Brazilian Futebol

Brazilian First Division kicks off its 2010 season

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Tue, 11 May 2010 20:20:00 +0000

With ten games, the Brazilian First Division kicked off for a new season this Saturday. Rio de Janeiro State champions Botafogo hosted Sao Paulo State champions Santos in a very entertaining 3-3 tie. Also on saturday, Gremio went to Goiania and held Atletico GO to a scoreless draw, thanks in great part to goalkeeper Vitor. Meanwhile, Palmeiras played at home to Vitoria and won 1-0 on a goal by Lincoln.

On Sunday, defending champions Flamengo tied Sao Paulo, which had won the title three consecutive times prior to last year, in a slow 1-1 match at the Maracana Stadium. Newcomers Ceara beat Fluminense 1-0, the same score achieved by Guarani at home to Goias. Cruzeiro played in Porto Alegre and managed a 2-1 win over Internacional. Corinthians, fresh off being eliminated from the Libertadores Cup by Flamengo, came from behind to beat Atletico PR 2-1 at home. Atletico MG also won by a 2-1 margin, beating Vasco at home.

The best display of the first round was left for Santa Catarina, where Avai beat Prudente (formerly known as Barueri) by a 6-1 score. Emerson scored three times, with Caio adding a pair for the locals.

Check out the goals of round 1 below:

Internacional gets important win

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Tue, 19 May 2009 14:33:00 +0000

Not even the fact that the team played without most of its regulars seemed to matter for Internacional on Sunday. The team still played well and managed an important 2-0 win over Palmeiras at the Beira Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre to reach 6 points and the lead atop the standings in the 2009 Brazilian Serie A. Danny Morais and D’Alessandro scored for the locals in front of close to 30,000 fans, happy to see the second win in as many games. Inter decided to rest some of its regulars due to the second leg of its quarterfinal matchup against Flamengo, for the Brazilian Cup, scheduled for Wednesday.

Vitoria also has six points in two games, after beating Sport 1-0 at home, in front of just 4,500 people. Maybe fans will start believing in the team after these first wins to start the championship and show up in larger numbers in the next home game?

Speaking of few fans, only 2,500 hundred cared enough to see Barueri host Fluminense. In this case, however, it seems that the people who stayed home knew better, as both teams played out a boring scoreless draw.

It seems that the Brazilian Serie A will finally have a new champion this year, after three-time defending champion Sao Paulo remains winless after a couple of games. This time around, the team could only savage a point in a 2-2 home tie against Atletico Paranaense. Decimated by injuries to regular players and poor performances by other key members of the team, Sao Paulo just hopes to get things going again before having to face Cruzeiro next week in the Copa Libertadores quarterfinal.

Cruzeiro, by the way, went to Recife and lost 2-0 to Nautico. Santos built a 2-0 lead over Goias at home but ended up surrendering a 3-3 tie in a very entertaining game. Botafogo and Corinthians also created quite a few scoring chances, but had to settle to a 0-0 draw at the Engenhao in Rio de Janeiro.

Coritiba scored first but ended up losing 4-2 to Santo Andre at home, while Flamengo could not score and drew Avai at home, 0-0. Finally, Gremio went to Belo Horizonte and lost to Atletico Mineiro 2-1, in a personal revenge for coach Celso Roth against the team that had fired him earlier this year. Atletico's winning goal came in injury time of the second half, on a controversial penalty kick.

Defending champions lose in debut of 2009 Serie A

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Mon, 11 May 2009 15:08:00 +0000

The 2009 Brazilian Serie A had its first round this weekend, with ten matches. Sao Paulo, which won the last three national titles, lost 1-0 in its debut, an away game at the Maracana Stadium, in Rio de Janeiro, against Fluminense. Mauricio scored a nice goal a few minutes into the game to give the locals the win. The champions still created some chances to tie the game - which would have been a fair result -, but without success.

Meanwhile, defending Sao Paulo State champions Corinthians decided to side a team with many reserves in its home game against Internacional at the Pacaembu Stadium, and ended up paying the price with a 1-0 loss, in a marvellous goal by Nilmar. He rode past several defenders before putting the ball into the net, to the joy of the colorado fans.

Newcomers Santo Andre tied Botafogo 1-1 at home, in front of just under 2,000 people. One would think the first game in the Brazilian Serie A, against a traditional Brazilian team, would attract more fans than that. Goiania also had a pitiful attendance, with just 2,500 people witnessing the 3-3 draw between locals Goias and Nautico, which came back from a 3-1 deficit to tie the game.

Cruzeiro scored a good 2-0 win at home over Flamengo at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, while Vitoria scored the same 2-0 at home over Atletico Paranaense in Salvador.

Gremio attracted 40,000 fans in Porto Alegre, but could not go beyond a 1-1 draw with Santos. Palmeiras came from behind to defeat Coritiba 2-1 at home , while Barueri had a good first game in a 1-1 away draw with Sport, in Recife. Finally, Avai could not hold on to a 2-0 lead and ended up tying Atletico Mineiro 2-2 at home, thanks to two goals in just over five minutes by Atletico, in the final 20 minutes of the game.

Two more ties for Brazilian teams in the Libertadores

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Fri, 27 Feb 2009 01:11:00 +0000

Gremio Porto Alegre made its 2009 Libertadores debut on Wednesday, but could not get beyond a scoreless draw against Universidade de Chile at home. The locals dominated a game they could have easily won by 3 or 4 goals, losing several scoring opportunities and complaining about some poor refereeing (two penalties should have been awarded, as well as a goal which was badly waved off). Meanwhile, Cruzeiro went to Ecuador and tied Deportivo Quito 1-1. The Brazilians could also have won the match, but are still happy with one away point - as long as they are able to beat the same opponents when they play each other again in Brazil.

