Lucas Silva slams refereeing, praises Cruzeiro’s attitude after derby draw | OneFootball

After the 1-1 draw with Atlético-MG at Arena MRV, in the 28th round of the Brasileirão, Cruzeiro midfielder Lucas Silva did not hide his outrage with the refereeing, but highlighted the fighting spirit of the Celeste team. The player was especially upset about the play that resulted in Galo's equalizing goal, in which, according to him, it was not a corner for Galo, but the referee awarded it anyway.

“Well, a derby is always very intense, the atmosphere heats up, the tension rises, but I confess I didn’t expect it to be this much. In the first half, we had very few minutes of the ball actually rolling, the refereeing was a bit confusing, but in the second half we managed to score. And then, in a play where the referee was very far from the action, a clear moment that was not a corner for the opposing team, they managed to score. That causes a lot of anger, we were very outraged by that, knowing we would have to play with one less after the sending off,” Lucas Silva told Premiere.

The play in question was the corner kick that led to Atlético-MG’s goal. Dudu, Galo’s forward, was allegedly the last to touch the ball before it went out for a goal kick. The refereeing, led by Paulo Cesar Zanovelli da Silva, however, awarded a corner to the home side. In addition, Kaio Jorge was sent off after receiving two yellow cards, generating even more anger among the Raposa players.

“We were also very upset with the refereeing, which was very confusing, especially in the second half, causing outrage. In the play where Kaio Jorge was sent off, I didn’t even see what he did,” he added.

Even so, the midfielder took the opportunity to praise the team's determination in the face of difficulties, such as Kaio Jorge’s sending off and the opponent’s goal right after the partial draw.

“Anyway, I prefer to leave here with the fighting spirit of our team, which held the result, earned a point, and now at home we want to go all out and get back to winning ways. We were real warriors, even with the sending off and the goal, which was a play where they kicked the ball out. We were strong, consistent, didn’t let our guard down. So I prefer to value that rather than all these details,” Lucas Silva concluded.

Team standings

With the draw, Cruzeiro remains in third place in the Brasileirão, with 53 points. The result was not good for Cabuloso, as Palmeiras (1st) and Flamengo (2nd) both won this round. Cabuloso, in third, stays with 53 points, while Verdão has 61 and Rubro-Negro has 58. Meanwhile, Atlético-MG remains in 14th place, with 33 points.

Upcoming matches

ATLÉTICO-MG

Corinthians vs Atlético-MG – 29th round of the Brazilian Championship Date and time: 10/18/2025, at 6:30 PM Venue: Neo Química Arena

CRUZEIRO

Cruzeiro vs Fortaleza – 29th round of the Brazilian Championship Date and time: 10/18/2025, at 9 PM Venue: Mineirão

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