From an unimpressive victory, Botafogo became a phenomenon – 05/08/2023 – Sport

The image was a semiotics class, a science dedicated to the study of signs. Captain Marçal with a trophy in his hands, but the expression of someone who wanted to be anywhere but there. Botafogo had just won the Rio Cup by defeating Audax by 5-2.

It was a title, but the player’s face said it all. At the semi-deserted Raulino de Oliveira stadium, the Rio team had won the competition for those who had not qualified for the semifinals of the Carioca Championship. Botafogo had finished fifth and lost their spot to Volta Redonda after being beaten 1-0 by Portuguesa.

What remained in the memory of players was what the Portuguese coach Luís Castro said in the locker room. At that moment, it might not seem like it, but he was sure that the team was capable of reaching great heights, achieving great victories. It was the night of April 9, 2023.

This Sunday, August 5th, Botafogo will visit Cruzeiro, at 6:30 pm, in Mineirão. The team started the round with 12 points of advantage in the leadership of the Brazilian Championship and the guarantee that it will finish the first round in the first position.

The graffitied walls in General Severiano with messages that cursed players, Luís Castro and John Textor, owner of 90% of SAF (Sociedade Anônima do Futebol), were a thing of the past.

“We are not able to cope with Portuguesa, with Audax… It’s a team that doesn’t even exist. And, yesterday, that there, God forbid. Shame”, said a fan to the coach, in a video that circulated on the internet after a draw with Magallanes, from Chile, in the first round of the Copa Sudamericana.

The protest took place after the fall in the state tournament.

“The pre-season was full of problems, and we started with the idea of ​​trying for a place in the Libertadores. But now we can fight for the title. The score shows us that”, observes the executive director of soccer, André Mazzuco, one of those responsible for cast assembly.

The team can still break the record in the history of the Brazilian in consecutive points with 20 clubs, a number adopted in 2006. The highest score ever recorded in the first round is Corinthians, which in 2017 reached 47 points. With 43, the alvinegro from Rio has two more rounds to overcome that number. In addition to Cruzeiro, they will have as rivals Internacional at home.

There wasn’t a significant change in players between the Carioca fiasco and the phenomenal campaign at Nacional. Of the team that entered the field against Audax, in April, six were on the field last week, in the 4-1 defeat of Coritiba: goalkeeper Lucas Perri, defender Víctor Cuesta, defensive midfielders Lucas Fernandes, Marlon Freitas and Tchê Tchê and attacking midfielder Segovia.

Striker Tiquinho Soares, the biggest symbol of Botafogo’s run, was at the club, but did not play in winning the Rio Cup.

“It’s hard to say what changed. Things started to work out”, says the player. “Everyone is running and giving. We’ve closed in like a family.”

At Carioca, he scored four goals. In the Brazilian Championship, he has already scored 13. Top scorer in the tournament, he has a five advantage over Vitor Roque, from Athletico.

When commenting on social inclusion and saying that people need a “little bit” more money, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) made a joke with the striker.

“I’m not going to say ‘tiquinho’ because Tiquinho is Botafogo’s center forward. He’s very lucky. Any shot he takes goes into the goal.”

It is a historic moment for a team that has not won a major title since Carioca in 2018. The last national trophy was the Brazilian in 1995.

“We want to create processes that don’t depend on people, that belong to the club. It’s a legacy”, defends Mazzuco.

On the field, this has worked. Seduced by a proposal from Al Nassr, Luís Castro left Rio de Janeiro for Saudi Arabia. Cláudio Caçapa occupied the position on an interim basis until the arrival of the Portuguese Bruno Lage. At no point did the team let its guard down. It continued to win. In 17 rounds, there are 14 wins and only one defeat.

The campaign was redemption for John Textor too. Almost 17 months after becoming SAF’s majority shareholder, he could lead the club to its first title. The sale was approved by the deliberative council in January last year.

Before the target of protest, the American businessman now circulates among the fans when he goes to the stadium, in a freedom that only victory can provide. He watched in the visiting stands, along with the other people from Botafogo, the 2-1 over Patronato, in Argentina, on July 12th.