All in all, Brazilian teams have not yet been great in this year's tournament, but they haven't been completely terrible either. Some, like Sport, have managed great results playing solidly (though not marvellously). It's still early, and from what they have shown so far, all the five teams have a chance to advance to the second round.

The importance of music and football in South America

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 01:28:00 +0000

The BBC's Tim Vickery has a good view on the importance of music and football in South American's lives. During this time of the year, when Carnaval is celebrated in Brazil, this becomes especially the case for fans in the entire country, but particularly in Rio and Bahia, where the passion for both art forms is rampant.

Speaking of Carnaval and soccer, this Saturday traditional side Flamengo lost 3-1 to humble Resende at the Maracana Stadium, in the semifinal of the Rio de Janeiro's State Championship first round. As people in Brazil would say, the team 'has danced', that is to say, it has lost - being eliminated from the first round in the process.

In Sao Paulo, the state's most important teams - Palmeiras, Corinthians, Sao Paulo and Santos - now lead the table in that order, midway through the first stage of the tournament. The top four teams qualify for the semifinals, with the first placed team playing the fourth and the second playing the third. The winners of the semifinals play for the title, which will happen in April.

Brazilian teams debut in Libertadores

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 01:46:00 +0000

Brazilian teams had their first games in the 2009 Copa Libertadores this week.

Palmeiras, which is playing strongly at home in the Paulista championship, had trouble while visiting defending champions LDU Quito, losing 3-2. Walter Calderon had two goals for the locals, with Willians getting the other. Edmilson and Manso scored for the visitors, which lost for the first time in 2009.

Sport Recife had better luck away from home, beating Colo Colo from Chile 2-1. Ciro and Wilson scored for the Brazilians in the first half, with Lucas Barrios netting the lone Chilean goal that left the locals short of a comeback.

Three-time Libertadores winners and current Brazilian champions Sao Paulo dominated the action at home against Independiente Medellin, but almost left with a loss after falling behind 1-0 in the second half and losing several opportunities of its own. In the end, Borges scored a goal in injury time to give the locals a 1-1 tie.

Cruzeiro took some time to get things going, but after it did, Estudiantes La Plata could not stop them. Kleber scored twice and Fernandinho also had a goal as the team from Belo Horizonte scored an emphatic 3-0 home win over the Argentinians.

A closer look at the first round results

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:59:00 +0000

Here's a closer look at the results from the first round of the 2008 Brazilian Serie A.

In a tough match, with Sao Paulo playing without some key players in order to rest for the midweek match against Fluminense for the Libertadores quarter-finals, Gremio scored a lone goal at the start of the second half to escape with a 1-0 away win and extend Celso Roth's command atop the squad from Porto Alegre. Sao Paulo still had some chances and deserved to tie the game, but in the end the result did not upset the locals too much, given that the team's main goal in the first semester is to win the Libertadores.

Cruzeiro had a great away win over a weak Vitoria side in Salvador. Marcelo Moreno scored the opening goal for the visitors in the first minute of the game, but was sent off in the second half when his team already lead by two goals, thanks to an own goal by a Vitoria player near the end of the first half. Playing with the man advantage, the locals still created a few chances, but the best chance they had was a ball that hit the crossbar.

Coming back to the first division of Brazilian soccer, Coritiba had a strong debut with a 2-0 win over Sao Paulo State champions Palmeiras. The visitors tried to dominate the action during the first few minutes of the game, but Coritiba was the better side for most of the game. After a scoreless first half, Michel made it 1-0 at the 53rd minute, after exchanging some passes with Hugo. With seven minutes left in the game, the two would exchange some passes again, but this time Hugo would be the one to get the ball past goalkeeper Marcos.

In Sao Paulo, Portuguesa and Figueirense scored no less than 10 goals, in an exciting 5-5 draw. The locals were winning by a 5-2 score at one point, after scoring three goals in four minutes. However, Figueirense would still score three times in the final 22 minutes to give the game its final numbers.

Flamengo defeated Santos 3-1 at the Maracana Stadium, with Juan scoring twice and Marcinho getting the other goal for the locals. The visitors, playing with its reserve side - most starters were already in Mexico getting ready for the midweek clash against America for the Libertadores quarter-finals -, still had a late goal, with Morais scoring on a penalty kick in injury time.

In other games, Geraldo scored two for Nautico in the 2-1 win against Goias. Inter scored in the first minute against Vasco with Sidnei, and held on to the win until the end. Atletico Paranaense also scored near the start of the game, with Leo Medeiros leaving his mark against Ipatinga after just three minutes, giving the visitors a good 1-0 away win over the team from Minas Gerais, which played its first ever game in the Serie A. Botafogo defeated Sport 2-0, with one goal in each half. Finally, resting some players for the Libertadores clash with Sao Paulo, Fluminense went to Belo Horizonte and tied Atletico Mineiro 0-0.

Defending champions lose in debut

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Mon, 12 May 2008 11:50:00 +0000

Here are this weekend's results, for the first round of the 2008 Brazilian Serie A. Two-time defending champions Sao Paulo played with a reserve squad and lost at home to Gremio, 1-0. Newcomers Ipatinga also lost by the minimum score at home, to Atletico Paranaense. Cruzeiro recovered from the midweek loss at home to Boca Juniors, going to Salvador to defeat Vitoria - coming back to the First Division - by a 2-0 score. Nautico had a good debut, defeating Goias at home, 2-1. Sao Paulo State Champions Palmeiras lost to Coritiba away from home, 2-0. Internacional had a 1-0 home win over Vasco, while Botafogo had a 2-0 win at home against Sport. Fluminense also fielded a reserve squad in order to rest for the important Libertadores quarter-final against Sao Paulo, and managed a scoreless draw against Atletico Mineiro. Flamengo had a good 3-1 win at home over Santos, and Portuguesa played to a wild 5-5 home draw against Figueirense.

More comments about the games when I manage to come back tomorrow.

