O dominated the game against , wasting several chances, but ended up drawing goalless this Saturday, in the 33rd round of . The match at Engenhão, which registered a club attendance record in the competition, with almost 42 thousand fans, ended with a mix of boos and applause from the black and white fans. With the draw, Fogão sees its advantage drop to four points, keeping the title race open. The team now has 68 points, while the São Paulo team has 64. Cuiabá, in second place, with 29 points, is struggling to stay in Serie A, needing an almost perfect sequence of victories to avoid relegation.
Botafogo started the match with full strength, but found it difficult against Cuiabá’s tight marking, which kept nine players back to hold back the competition leader. Even so, Cuiabá created the first clear chance: in the 31st minute, after a corner kick from Clayson, Marllon deflected it, and Marlon Freitas saved it on the line. At the end of the first half, Botafogo intensified the attack and came close to scoring. At 40, Savarino crossed for Igor Jesus, who headed close to the post. At 51, Marlon Freitas shot from the right side, and the ball hit the post. Cuiabá continued to defend itself, maintaining a draw until halftime.
In the second half, Botafogo returned with more intensity and created new opportunities with Alex Telles, Igor Jesus, Savarino and Bastos, but without being able to penetrate Cuiabá’s defense, which closed with all the players in the area. With the team wearing out, coach Artur Jorge made substitutions to increase the offensive, including Cuiabano, Júnior Santos and Eduardo. At 28, Luiz Henrique risked a well placed shot, which went close to the post.
Botafogo’s pressure increased, and, at 32, Igor Jesus headed a cross, with the ball bouncing off the crossbar. At 37, Júnior Santos kicked hard from the penalty spot, but Marllon saved on the line, preventing the black and white goal. In the final minutes, Botafogo increased the pressure, but Cuiabá managed to hold on to the draw and were satisfied with the point achieved. Botafogo returns to the field on November 20th, at 9:30 pm, against Atlético-MG, at Arena MRV, in Belo Horizonte, while Cuiabá faces Flamengo at Arena Pantanal, at 7 pm, on the same day.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
Published by Felipe Dantas
