São Paulo, Nov 23 (EFE).- Cruzeiro, with a double and assist from Kaio Jorge, knocked out Corinthians 3-0 this Sunday and refuses to give up the fight for the Brazilian Championship, while Neymar’s Santos provisionally returned to relegation after the victory away from Vitória.
The mathematics still places the Belo Horizonte team as a legitimate candidate for the title: it is six points behind the leader Flamengo with nine remaining to be played.
Kaio Jorge, former Juventus player, was once again decisive with two goals, one in the first half and another in the second, which also kept him alive in the fight to get on coach Carlo Ancelotti’s squad for the 2026 World Cup.
The 23-year-old forward is the top scorer in the Brazilian League, with 21 goals, above the Uruguayan Giorgian de Arrascaeta (18) and Vitor Roque (16), former footballer for FC Barcelona and Real Betis.
In addition, he assisted Cruzeiro’s third for the young Ecuadorian winger Keny Arroyo. Colombian attacker Luis Sinisterra scored in added time, but the VAR annulled it due to a previous foul.
Corinthians gave a very poor image in the Mineirão without Memphis Depay. The Dutch forward missed the match due to a sprained knee.
Vitória arrests Neymar
At the bottom of the standings, Vitória continues to believe in salvation, after clearly winning 1-3 on the field of a relegated Sport Recife.
Gabriel Baralhas, after a deflection from an opponent, and Spanish midfielder Aitor Cantalapiedra, with a good volley shot near the six-yard box, put things in the way in just two minutes of the first half.
Pablo scored before the break, but Renato Kayzer scored for the visitors through an individual play at the start of the second round.
The victory helps the Salvador team reach 39 points and leave the relegation zone, waiting for this Monday’s match in Porto Alegre between Internacional and Santos.
Neymar’s team, with 37 points, only needs to win at the Beira-Rio stadium to get out of the hole in the classification again.
In another of this Sunday’s games, São Paulo defeated a Juventude team that was very close to confirming its relegation (2-1) and put an end to a streak of three games without winning, a real boost for Argentine coach Hernán Crespo.
He sweated the Morumbí Tricolor in front of his audience. Paraguayan midfielder Damián Bobadilla scored in the 7th minute and Argentine winger Emiliano Rigoni only added one more goal in the 94th minute.
A saving goal in the end, because two minutes later Juventude came closer with an own goal by Venezuelan defender Nahuel Ferraresi.
For its part, Bahía beat Vasco da Gama by the minimum (1-0) and continues with options to sneak into the direct qualification positions for the next edition of the Copa Libertadores.
On Saturday it was the turn of Flamengo and Palmeiras, protagonists of the fight for the League title and opponents in the Libertadores final that will be played next Saturday at the Monumental Stadium in Lima.
Flamengo managed to extend its lead lead to four points, after beating Red Bull Bragantino 3-0 and taking advantage of the goalless draw between Palmeiras and Fluminense. EFE
cms/laa