First round games

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:05:00 +0000

Here are the ten games that open the 2008 Brazilian Serie A. Three are on Saturday, the rest on Sunday:

SATURDAY
Sao Paulo-Gremio
Nautico-Goias
Vitoria-Cruzeiro

SUNDAY
Ipatinga-Atletico Paranaense
Coritiba-Palmeiras
Internacional-Vasco
Botafogo-Sport
Atletico Mineiro-Fluminense
Flamengo-Santos
Portuguesa-Figueirense

Serie A about to begin

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Sat, 10 May 2008 03:04:00 +0000

With most State Championships now over, it's time for soccer in Brazil to concentrate back to its most important tournament, the National Serie A.

Will two-time defending champion Sao Paulo manage a third consecutive championship? Will Palmeiras continue its strong play that rewarded the team with its first State championship this decade? Can Flamengo and Cruzeiro overcome the disappointment of being eliminated at home from Copa Libertadores contention this midweek, after falling to America (Mexico) and Boca Juniors respectively?

Without traditional Corinthians, relegated to the Serie B, the Serie A will definitely have a different flavor to the second largest group of fans in the country. The team can only hope to repeat the path taken previously by other powerhouses that reemerged from the Second Division in recent years: Palmeiras, Botafogo, Fluminense, Gremio and Atletico Mineiro.

It's all up for grabs with 38 matches to be played by each team, until the beginning of the still far December.

With the Serie A back in play, so is this blog, which was dormant for the first four months of the year.

Welcome back!

Second most popular team in the country is relegated

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 12:46:00 +0000

And so the 2007 Brazilian Serie A championship came to an end on Sunday, with Sao Paulo repeating as champions and winning its fifth ever National title. The team coached by Muricy Ramalho had been crowned four games before the end of the season, and tied once and lost twice in its three last games - including a 2-1 away defeat to Atletico Paranaense on Sunday. The big story of the last round of play was the fight against relegation to the Serie B. Which two teams would join Juventude and America in the Brazilian Second Division in 2008?

Corinthians, the second most popular team in the country, entered the last Sunday of the season one point ahead of Goias, itself one point in front of Parana. But Parana quickly gave up all hope of remaining in the Serie A, losing 3-0 on the road to Vasco, a result that also placed the team from Rio de Janeiro in next year's Copa Sudamericana. So the last spot in the Serie A would belong to either Corinthians or Goias.

Both teams tried to gain an advantage by delaying the start of their games, only entering the field fifteen minutes after the games were scheduled to start. By starting their games later, they hoped to learn about the result in their opponent's match and play accordingly to avoid relegation. But these tactics were of little help, since both teams did the same and nearly cancelled all advantage the other team could have had. In the end, Corinthians started its game two minutes later than Goias. But by conceding a goal in the first minute of play, Corinthians quickly fell behind 1-0 to Gremio in Porto Alegre. Goias soon conceded a goal to Internacional at home in Goiania, keeping the team from Sao Paulo one point ahead in the standings. Before the first half was over, however, Goias would tie the game, only to have Corinthians do the same one minute later. After the end of the first half, everything was like when the day began for the two teams.

In the second half, however, Goias went ahead 2-1 after taking a penalty kick three times - in the first two tries, Inter's goalkeeper Clemer defended the shots by Goias' Paulo Baier, only to see the referee call the shots back claiming Clemer had taken a step forward before the ball was kicked. corinthians fans started to despair after learning of the goal, and the team pressed forward in the final minutes of play trying to get a goal that would keep the team in the Brazilian soccer elite. This goal would never come, however, and the game finished on a 1-1 tie. For the first time ever in its 97 year-old history, the four-time Brazilian National champion and most popular team in the State of Sao Paulo had been relegated to the Brazilian Second Division.

Coritiba, Ipatinga, Portuguesa and Vitoria were promoted from the Serie B.

One Libertadores, two relegation spots

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Wed, 28 Nov 2007 12:58:00 +0000

After this weekend's games, only one Libertadores spot remains open for Brazilian teams in 2008. This year's Brazilian Serie A champions, Sao Paulo, had already qualified alongside Fluminense, Brazilian Cup champions. Flamengo also guaranteed its place in the continental competition with a 2-0 win over Atletico Paranaense at the Maracana Stadium in Rio. And Santos came from behind in Curitiba to beat Parana 3-2 and also claim a spot. Now Cruzeiro, Palmeiras and Gremio will fight for the right to play in the prestigious South American competition. Cruzeiro has an easy assignment at home against last place America Natal and can reach 60 points. Gremio can only reach the same 60 points if it beats Corinthians, also at home, but it would still fall behind Cruzeiro in goal differential. Palmeiras is also home for its last game, against Atletico Mineiro, reaching 61 points and qualifying with a win.

At the other end of the table, Parana's loss almost relegated the team to the Serie B. Two points behind Corinthians, the team must win its last game against Vasco on the road and hope that both Corinthians and Goias lose twice. Corinthians plays Vasco at home on Wednesday and Gremio away on Sunday. Goias goes to Belo Horizonte on Wednesday to face Atletico Mineiro and then goes back home to play Internacional in its last game. Juventude - 3-2 losers to Fluminense on the weekend -, and America Natal have already been relegated to the Serie B in 2008.

Quick facts

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Thu, 22 Nov 2007 04:03:00 +0000

Sorry about the disappearance over the last couple of months. Lots of changes in my offline life, and not as much time as I'd have liked to keep the blog updated. I might have to change the style of the blog over the next while, with shorter entries and not that much info in regards to upcoming games, but at least I'll try to show up more regularly. Let's see if that works.

What have I missed these last few weeks? Well, for one Sao Paulo ran away with the Brazilian title, successfully defending its championship from a year ago. The battle in the remaining rounds is for the Libertadores spots and against relegation.

