By a whisker, Cruzeiro didn’t return from Chapecó smiling | OneFootball

Cruzeiro went to Arena Condá with a goal that doesn’t always please the fans, but usually pleases coaches: to return to Belo Horizonte alive. And they did. The 0-0 draw with Chapecoense in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16 was no spectacle, but it kept the decision exactly where Arthur Jorge wanted it: at Mineirão, in front of a crowd that promises to push Raposa toward the quarterfinals.

It was a Cruzeiro side fully aware that knockout football is also played with a calculator. They did not throw themselves forward recklessly, did not turn the match into a shootout, and preferred to control the risks. At times they seemed overly cautious, that’s true, but they were also far from giving Chapecoense any room to dream of an advantage.

Matheus Pereira, the brains of the team in blue, spent much of the night closely shadowed. Chapecoense’s marking was so tight that if he had stopped for a coffee, he probably would have had a defender asking whether he wanted sugar. With no space to think, he showed up less than usual. And when Cruzeiro’s brain works in slow motion, the whole machine slows down as well.

Even so, Cruzeiro created the best chances and found the net. Kaique Kenji was there to finish the move and set off the celebrations among his teammates. Celebrations with a very short expiration date. VAR stepped in and found that the striker was offside by such a tiny margin that perhaps not even the person stitching the boot could have seen it. It was a toenail, a sliver of the tip of the foot, one of those offsides that makes fans wonder whether football is still decided by the ball or by pixels.

The goal was disallowed, the score went back to zero, and Cruzeiro returned to its initial strategy as well: no desperation, no adventures, and no openings for Chapecoense to believe.

In the second half, Arthur Jorge began looking beyond Arena Condá. He took off Matheus Pereira a little early, just when Cruzeiro seemed to be growing into the match. Later, he also preserved Gerson, thinking about the marathon of games and next Wednesday’s decider. The intention made sense. The problem was that the substitutes, once again, were unable to maintain the same level. Matheus Henrique and Bruno Rodrigues came on below expectations, repeating a problem the bench has shown in recent matches.

Even so, Cruzeiro managed the result well. They were never put under pressure, goalkeeper Otávio had little to do, and they secured a draw that, while hardly thrilling, keeps control of the tie in the hands of the team in blue.

In the end, no one left exactly happy. But Cruzeiro left comfortable. The fight for qualification was left for next Wednesday at Mineirão, where the Cruzeiro fans are expected to pack the stands and turn the stadium into an ally in the push for a place in the Copa do Brasil quarterfinals.

As a bonus, Raposa extended its impressive run away from Belo Horizonte. It is now ten matches unbeaten on the road, with five wins and five draws, numbers that reinforce the consistency of a team that has learned how to compete away from home as well.

Now Arena Condá is behind them. What slipped away by a toenail in Chapecó can be won with their feet at Mineirão. And in front of their own fans, Cruzeiro knows qualification will depend far less on centimeters and far more on the ball hitting the back of the net.

Angel Drumond

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