Reserve wins
The South American Copa Libertadores does not seem to be taking its usual toll on participating Brazilian clubs this year. At least not when it comes to the Brazilian Serie A standings, which have the Libertadores finalists still sitting ahead of all other teams, after 16 matches played. This week, Sao Paulo and Internacional won their games with reserve sides, while concentrating on the second leg of the continental decision, scheduled for Wednesday in Porto Alegre.
Sao Paulo had only three players from its main squad in the starting lineup: goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, defender Edcarlos and midfielder Josue. In spite of that, the team managed to defeat Goias at home by a 2-1 score, dominating for most of the game and holding off some pressure near the end of the second half. The win left the team with 33 points, four ahead of second-place Inter.
Inter had to make its longest trip in the tournament, travelling to Fortaleza to face a desperate team trying to escape the relegation zone. Not even coach Abel Braga made the trip, preferring to stay back in Porto Alegre to prepare for the match against Sao Paulo. Despite an early goal by the locals, Inter managed to orchestrate a comeback and escaped with the three points after a 2-1 win.
The gauchos benefitted from a draw between the teams that were right above them in the standings prior to the weekend. Playing in Curitiba, Parana and Santos drew 1-1, after the visitors wasted a few good chances to build a big lead in the first half. Parana soon balanced the action and in the end could even have come out of the match with a win. In the end, both now share third place, with 28 points, alongside Fluminense.
The team from Rio recovered from last week's 3-0 collapse at Ponte Preta, and scored a huge 3-2 away win over Cruzeiro. In a match with a couple of lead changes, Fluminense went ahead early only to see the locals come back with two goals. In the end, though, Fluminense scored twice - including the winning goal at the 90th minute - to win for the first time in a month. The result surely eases the pressure at the team, which fired coach Oswaldo Oliveira midweek. Cruzeiro now finds itself in 6th place, with 26 points.
In other results, defending champions Corinthians lost 3-1 at home to Figueirense, and still finds itself last in the standigs. Palmeiras distanced itself from the relegation zone with a strong 3-1 away win over Botafogo, which had gone back into the group of teams that will play in the second division in 2007. Flamengo could not get over Ponte Preta, as both played to a scoreless draw in Rio. Juventude and Vasco could not find a goal between them either, while Santa Cruz lost for the first time since the World Cup break, falling 2-0 away at Sao Caetano. Finally, Gremio defeated Atletico Paranaense 2-0, despite playing with closed gates away from its home field, due to problems in a match against Inter last month.
Sao Paulo had only three players from its main squad in the starting lineup: goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, defender Edcarlos and midfielder Josue. In spite of that, the team managed to defeat Goias at home by a 2-1 score, dominating for most of the game and holding off some pressure near the end of the second half. The win left the team with 33 points, four ahead of second-place Inter.
Inter had to make its longest trip in the tournament, travelling to Fortaleza to face a desperate team trying to escape the relegation zone. Not even coach Abel Braga made the trip, preferring to stay back in Porto Alegre to prepare for the match against Sao Paulo. Despite an early goal by the locals, Inter managed to orchestrate a comeback and escaped with the three points after a 2-1 win.
The gauchos benefitted from a draw between the teams that were right above them in the standings prior to the weekend. Playing in Curitiba, Parana and Santos drew 1-1, after the visitors wasted a few good chances to build a big lead in the first half. Parana soon balanced the action and in the end could even have come out of the match with a win. In the end, both now share third place, with 28 points, alongside Fluminense.
The team from Rio recovered from last week's 3-0 collapse at Ponte Preta, and scored a huge 3-2 away win over Cruzeiro. In a match with a couple of lead changes, Fluminense went ahead early only to see the locals come back with two goals. In the end, though, Fluminense scored twice - including the winning goal at the 90th minute - to win for the first time in a month. The result surely eases the pressure at the team, which fired coach Oswaldo Oliveira midweek. Cruzeiro now finds itself in 6th place, with 26 points.
In other results, defending champions Corinthians lost 3-1 at home to Figueirense, and still finds itself last in the standigs. Palmeiras distanced itself from the relegation zone with a strong 3-1 away win over Botafogo, which had gone back into the group of teams that will play in the second division in 2007. Flamengo could not get over Ponte Preta, as both played to a scoreless draw in Rio. Juventude and Vasco could not find a goal between them either, while Santa Cruz lost for the first time since the World Cup break, falling 2-0 away at Sao Caetano. Finally, Gremio defeated Atletico Paranaense 2-0, despite playing with closed gates away from its home field, due to problems in a match against Inter last month.
posted by fejas @ 11:06 AM
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