The Brazilian National team tied Colombia away in its debut at the qualifiers for the 2010 World Cup, and then went back home and trounced Ecuador at the Maracana Stadium. Another away game saw the team tie Peru in Lima last Sunday, and there's only hope the team can at least improve against Uruguay tonight, in Sao Paulo. The team should have no trouble qualifying for South Africa, but fans would definitely appreciate if the squad coached by Dunga could show more consistency, especially on the road.

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Update: Brazil came back from an early 1-0 deficit to beat Uruguay 2-1, on two goals by forward Luis Fabiano.

Flamengo gives Sao Paulo a gift

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 03:00:00 +0000

Flamengo beat Cruzeiro 3-1 on Wednesday at the Maracana Stadium, in a match that had been postponed from the 16th round of the Brazilian Serie A soccer league. The result not only helped Flamengo move a little bit further away from the relegation zone, but also prevented Cruzeiro from closing the gap to league leaders Sao Paulo. With the loss, the team from Belo Horizonte remains with 45 points, nine less than Sao Paulo, with 54.

Right-back Leonardo Moura opened the scoring in the 28th minute with a powerful shot from just outside the penalty box. Forward Souza made it 2-0 twenty minutes into the second half, Guilherme gave new hope to Cruzeiro with eight minutes to go, but Obina confirmed the win for the locals with a goal in the 88th minute.

Brazil finally solves Mexico

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Fri, 14 Sep 2007 02:59:00 +0000

After a couple of losses to Mexico, Brazil finally restablished the normal state of affairs with a 3-1 win in a friendly match between the two teams in Boston on Wednesday. The last loss to the Mexicans had happened in June, when Brazil opened its campaign at the Copa America with a 2-0 defeat. The team would come back to win the title. Mexico had also won the previous matchup between the two countries, in 2005, also by a 2-0 score. In recent years, Brazil also lost to Mexico in the Gold Cup (1996 and 2003) and Confederations Cup (1999).

Mexico looked like it would win another game when it opened the score in the dying moments of the first half, with Guardado. But Brazil was lucky to tie the game one minute later with Kleber, avoiding going to the dressing room trailing at halftime. Brazil slowly took control of the game in the second half, and went ahead at the 80th minute, when Kaka made it 2-1. Afonso scored the third at the 87th minute, when Brazil was down to ten men - Elano had been sent off.

The 3-1 win made it a perfect North American tour for coach Dunga. On Sunday Brazil had beaten the United States by a 4-2 score, in Chicago. The coach now feels his team is ready to open the 2010 World Cup qualifying games next month. The Brazilians will face Colombia in their debut, away from home, on October 14.

Sao Paulo increases lead

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 23:48:00 +0000

Defending champions Sao Paulo increased the lead atop the Brazilian Serie A soccer league after a scoreless draw with Atletico Mineiro on the road on Wednesday. The leaders are now nine points clear of second place Cruzeiro, which lost 1-0 to Juventude on the road. Sao Paulo reached 51 points in 24 games, while Cruzeiro has 42 in 23 matches.

In a game with few goal chances created by both sides, the visitors were happy to leave with a point, after goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni defended a penalty kick taken by Coelho in the 90th minute. Before that, Sao Paulo had hit the post and crossbar during the game, but failed to create much else against a well-positioned Atletico.

Third place Vasco fell to Gremio 3-1 in Porto Alegre, being overtaken by Santos in the standings. Santos now has the same 39 points as Vasco, but with one more victory, after beating Internacional 2-1. In other games, Corinthians had a hard time beating America Natal at home, 1-0, while Goias was beaten at home by Atletico Paranaense, 3-2. Finally, Flamengo got out of the relegation zone thanks to a 4-1 victory over Figueirense at the Maracana Stadium.

Three matches complete the 24th round on Thursday. Botafogo hosts Palmeiras, Parana plays Nautico at home and Fluminense goes to Recife to face Sport.

Cruzeiro hopes rivals can win

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Thu, 06 Sep 2007 00:11:00 +0000

In Brazil, team rivalries are stronger within particular cities. Thus, someone who cheers for Flamengo will basically prefer any team to win but Vasco, Fluminense or Botafogo, the other big teams in Rio de Janeiro. In Sao Paulo, the rivalry is set for Corinthians, Palmeiras, Sao Paulo and, to a lesser extent, Santos. In Porto Alegre, it's Inter and Gremio. And in Belo Horizonte, it's Cruzeiro and Atletico Mineiro. rarely will you see someone from Atletico cheering for Cruzeiro, or vice-versa. This Wednesday might be one of these days, however.

Trailing sao Paulo by eight points, Cruzeiro travels to Caxias do Sul to play Juventude, hoping to get three points to close the gap to the leaders. Meanwhile, in Belo Horizonte, Cruzeiro's crosstown rivals Atletico face no one other than Sao Paulo. A win by both teams from Belo Horizonte would cut the lead to five points, with Cruzeiro still holding a game in hand. For Sao Paulo, a draw on the road will not be considered that bad.

The defending champion is worried about what may happen away from the pitch though, as the country's Sport Court signalled with the possibility of punishing the team for an incident during the game against Goias last month, in Goiania. Even though the game was not played at Sao Paulo's Morumbi Stadium, the court is saying that a Sao Paulo fan invaded the pitch and put the players and referees at risk. The team could be punished with the loss of up to ten home games, which would either be played at a neutral venue or with closed gates.

In other games in the 24th round of the Brazilian Serie A soccer league, Corinthians hosts America Natal with the moral obligation of getting the three points at home. Atletico Paranaense travels to Goiania to face Goias, while Flamengo is at home to Figueirense needing a win to get out of the bottom four. Santos will try to recover from the 2-0 loss to Corinthians when it plays Inter at home. Gremio tries to build on the 3-0 win over Botafogo playing another team from Rio in Porto Alegre: Vasco. Fluminense travels to Recife to face Sport, Parana is at home to Nautico and Botafogo hosts a shaken Palmeiras, which is still trying to understand how it lost to Cruzeiro 5-0.

