Brazilian reaches the penultimate round with the highest number of candidates since 2009 – 12/02/2023 – Sports

The edition of the Brazilian Championship that had the same leader over 30 consecutive rounds reaches the final two rounds as the most open dispute since 2009. Palmeiras (66 points) is favorite, but Botafogo (63), the team that took the lead , Atlético Mineiro (63), Flamengo (63) and Grêmio (62) are still alive in the dispute.

It is the largest number of contenders for the national trophy with only two matches remaining in the last 14 years. In the era of straight points, which began in 2003, this is the second most disputed edition, behind only the year in which six clubs fought for the cup until the penultimate round, when Flamengo was champion.

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Like what happened in this year’s competition, in which Botafogo allowed an advantage of 13 points for second place to melt away, the 2009 championship ended up being marked by a historic embarrassment for the club that spent more time as leader, o Palmeiras.

The Alviverde team, which at the time was experiencing a lack of Brazilian titles — hadn’t won since 1994 —, started the tournament with an advantage under the command of Vanderlei Luxemburgo. He took off in the hands of interim Jorginho, but skidded when he hired Muricy Ramalho, the most prestigious coach in the country at the time, champion of the national competition with São Paulo in the previous three years.

With 12 duels remaining in the competition, which they had led for 17 rounds, Palmeiras was in first place, with a five-point advantage over second-placed rival São Paulo, and ten ahead of Flamengo.

However, the team had adverse and unlikely results, such as draws with Avaí and Sport, which was relegated, and defeats against Náutico and Santo André, which also fell to Série B. The loss of leadership occurred in the 34th round, after a setback at home to Fluminense — the Tricolor das Laranjeiras is once again in the club’s path this Sunday (3), at 4pm, at Allianz Parque.

14 years ago, after losing leadership, the Alviverde formation was unable to regain the lead and still ended up in fifth place, even outside the classification zone for the Copa Libertadores, something unthinkable for fans today, as the club will compete in the competition in 2024 for the ninth consecutive year.

Botafogo no longer runs this risk, although it is still trying to confirm a direct place in the group stage of the continental tournament. With the results of the last round, the Brazilian clubs that will compete in the competition have already been defined, and the Rio team is among them, alongside Palmeiras, Flamengo, Grêmio, Atlético Mineiro and Red Bull Bragantino.

Fluminense, current continental champion, and São Paulo, winner of the Copa do Brasil, also guaranteed a place in the dispute.

The classification is not enough, however, to alleviate the frustration of the Botafoguenses, especially due to the defeats that most affected the team in the final stretch, with historic upsets suffered against Palmeiras and Grêmio and other points lost in stoppage time.

In the last round, while Palmeiras beat América Mineiro 4-0, taking an important step towards becoming champion, the Rio team suffered a draw from the already relegated Coritiba in the last minute of the game, about a minute and a half after scoring a goal. penalty.

Some players collapsed on the pitch, others looked up at the sky, and coach Tiago Nunes didn’t know where to put his face. Recently hired, he is the fourth to be in command of the club in this National Championship. After Luís Castro and Bruno Lage, the team bet on interim Lucio Flavio until he decided to look for Nunes in an attempt to avoid the embarrassment. It hasn’t been enough.

Since the new commander’s debut, there have been three draws, against Fortaleza (2-2), Santos (1-1) and Coritiba (1-1). Overall, General Severiano’s team hasn’t won since the 27th round, when they defeated bottom team América Mineiro. After that, there were five draws and four defeats, a period in which the rivals climbed the table.

This Sunday, Botafogo will face Cruzeiro, who is fighting relegation, at 6:30 pm, at the Nilton Santos stadium.

CHECK OUT THE REMAINING GAMES OF THE POSTULANTS FOR THE TITLE

37th round
Atlético-MG x São Paulo
Flamengo x Cuiabá
Palmeiras x Fluminense
Botafogo x Cruzeiro
Grêmio x Vasco

38th round
Palmeiras x Cruzeiro
Fluminense x Grêmio
São Paulo x Flamengo
Internacional x Botafogo
Bahia x Atlético-MG