Cruzeiro miss two penalties and lose to Grêmio in Brasília friendly | OneFootball

Cruzeiro wrapped up its preparations for the resumption of the season with a 3-1 defeat to Grêmio this Sunday (12) at Mané Garrincha Stadium in Brasília. In a friendly played at a high intensity, Artur Jorge’s team created chances to pursue a better result but came up against an outstanding performance from goalkeeper Gabriel Grando, who saved two penalty kicks and was the standout player of the match.

Despite being a friendly, the match had the feel of an official competition, with plenty of intensity, tough challenges, and chances for both sides. Grêmio took the lead in the first half and knew how to exploit the spaces left by Cruzeiro to extend the scoreline. Cruzeiro, in turn, had clear opportunities to get back into the game but missed two penalties: one taken by Kaio Jorge and the other by Gabriel Pec, who made his debut in the blue shirt. Both were saved by Gabriel Grando, a former player of the Minas Gerais club.

Even trailing on the scoreboard, Cruzeiro tried to control possession and showed good attacking movement at times, especially with Matheus Pereira involved in building plays. The substitutions made by Artur Jorge were intended to give players match rhythm and test other options, but the team was unable to turn possession into goals and mount a comeback.

The result, although negative, does little to change the team’s plans, as it used the friendly as its final test before the return of official competitions. The coach took advantage of the match to evaluate the squad and give playing time to athletes who had recently arrived or were returning from a period of physical preparation.

With the friendly bringing the preparation period to a close, Cruzeiro now turns its attention to the resumption of the Brazilian Championship. The team faces Internacional next Wednesday (22) at 9:30 p.m. at Beira-Rio, in a match valid for the 19th round of Série A. Grêmio, meanwhile, visits Mirassol on Friday (17) at 8 p.m. at José Maria de Campos Maia Stadium, known as Maião.

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