Brazilian Serie A - 23rd round

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Sat, 01 Sep 2007 20:47:00 +0000

Three games on Saturday and seven on Sunday make up the 23rd round of the Brazilian Serie A. On Saturday, leaders Sao Paulo host Parana trying to keep the comfortable eight point lead atop the standings. America Natal and Juventude make a relegation zone matchup in Natal. And Flamengo tries to remain outside of the bottom four when it hosts Sport at the Maracana.

On Sunday, a desperate Corinthians hosts Santos, aware it can return to the bottom four soon if it keeps playing like in the last two games - 3-0 loss to Cruzeiro at home and 5-2 loss to Atletico Mineiro on the road. Speaking of Atletico Mineiro, the team travels to Curitiba to face the other Atletico, Paranaense. Second place Cruzeiro hosts Palmeiras, which fell to sixth with the loss to Sao Paulo in the last game. Gremio tries to overcome the impact of a 2-0 road loss to Sport when it faces fourth place Botafogo in Porto Alegre. Internacional travels to Recife to play Nautico, after falling 4-1 to Fluminense at home on Wednesday. Fluminense returns to Rio, where it will play third place Vasco in the local Rio derby. Finally, Goias hosts Figueirense in Goiania.
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UPDATE: Several high-scoring matches, with leaders Sao Paulo beating Parana 6-0 and Cruzeiro crushing Palmeiras 5-0. Juventude had a good 3-0 road win over America, while Flamengo and Sport tied 1-1 at the Maracana. Atletico Paranaense momentarily left the relegation zone with a 1-0 win over Atletico Mineiro, and Gremio had a strong 3-0 home win over Botafogo. Corinthians surprised Santos 2-0, while Goias beat Figueirense 2-1. Inter had to settle for a 1-1 road draw with Inter, the same score of Vasco and Fluminense at the Maracana.

Sao Paulo opens eight points at the top

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Thu, 30 Aug 2007 23:57:00 +0000

Sao Paulo beat Palmeiras 1-0 on Wednesday to reach 47 points and open an eight-point lead atop the standings in the Brazilian Serie A soccer league. The defending champions benefitted from second place Cruzeiro's 2-2 away draw with Parana. Third place Botafogo also tied, 1-1 against Flamengo. Palmeiras is still in fourth, but Vasco could jump to a tie for third with Botafogo with 38 points if it beats Nautico on Thursday. Juventude beat Goias 2-0 at home, and Figueirense had a 3-1 win over America Natal. Corinthians lost 5-2 on the road to Atletico Mineiro, while Inter was surprised at home, losing 4-1 to Fluminense. Finally, Sport beat Gremio 2-0 in Recife.

On Thursday, in addition to Vasco and Nautico, Santos hosts Atletico Paranaense.

Sao Paulo plays Palmeiras trying to extend unbeaten streak

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Wed, 29 Aug 2007 02:24:00 +0000

Two teams in the top four face each other this Wednesday on the Brazilian Serie A soccer league, with leaders Sao Paulo playing Palmeiras in a local Sao Paulo State derby. Second place Cruzeiro will travel to Curitiba to play Parana, and third place Botafogo has the local Rio de Janeiro derby against Flamengo. Five other games will be played on Wednesday, with two matches being scheduled for Thursday, when Santos will host Atletico Paranaense and Nautico will play Vasco in Rio.

Here's a preview of this Wednesday's games:

PALMEIRAS x SAO PAULO
After a great 5-0 win at home over Nautico on Sunday, Sao Paulo managed to keep six points clear of second place Cruzeiro in the standings. After a scoreless first half, the defending champions benefitted from a player being sent off to score five times in the last 35 minutes of the game. Palmeiras didn't do too bad itself on Sunday, scoring a good 2-1 away win over Figueirense. Defender Alex Silva returns to Sao Paulo after being rested on Sunday. Aloisio may return to the starting lineup, but coach Muricy Ramalho hasn't confirmed his starting eleven. Palmeiras is also surrounded in mistery, with coach Caio Junior confirming only that midfielder Pierre returns from suspension. Defender Dininho may also return after a one-game suspension, but Palmeiras still has to decide if it field two or three central defenders. In the third round, both teams played to a scoreless draw at the Morumbi.

PARANA x CRUZEIRO
Cruzeiro had a great 3-0 away win over Corinthians, in a game that cost the job of Corinthians' coach Paulo Cesar Carpegiani. Thanks to a six-game winning streak, the team managed to maintain second place in the standings, with one game in hand over most of its direct opponents (a postponed match against Flamengo). Parana had a good 3-1 win at home over Juventude, jumping to 12th place in the standings with 27 points. The team will be happy with a draw here. Defender Nem is injured for the locals. Cruzeiro has confirmed the return of Wagner and Ramires, who were suspended. Forward Guilherme may return, but Marcelo Moreno played well in the last game and might be given another shot in the starting squad. Defender Thiago Heleno is out, as is coach Dorival Junior, who will be tried for having invaded the pitch in the game against Botafogo. Parana beat Cruzeiro 4-3 in Belo Horizonte in the third round.

JUVENTUDE x GOIAS
Juventude keeps losing matches, and with them the chance of continuing to play in the Brazilian Serie A in 2008. After a 4-0 loss to Flamengo and a 3-1 defeat to Parana, the team returns home to take on Goias, which lost to Flamengo on the road 3-1 after a 0-0 draw with Sao Paulo at home. Coach Beto Almeida makes his debut at home after the two road losses, and will be without suspended Wescley. Right-backs Jucemar and James were sent packing this week and will no longer play for the team. Five players are injured for Goias: defender Andre Leone, left-backs Diego and Luiz Henrique and forwards Fabricio Carvalho and Wendell. They had already missed the game against Flamengo. In the third round, Goias beat Juventude 3-1 in Goiania.

