Cruzeiro stumble, draw with Juventude, miss chance to catch rivals | OneFootball

On an afternoon full of ups and downs in Caxias do Sul, Juventude and Cruzeiro drew 3-3 at Alfredo Jaconi, in a match marked by defensive errors, changes in the lead, and standout performances from Gabriel Taliari and Kaio Jorge, who each scored twice. The result ended up being bad for both teams: the team from Rio Grande do Sul remains in the relegation zone, while the team from Minas Gerais wasted the chance to close the gap to Flamengo and Palmeiras in the title race.

Cruzeiro struggles early and sees Juventude take the lead

The start of the game exposed Cruzeiro’s defensive weaknesses. Just seven minutes in, Marcelo Hermes took a shot from the left and surprised Cássio. Things got worse shortly after, when Taliari received a pass in behind the defense and extended the lead, still only 15 minutes into the match.

The blue team took a while to get organized and, even though they created some chances with Gabigol and Lucas Romero, they only managed to pull one back in the 41st minute. After a free kick from William, Sinisterra got ahead of the defense and headed the ball into the net, keeping Cruzeiro alive before halftime. The equalizer almost came at the end, but Jandrei denied Kaiki’s goal.

Quick response and another defensive error

Returning for the second half, the team from Minas Gerais managed to equalize early. After a move down the right, Japa crossed, Kaiki set it up, and Kaio Jorge finished it off. However, Cruzeiro’s defensive issues resurfaced, and Taliari scored again, putting Juventude back in front.

The team from Rio Grande do Sul then chose to sit back to protect their lead, while Cruzeiro began to dominate possession and tried to speed up the pace with the changes made in the second half.

Late goal and pressure until the final minute

Cruzeiro’s persistence paid off only in the 86th minute, when Kaio Jorge received the ball inside the box and scored his second goal of the match. From then on, the team from Minas Gerais pressed for the win, but were stopped by Jandrei, who saved Juventude from goals by Kaio Jorge and Gabigol.

How the table looks

With the draw, Cruzeiro goes to 65 points and remains in third place, still far from the top two — the gap remains four points to Palmeiras and six to Flamengo. Juventude, now with 33 points, stays in 18th and fails to take advantage of slip-ups by Santos and Vitória in the fight against relegation.

On Sunday, at 8:30 pm, Cruzeiro faces Corinthians at Mineirão.

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