Matheus Pereira hails Cruzeiro: “We knew how to play Libertadores”

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·8 de abril de 2026

Matheus Pereira hails Cruzeiro: “We knew how to play Libertadores”

Cruzeiro began their Copa Libertadores campaign with an important away win. On Tuesday night (7), the Minas Gerais side beat Barcelona de Guayaquil 1-0 at the Monumental Banco Pichincha in the opening round of Group D. The decisive goal was scored by Matheus Pereira with a header.

After the match, while leaving the pitch, the No. 10 spoke to ESPN and highlighted how difficult the clash was, as well as the team’s competitive attitude in what is considered one of the toughest settings in the competition.

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“We knew it would be a very difficult match. Our group is very difficult, but we know our quality. The team deserves congratulations; it understood what it means to play in the Libertadores. It battled and competed when it had to and took the chance it got. No Libertadores match is going to be easy, and it was important for us to start off on the right foot. We have to keep our feet on the ground and find consistency not only in the Libertadores but in other competitions as well.”

The win becomes even more significant given Cruzeiro’s recent situation. The team had been under pressure after the heavy defeat to São Paulo, while also dealing with off-field issues and important absences, such as Lucas Romero’s injury and midfielder Walace being sidelined.

Matheus Pereira also spoke about the need to bounce back after the negative result in the Brasileirão and stressed the importance of staying focused throughout matches.

“The result was a bit different from how the game actually went. We were in control, and they got a penalty very early, which had a big impact on the match. They made it 2-0, and when we made it 2-1 and tried to react, they scored the third from a set piece. We need to understand that we can’t switch off at any moment in the game, and today we knew how to suffer while ahead and go after our objective, which is to get the three points,” he concluded.

With the win, Cruzeiro moves to the front in Group D and gains confidence for the rest of the season, especially as it looks to climb out of its uncomfortable position in the Brasileirão, where it sits in 19th place.

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