FIGUEIRENSE x AMERICA
Figueirense lost at home to Palmeiras on Sunday to reach its seventh game without a win. Fortunately, it now has the weakest team in the Serie A to try to recover. America seems to have given up on the season, continuing to lose game after game. On Sunday the loss came at home, 4-1 to Santos, to give the team an eight-game winless streak. For this game America will be without coach Marcelo Veiga, who resigned after the loss to Santos. Forward Arlon and Bea, and right-back Robson Lopes were fired this week. Midfielders Souza and Marquinhos are injured, alongside left-back Adriano Peixe. Forward Paulo Isidoro and midfielder Reinaldo are suspended. The locals will have the return of wings Ruy and Andre Santos, who were suspended. Midfielders Cleiton Xavier and Diogo remain out of shape, and won't play. In their other meeting this season, America lost to Figueirense 1-0 at home.

BOTAFOGO x FLAMENGO
Botafogo tries to show it is still in the title race, after a 2-1 away win over Atletico Mineiro put the team back into third place in the standings, with 37 points. Flamengo has improved significantly over the past few games, managing to climb out of the relegation zone, while still having two games in hand in comparison to most other teams in the tournament. Left-back Luciano Almeida is questionable for Botafogo, but Dodo, Leandro Guerreiro and Ze Roberto will likely play. Flamengo will be without midfielder Roger, suspended, and forward Maxi Biancucchi, injured. Midfielder Renato Augusto will likely return from injury, and Juan, who was suspended, may also join the red-and-blacks. The teams played to a 2-2 draw in the third round.

ATLETICO MINEIRO x CORINTHIANS
After losing at home to Botafogo, Atletico fans might be a bit concerned about the real potential of the team. It looks like the team will settle for a mid-table position, something which would actually be welcomed by unstable Corinthians, which lost coach Paulo Cesar Carpegiani after a 3-0 loss at home to Cruzeiro on Saturday. Defender Leandro Almeida is out suspended, while Bilu and Marcelinho are still injured for Atletico. Corinthians interim coach is Ze Augusto, who will have maybe two games to prove he deserves a longer tenure ahead of the team. Betao, Vampeta and Ricardinho are suspended. Atletico tied Corinthians 0-0 in their other matchup this season.

INTER x FLUMINENSE
Inter's last minute controversial goal against Atletico Paranaense saved the team from an embarrassing result on Saturday. Meanwhile, Fluminense was also complaining about the goal scored by Inter's cross-town rival, Gremio, in another match played at the same time against the team from Rio. Now Fluminense travels to the Beira-Rio trying to rescue what's left of its season. With 27 points, the team is just four points ahead of the last team that would be relegated if the season ended today. The Libertadores classification zone now seems like a distant objective, nine points away. Ceara, Guinazu and Iarley are injured, while Indio, Marcao and Alex are suspended for Inter. Right-backs Carlinhos and Rafael are out with injuries, while defender Luiz Alberto is suspended. Fluminense beat Inter 3-0 at home in the third round.

SPORT x GREMIO
Gremio benefitted from a controversial goal to tie Fluminense on the road on Saturday, but the team will have to play better against Sport in Recife if it doesn't want to distance itself too much from the league leaders. With 32 points, the team is four behind fourth-placed Palmeiras. Sport has 28 points, and was lucky to escape with a draw in the game against Vasco on Sunday, even though the locals lost a penalty kick in the second half. The team must take advantage of this game not to end its two-game homestand without a win. Midfielder Everton and defender Cesar are suspended for Sport. The visitors will have the return of Diego Souza, who was suspended, while Carlos Eduardo is out after being sold to Germany's Hoffenheim. In the third round, Gremio scored an important 1-0 home win over Sport.

Seven matches in the Brazilian Serie A on Sunday

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Sun, 26 Aug 2007 16:19:00 +0000

Seven matches complete the 21st round of the Brazilian Serie A on Sunday:

ATLETICO MINEIRO x BOTAFOGO
Botafogo tries to keep close to the leaders when it travels to Belo Horizonte to face Atletico Mineiro, still trying to approach the top of the standings but safe enough from the bottom of the table. Defender Marcos and midfielder Rafael Miranda return to Atletico. Midfielder Bilu is injured and will be out though. For the visitors, Diguinho, Dodo and Adriano Felicio are injured. Tulio is questionable, Leandro Guerreiro is suspended and Athirson still isn't fully fit. Botafogo beat Atletico 2-1 when they met in the second round.

PARANA x JUVENTUDE
Juventude's 4-0 away loss to Flamengo put the team into an even deeper hole, keeping the team on course to the Serie B. Parana will try to take advantage of that, to distance itself from the bottom four. Parana will have the debut of new coach Lori Sandri, after former coach Gilson Kleina and six players left the club. Defensive midfielder and captain Beto is out injured. Juventude may have Marcio Azevedo as the new right-back, with midfielder Manzini also joining the team. In the second round, Parana won at Caxias, 2-1.

SAO PAULO x NAUTICO
With Cruzeiro's win on Saturday, Sao Paulo knows it must win on Sunday to keep a more comfortable lead in the standings. Unbeaten in eight, the team should view this match against Nautico as a mandatory three-pointer. A loss or a draw could have terrible consequences to the morale of the team, especially with Cruzeiro closing the gap. Nautico hopes to give the locals a hard time, as it did in the second round, when it won the matchup at home, 1-0. Sao Paulo may have Borges in the attack, with Dagoberto moving to the bench. Nautico will take a defensive approach, and will be without injured forward Felipe and midfielder Juliano, and suspended forward Ferreira and midfielder Radames.

