Botafogo beats Internacional in the South and is one draw away from the Brasileirão title

Botafogo did its part in the South, this Wednesday, and is now a draw for the Brazilian Championship title. The Rio team beat Internacional 1-0 in Porto Alegre and reaches the final round needing a draw to return to the Olympics again.

The winning goal in Porto Alegre was scored by Venezuelan striker Savarino. Botafoguenses reached 76 points and, with Palmeiras’ victory over Cruzeiro, the advantage for their São Paulo rival is three points.

In the next round, Botafogo hosts São Paulo, in Rio, while Palmerias faces Fluminense at Allianz Parque

Botafogo opened the scoring in Porto Alegre just four minutes into the match. In Almada’s corner kick, Savarino hit a beautiful first-time shot. Rochet stretched out to make the save, but did not prevent the Rio team from scoring.

The visitors’ advantage forced Inter to look for an attack and the match gained in intensity. Bruno Tabata gave the answer that the Rio Grande do Sul fans wanted and forced Gatito Fernandez to make a difficult save. Later, it was Enner Valencia’s turn to stamp the cariocas goal

With the team well positioned, Botafogo bet on the strategy of giving the ball to Inter and was not scared by the greater volume of the rival’s game. Congesting the midfield and seeking speed in the transition from defense to attack, coach Artur Jorge’s team managed to control the hosts’ pressure and took a 1-0 lead into the break with some ease.

The current result, Palmeiras’ draw with Cruzeiro in Belo Horizonte combined with the 1-0 partial victory in Porto Alegre, already gave the title an early victory. However, one scene caught our attention after the end of the first half. Before even heading to the locker room, the athletes from Botafogo gathered in the center of the pitch. Giving the idea of ​​staying focused, the players had a quick conversation to stay focused and left the field to listen to instructions from coach Artur Jorge.

Afterwards, a goal scored by Cruzeiro against Palmeiras gave Artur Jorge’s team even more peace of mind. While the reserves celebrated on the bench, on the field, Botafogo let Inter attack and further strengthened their defensive scheme.

Palmeiras’ draw in Minas, combined with the pressure imposed by Inter on Beira Rio, made the game tense. The match turned into an attack against defense and coach Roger Machado further increased Rio Grande do Sul’s offensive strength with the entry of Vanderson in place of Tabata.

In the only shot that Botafogo took in the match, Savarino scored the goal. Inter, who took 11 shots, were unable to beat the opposing goalkeeper. The change, despite keeping Inter in attack, in practice did little good. However, the goal scored by Estevão from Palmeiras changed the whole scenario, taking the title to the final round, increasing the excitement of the Brazilian Championship.