Cruzeiro beat Atlético to reclaim Mineiro title after 7 years | OneFootball

Cruzeiro is back at the top of Minas Gerais. On the night of this Sunday (8), at Mineirão, the celestial team defeated Atlético-MG 1-0 and won the 2026 Campeonato Mineiro, ending a seven-year drought without lifting the state trophy. In a classic marked by much contest and emotion, the celestial team found the title goal in the second half, with Kaio Jorge, and turned the great presence of the fans into fuel to confirm the victory against their biggest rival.

GAME SUMMARY

The first half of the final between Cruzeiro and Atlético-MG was marked by a lot of balance, few clear chances, and a lot of midfield battles. Early on, Cruzeiro had the first attempt with Kaiki Bruno, who took a shot from the edge of the area, but it was easily saved by Everson. Atlético responded at 7 minutes, when Renan Lodi took advantage of a rebound at the edge of the area and shot dangerously wide.

The match took on a more physical tone from the 8th minute, when Kaiki Bruno received a yellow card after a hard foul on Natanael. Shortly after, Atlético suffered a significant setback: midfielder Cissé felt severe ankle pain after a play with Gerson and had to leave the field at 13 minutes, being replaced by Igor Gomes.

With the ball in play, the teams alternated possession but struggled to create clearer plays. Cruzeiro tried to exploit mainly the left side with Gerson and Kaiki, while Atlético sought connections with Hulk and Dudu. At 25 minutes, the classic heated up when Matheus Pereira received a yellow card after elbowing Renan Lodi in the face.

The best chance of the first half came towards the end. At 47 minutes, Lucas Silva attempted a powerful shot from outside the area that went very close to the goal defended by Everson, exciting the fans in the stadium. Overall, the first half featured a lot of marking, passing errors on both sides, and few clear goal opportunities.

The second half began with Cruzeiro more present in the attacking field. In the first minute, Kaiki headed over after a corner kick by Matheus Pereira. The celestial team kept pressing and had another chance at 3 minutes, when Kaio Jorge received a pass in the area, but Everson came out to make the save.

Atlético tried to respond mainly with set pieces. At 24 minutes, Hulk took a long-distance free-kick, but the ball went over the goal defended by Cássio. Despite the attempts by the black-and-white team, it was Cruzeiro who managed to be more efficient.

The title goal came at 14 minutes. Gerson received the ball on the left and crossed into the area for Kaio Jorge, who headed it down. Everson tried to save it, but the ball had already completely crossed the goal line, confirming the lead for Cruzeiro.

After the goal, the match became more scrappy and marked by many fouls and cards. Atlético increased the pressure towards the end, mainly with Hulk, who attempted shots from outside the area and free-kicks. At 47 minutes, the forward took a direct free-kick, but Cássio saved it comfortably.

In the final minutes, the game became tense. Provocations and harder tackles increased the rivalry atmosphere. At 51 minutes, after a save by Everson from a Matheus Pereira shot, Christian collided with the Atlético goalkeeper, sparking a major brawl. Players from both teams got involved in shoving, punches, and kicks, resulting in unfortunate scenes and security intervention to separate the athletes.

After the long stoppage, the referee ended the match. With the 1-0 victory, Cruzeiro won the 2026 Campeonato Mineiro and lifted the state trophy for the 39th time in its history.

WHAT'S NEXT

With the triumph, Cruzeiro reaches its 39th Minas Gerais title and maintains a favorable record in finals against Atlético this century, extending the advantage in finals contested between the rivals. The result also reinforces the celestial team's strong performance in classics with divided fans at Mineirão since the stadium's reopening.

Buoyed by the state victory, the team now turns its attention to the Brazilian Championship, as on Wednesday (11) they face Flamengo at Maracanã for the fifth round of the competition. Meanwhile, Atlético faces Internacional, also on Wednesday, at 7 p.m., at Arena MRV.

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