FIGUEIRENSE x PALMEIRAS
The locals must get points at home to keep themselves above the top four. The visitors have a great road record, and try to return to the top four. Dininho and Pierre are suspended for Palmeiras, while full-back Wendel joins the team replacing Paulo Sergio. Wings Ruy and Andre Santos are suspended for the locals. Palmeiras won the first matchup between the two this season, with a 2-1 home win in the second round.

FLAMENGO x GOIAS
Flamengo's win at home over Juventude put the team on its way to escape the relegation zone. This could happen as soon as this Sunday, with a win over Goias. The visitors can be a tough opponent though, and are still hopeful they can get a Libertadores spot this season. For Flamengo, Renato Augusto is still out, and Roger is questionable in midfield. In the attack, coach Joel Santana hasn't made up his mind in regards to who is going to play alongside Maxi Biancucchi: Obina or Souza. The visitors hope to take advantage of counter-attacks to surprise Flamengo. Goias was surprised at home by Flamengo in the second round, losing 3-1.

AMERICA NATAL x SANTOS
It looks like only a miracle can save America from the Serie B. Likewise, only a series of events will put Santos back on the title race. The locals have the return of midfielder Souza and full-backs Nei Santos and Adriano Peixe, but goalkeeper Rene was sold to Serie B's Gama. Santos will be without suspended midfielder Pedrinho. Left-back Kleber, who was with Brazil's National Team, will play. America had a rare successful outing on the road in the second round, beating Santos 3-2 at the Vila Belmiro.

SPORT x VASCO
Vasco tries to keep its difference to second place Cruzeiro limited to one point when it travels to Recife to face Sport this Sunday. The locals, on the other hand, will try to get at least a point here, knowing that the relegation zone can soon approach them if they start losing too may points. Forward Enilton is out injured for Vasco. Sport will be without forward Weldon, who was sold to Portugal's Belenenses. Midfielder Adriano Gabiru also returns to the team. Vasco gave Sport no chance in the second round, winning 3-1 at home.

Cruzeiro tries to consolidate second place

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Sat, 25 Aug 2007 01:58:00 +0000

Cruzeiro travels to Sao Paulo to face Corinthians on Saturday, trying to consolidate its position in the Brazilian Serie A soccer league. Two other games are also scheduled for Saturday, in the 21st round of the Serie A.

CORINTHIANS x CRUZEIRO
Unbeaten in three, Corinthians is breathing a lot easier now than two weeks ago. Out of the relegation zone, the team still believes it can finish in the top four to gain a spot in next year's Libertadores Cup. The team will have to play a lot better in the second half if it is to achieve this goal. This Saturday Corinthians will play Cruzeiro, currently in second place in the standings and winner of its last five games. For Cruzeiro, midfielder Wagner is suspended, while forward Nene may lose his place in attack to Marcelo Moreno. Corinthians will likely adopt a 3-4-3 formation, with an extra forward replacing defensive midfielder Rosinei. Defender Betao returns to the team after a failed transfer to France's Sochaux. He'll replace suspended defensive midfielder Bruno Octavio. In Belo Horizonte, Corinthians surprised Cruzeiro with a 3-0 away win in the second round.

FLUMINENSE x GREMIO
Fluminense has certainly seen better times. After a 3-0 win over Santos two weeks ago, the team has dropped two straight, losing to Flamengo and Cruzeiro to fall to 13th in the standings with 26 points. Fluminense returns to Maracana this Saturday to host Gremio, which is coming off a 2-0 home win over Parana that lifted the team to 31 points, good for 6th place in the standings. Fernando Henrique and Fabinho return from injury for Fluminense. Romeu is suspended, and defender Thiago returns after being called for the National team's friendly against Algeria on Wednesday. Gremio will be without suspended midfielders Tcheco and Diego Souza and forward Carlos Eduardo. In the second round, Gremio beat Fluminense 2-0 at the Olimpico Stadium in Porto Alegre.

INTERNACIONAL x ATLETICO PARANAENSE
Inter had a good 1-1 away draw with Botafogo last week, stretching its unbeaten streak to three games, with one win at home and two draws on the road. Going back to the Beira-Rio Stadium, the team hopes it can beat Atletico Paranaense, which won only one of its last eight games. Ney Franco makes his debut for Atletico, which will also miss defensive midfielder Valencia, injured. The new coach opted to shift midfielder Ferreira to the attack, where he'll play alongside Marcelo. Inter will be without injured right-back Ceara and midfielder Guinazu, also sidelined with an injury. Midfielder Pinga is suspended. In the second round, Atletico beat Inter 2-1 in Curitiba.

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Update: Cruzeiro paid back the second round 3-0 loss at home with a 3-0 away win that cost Corinthians coach Paulo Cesar Carpegiani his job. Gremio and Fluminense tied 1-1 and Inter won thanks to a last minute goal, beating Atletico Paranaense 1-0.

Brazil beats Argelia 2-0

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 23:00:00 +0000

Brazil beat Argelia 2-0 on Wednesday, on a friendly match played at Montpellier, France. The Brazilian National Team did not play well, but was competent enough to score two goals in the second half, when star players Ronaldinho Gaucho and Kaka joined the team from the bench. Ronaldinho took a free kick and Maicon headed the ball for the first goal. The second goal was scored by Ronaldinho himself, on a rebound from a shot by Diego. The match didn't mean much, and the display on the pitch probably won't help Dunga much in determining what the future holds for the team. But at least Kaka and Ronaldinho have shown they can't be seriously kept off the team when it matters.

Desperation enters the pitch

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Wed, 22 Aug 2007 22:59:00 +0000

Flamengo and Juventude play this Thursday at the Maracana Stadium, desperately needing a win to increase their chances of remaining in the Brazilian Serie A. With 18 points in 17 games, Flamengo hopes to get its third straight win at home, while Juventude - with 18 points in 19 games - hasn't really performed well away from Caxias do Sul.

