Cruzeiro come from behind to beat Grêmio and reach Copinha final | OneFootball

Cruzeiro is the first finalist of the São Paulo Cup 2026. The Cabuloso overcame Grêmio 3-2, coming from behind, on Wednesday night in Taubaté. The team from Minas Gerais is in pursuit of their second championship title in the tournament.

The goals for the victory were scored by Baptistella, Eduardo Pape, and Murilo. On the other side, Harlley scored twice for the team from Rio Grande do Sul.

Match Situation

Now, Cruzeiro awaits the match between São Paulo and Ibrachina to know their opponent in the grand final. The clash takes place this Thursday at 9:30 PM (Brasília time) at Morumbis.

Match Summary

🔵GRÊMIO 2 X 3 CRUZEIRO🔵  Competition: Copinha Semifinal  Location: Joaquim de Morais Filho Stadium, Taubaté  Date: January 21, 2026 (Wednesday)  Time: 9:30 PM (Brasília time)  Yellow Cards: Eduardo Pape (Cruzeiro)  Red Cards: Nathan

Goals

Refereeing

Referee: Gabriel Henrique Meira Assistants: Giovanni Crescêncio and Eduarda Gomide Rubio

🔵Grêmio

João Victor; Vitor Ramon (Smiley), Nathan, David Brendo, Pedro Gabriel; Artur Júnior (Zortea), Danillo (Benjamin), João Borne (Iago); Felipe Magalhães, Ryan (Adrielson) and Harlley (Rogério). Coach: Fernando Holderbaum

🔵Cruzeiro

Vitor Lamounier; Nicolas, Kaiquy Luiz, Kelvin, William (Gustavo); Murilo, Eduardo Pape, Rhuan Gabriel; Rayan Lelis (Pablo Neri), Baptistella (Pietro Tavares) and Fernando (Alessandro). Coach: Mairon César

How the Game Went

First Half

The first half was frenetic. Just six minutes in, Grêmio opened the scoring. Ryan crossed into the area, João Borne chested the ball, and Harlley arrived to score. However, the joy was short-lived. Just three minutes later, Baptistella's shot hit the post and slowly crossed the line. Goalkeeper João Victor tried to save it, but it was too late, and the referee pointed to the center of the field. VAR reviewed and confirmed the goal.

On a counterattack, João Borne advanced towards the attack and passed to Harlley. The number 9, from the edge of the area, shot low and across into the corner to put Grêmio back in the lead at 27 minutes. Towards the end of the first half, Fernando from Cruzeiro crossed low into the area, but no one was there to finish the play.

Second Half

The equalizing goal came from Eduardo Pape's feet at 29 minutes. After a cross into the area by Leandro, Grêmio's defense partially cleared it. On the rebound, Eduardo Pape controlled it with his chest and shot firmly into the corner, leaving João Victor with no chance.

The comeback didn't take long. Just seven minutes later, at 36, Murilo crossed tightly into the area, Fernando jumped to head it, but missed, and the ball ended up in the back of the net.

Near the end of the match, Nathan pulled the forward Fernando, who was heading alone towards the goal, and received a red card. On the free-kick, Baptistella shot over the bar.

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