Third Round with Italian Flavor

By: Bruno Romani | May 27th, 2007

After the title of Milan this week in the Champions League, the campeonato brasileiro had a round of Italian football. In other words, boring, short on goals and very defensive.On Saturday, the first 0-0 draw of the league took place in the match between Corinthians and Atlético-MG in São Paulo. The man of the game was Atlético’s keeper Diego, but the main highlight was the new cheesy-looking shorts Atlético was wearing. Somebody must tell the kit-manufacturer that despite the fact Atlético is known as “the rooster,” yellow “egg-yolk” shorts is not a color to be taken too seriously.

yellow

What’s up with these shorts?

Still on Saturday, Figueirense visited América-RN and had its first victory in the league by 1-0. Figueirense’s rival in the finals of the Copa do Brasil, Fluminense, played against Inter at the Maracanã, and won by 3-0. Inter is the Cinderella of the year. After winning the club World Cup, the team is in the LAST spot on the table. Does relegation lie ahead?

On Sunday, Santos visited Atlético-PR and won its first 3 points in the league. Rodrigo Tabata scored the goal of the match, but the highlights were the incredible goals missed by Atlético’s forwards. Another draw happened in Recife in the match between Naútico and Vasco. Vasco scored first from the spot, watched Naútico to comeback, and tied from a free-kick. The final score of 2-2 shows that Naútico will take precious points of bigger sides. The other team from Recife visited Grêmio in Porto Alegre, and lost again by 1-0. Sport is stuck with 3 points whereas Grêmio, who did not save its main players for the Copa Libertadores, reaches the 6 points.

At the Morumbi, the most boring and dragging match of the weekend took place. São Paulo and Palmeiras played a derby in which keeper’s Rogério and Diego did not touch the ball. The two zeros in the score board hints the grade that the game should get.

The matches that happened at 6:10 pm saved the weekend of a complete Italian flavor. Botafogo and Flamengo repeated the thrill of the finals of the Carioca championship and tied by 2-2 again. Lúcio Flávio from Botafogo is having the best moment of his career and scored a beautiful goal from a free-kick.

The weak team of Goiás was visited by an even weaker side. Juventude lost again, by 3-1, and shares with Inter the last spot on the table. What’s happening with the gaucho clubs?

Paraná x Cruzeiro, the match

Finally, the exception to the rule, the best match of the weekend, happened at the Mineirão. Cruzeiro received Paraná, who was having coach Pintado ahead of the club for the first time. Dorival Júnior was seeking its first victory ahead of Cruzeiro, and put his players on the attack. Guilherme scored for Cruzeiro in the 44th mark into the first half. Two minutes later, in the stoppage time, Paraná tied through Joélson.

In the second-half, Cruzeiro put pressure on Paraná, whose defender Toninho was sent out with only 10 minutes into the second-half. However, it was Paraná who took advantage and scored two minutes later its second goal through Josiel. The first come back of the evening.

Cruzeiro started to be pressured by its own fans, who are very unsatisfied with the players, officials and the coach. But still the home team between the 22nd and the 29th minutes gave some hopes to its fans. The club came back through Rômulo and Guihlerme. The match wasn’t over.

Paraná came back again in 2 minutes. Josiel scored in the 36 and 37 minutes, closing the match and giving to coach Pintado an excellent debut. Paraná is the leader with 9 points and Cruzeiro with just one point is in the relegation zone.