Four regular starters return to Flamengo, coming back from suspension: Leo Moura, Juan, Roger and Souza. Jeventude will have a new coach, Beto Almeida. Right-back Jucemar is out injured. Midfielder Julio Cesar, who is coming back from suspension, will likely be left on the bench.

Sao Paulo tries to keep advantage atop the standings

noreply@blogger.com (fejas) — Sun, 19 Aug 2007 15:28:00 +0000

Sao Paulo starts the second half of the Brazilian Serie A soccer league on the road against Goias, trying to maintain the seven point advantage built over second place Botafogo in the standings. This and six other matches complete the 20th round of the league this Sunday.

Here's a preview of Sunday's matches.

SAO PAULO x GOIAS
Nobody really expected the defending champions to be so far ahead atop the Brazilian league at the end of the first half, but a series of positive results in the last few rounds meant the team kept adding points, while its closest opponents continued to lose. For the start of the second half the team travels to Goiania to face Goias, currently in 8th place and trying to return to the top four. Sao Paulo is coming off four straight road wins and seven wins overall. Goias hasn't played well on the road, but at home the team has won four straight. In the first round Sao Paulo defeated Goias at home, 2-0. Goias has all players available for the match. For the visitors, defender Andre Dias is hurt, while Richarlyson and Borges are suspended. Forward Aloisio may return, but his fitness level is still not optimal, so he may start from the bench.

PALMEIRAS x FLAMENGO
Flamengo won two in a row at the Maracana Stadium, but now the team returns to the road. There's nothing the team would want more than get a third straight win to keep its recovery effort in the standings on track. Curiously, Palmeiras has played decently on the road but not so much at home, where it has won only once in its last four games. In the first round, Palmeiras managed an important 4-2 road win at the Maracana. Three regular starters are out for Palmeiras, midfielders Valdivia, Makelele and Wendel are suspended. Luiz Henrique returns on attack after serving a one game suspension. For Flamengo, Roger, Juan and Leonardo Moura are suspended, alongside Souza. Renato Augusto is still recovering from a thigh injury and remains out. Forward Obina, who has been trying to recover his best conditioning, may return.

NAUTICO x ATLETICO MINEIRO
A win can move Nautico out of the relegation zone, but the team will have a tough time against a determined Atletico Mineiro team that is still trying to find some consistency under coach Emerson Leao. The locals have won two of their last three, but lost their last match to Flamengo, 2-1. Atletico has lost two in a row and three of the last four. In the first round, Atletico defeated Nautico 2-1 in Belo Horizonte. Defender Onildo and right-back Sidny return for the locals from injury. Defender Breno is also back, but Deleu is suspended. For Atletico, midfielder Marcinho is injured and will not play.

JUVENTUDE x CORINTHIANS
Corinthians has done well to escape the relegation zone, and Juventude will try to draw on that example to do just the same. Second last in the standings, the team from Caxias do Sul knows it must take advantage of the home crowd support to get crucial points at home if it is to stay in the Serie A. Corinthians would like to repeat the excellent effort that ended with a 3-2 away win over Botafogo on Wednesday, a result that left the team in 12th in the standings, with 26 points. In the first round, Corinthians beat Juventude 1-0 at home. Midfielder Willian has been sold to Ukraine's Shakhtar Donetsk and will no longer play for Corinthians. Zelao returns on defense from suspension, replacing Kadu, who was sent off against Botafogo. Juventude will be without coach Claudio Duarte, who resigned on Friday. Defender Leonardo Silva is out injured, while Julio Cesar is suspended and Wescley is questionable.

VASCO x AMERICA NATAL
Vasco has a good chance to get 3 points against a team that has played pretty poorly all season long and deserves to be in last place in the standings. The locals are unbeaten in five, while America is coming off six straight losses. In the first round in Natal, Vasco won 1-0. Right-back Wagner Diniz returns from injury for Vasco, but Dudar, Morais and Romario continue to be treated by the medical staff and remain out. America let go of four players during last week, and will also be without three suspended players.

CRUZEIRO x FLUMINENSE
Things don't look particularly good at the Laranjeiras, after Fluminense lost to Flamengo 1-0 on Thursday, just days after easily disposing of Santos 3-0. With just one win in its last seven matches, the team coached by Renato Gaucho must get at least a point to try to gain some consistency on the season. Unfortunately the road game against Cruzeiro will be quite a challenge at the Mineirao, with the local team having won its last four games in the Serie A. In the first round at the Maracana, both teams played to a 2-2 draw. Defender Thiago Heleno serves his second game suspension for the locals, after being sent off against Atletico Paranaense. Marcinho and Guilherme are out injured. Rodrigo Tiui returns from suspension for Fluminense, but both players traditionally used as right-backs remain out injured.

BOTAFOGO x INTERNACIONAL
Botafogo know the time for wasting points at home is over, after two straight home losses, to Sao Paulo and Corinthians. From a safe five-point lead early in the season, the team has seen Sao Paulo take over and open a seven-point lead atop the standings. With just one win in its last six games, Botafogo will try to get the three points against Inter, knowing its opponent is also going through a tough time, with one win in its last four games. In the first round at the Beira-Rio Stadium in Porto Alegre, Botafogo came away with a good 3-2 away win. Forward Dodo is out injured for Botafogo, while coach Cuca opted to use Max instead of Marcos Leandro in goal. Another tactical option will see Renato Silva replacing Alex on defense. For Inter, Marcao is suspended after failing a doping exam, and Edinho is out injured.

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Update: Sao Paulo and Goias tied 0-0. Vasco beat America 2-0, and Atletico Mineiro defeated Nautico 1-0. Palmeiras got a 2-1 win over Flamengo, and Cruzeiro defeated Fluminense 4-2. Corinthians and Juventude tied 2-2, while Botafogo and Inter settled for a 1-1 score.