terms of commitment and determination to hold onto the result, a point that is important in such a balanced group as this one.”

Artur Jorge especially highlighted the team’s defensive attitude and commitment after the sending-off, stressing the difficulty of facing an opponent that pushed hard in search of victory.

“In the second half, with one man less, it became difficult. I highlight my team’s bravery. Since it wasn’t possible to win given the context, it was very important not to lose.”

The Cruzeiro manager also regretted having to change the plan drawn up for the second half just a few minutes after play resumed. According to him, Cruzeiro had prepared adjustments to improve their attacking performance, but ended up being limited by the numerical disadvantage.

“It is always difficult for a coach when we have a team with one man less. Even taking into account the context — a balanced group, balanced matches, decided in the details. During halftime we tried to adjust the team to be more capable, but after four minutes we ended up abandoning the plan, which was what we intended to do in the second half.”

In the coach’s view, the red card was excessive. Artur Jorge showed frustration with the refereeing standard and said he had already seen harsher incidents go unpunished.

“What concerns me is the strictness and how it is applied. I have seen games with more aggressive moments than this one and nothing happens. For us, it did. It came from a foul, very clear, but in my opinion the card was excessive.”

Although he acknowledged the importance of the point earned away from home, the coach made it clear that the ideal result would have been a win.

“As for the fact that we were one man down, that affects things. But in such a balanced group, every point is important. It’s not the result we wanted.”

During the press conference, Artur Jorge also commented on the performance of young defensive midfielder Otávio, who started the match. The coach praised the player’s attitude and highlighted the importance of the maturation process in a competition like the Libertadores.

“He is a player who has to be prepared for the responsibility of representing Cruzeiro. It is already his second Libertadores match, and because of his age he will have several ‘first matches.’ He did his best, as he has been doing to deserve the opportunity to be one of those chosen to start for Cruzeiro.”

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