Cruzeiro kick off Mineiro with defeat to Pouso Alegre at Mineirão | OneFootball

Cruzeiro began their 2026 Minas Gerais Championship campaign with a defeat. Playing with an alternative lineup, the celestial team lost 2-1 to Pouso Alegre at Mineirão, in a match that marked the official debut of coach Tite in charge of the club.

Opting to rest the main players of the squad, Cruzeiro took to the field with reserve players and young talents from the youth academy. Pouso Alegre opened the scoring early in the first half, capitalizing on a beautiful shot from outside the box. The visiting team maintained the lead until halftime.

In the second half, Cruzeiro maintained greater ball possession but struggled to create clear goal-scoring opportunities. Pouso Alegre extended their lead with a shot from outside the box, after recovering the ball in midfield following a mistaken exit by Raposa.

In the final minutes, Cruzeiro managed to reduce the deficit with Kauã Prates, who scored with a header after a corner kick. Despite attempting to apply pressure during stoppage time, the result remained favorable to the visitors, who won at Mineirão for the first time.

MATCH SUMMARY

With several changes to the starting lineup, Cruzeiro suffered a setback in the early minutes when Alexandre struck a long-distance shot to open the scoring. The celestial team's first dangerous attempt came only at the 21-minute mark, with a shot by Kaique Kenji.

Subsequently, the team created two good opportunities in consecutive plays with Rayan Lelis and Kauã Moraes, both stopped by goalkeeper Anderson. Before halftime, Rayan attempted another shot, but once again, the Pouso Alegre goalkeeper came out on top. Despite greater offensive presence at the end of the first half, Cruzeiro could not equalize.

Returning from halftime, the Minas Gerais team tried to increase the pressure in search of an equalizer. Rayan Lelis took another shot, unsuccessfully, and Romário also tried from outside the box but missed the target. In a ball exit error, Cruzeiro was punished again, and Gabriel Tota extended Pouso Alegre's lead with a shot from midfield.

Even with greater possession control and some changes made by Tite, who used the second half to introduce young talents from the academy, the team struggled to convert territorial dominance into clear chances. In stoppage time, Kauã Prates scored with a header after a corner kick, reducing the score. Cruzeiro still attempted a comeback in the final minutes but could not avoid defeat.

Cruzeiro's Schedule

With the result, Cruzeiro starts the State Championship without any points. The team returns to the field in the next round of the Minas Gerais Championship to face Tombense, away from home, on Wednesday (14), at 9:30 PM, at Parque do Sabiá, in Uberlândia.

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