Even with the 2-1 victory over Corinthians, at the Neo Química Arena, Cruzeiro said goodbye to the Copa do Brasil on Wednesday night. After taking the semifinal decision to penalties, Raposa ended up eliminated in alternating penalties, after Cássio saved the first Corinthians penalty, Gabigol wasted the last celestial penalty and Walace made a mistake afterwards.
In a press conference after the match, coach Leonardo Jardim analyzed the elimination, defended his choices, spoke about the club’s objectives and adopted a tone of frustration and mourning with the result. Leonardo Jardim explained that the definition of penalty takers followed criteria developed internally and mainly took into account the emotional aspect of the athletes:
“It’s certainly a criterion that we work on in penalties. We chose based on this criterion, we certainly put those who showed the greatest motivation to score. At this moment it’s not just quality, it’s motivation. And the players who scored, they were all present, they were available, because it’s not just physical, it’s emotional and the choice was based a lot on this situation.”
When analyzing the confrontation, Jardim recognized that the elimination was built in the first game, at Mineirão, but made a point of highlighting the team’s stance in São Paulo. “First, in relation to the game, we lost the tie at home. Of the big games, it was one of the few in which the team was not at its level against heavy shirts. But we showed today why Cruzeiro fans like this team and support it, we came to the Arena, we imposed our football, we won in the 90 minutes” and then he spoke about the goal conceded and the rest of the team: “It’s a shame that the 2-1 was very quick, we were doing well, excellent first half. We came back well in the second half. And the opponent, in a set piece, entered the game, with the crowd supporting, and the final part was more balanced.”
When asked about controversial refereeing moves, Leonardo Jardim preferred to avoid it. “I’m not going to talk about refereeing. About elbows, ball in hand… I’m already tired, there’s no point in talking. Let’s talk about other things”, he limited himself to saying.
In relation to the season’s objectives, the coach was direct in taking responsibility for the elimination and contextualizing the club’s moment.
“In relation to the championship, our objective was very clear and achieved. In relation to the Copa do Brasil, it was to win. Arriving in the semi-final, that was our objective. It was completely my responsibility, we cannot confuse things. We cannot arrive at the beginning of the season when the Libertadores starts and say that it is ‘project to win the championship’ in front of those who have been preparing over the years. I don’t usually lie. I even tell the truth a lot and I am criticized, but I think it was a year in which we regained the confidence of the fans. It was a year zero that could bring more joy in the future.”
Regarding his future in charge of Cruzeiro, Leonardo Jardim adopted an evasive tone and avoided any definition of whether he will stay or not:
“Today is a day of mourning. A lot of sadness, for Cruzeiro fans, for my family, for the players. Tomorrow we will talk about everything that will be related to coach Leonardo Jardim, his future, his presence.”
The coach also came to the defense of Gabigol, who wasted the decisive penalty.
“Of course we had chosen the five players and Gabriel was the last because he is an experienced player, who doesn’t mind opposing fans. But he ended up not scoring the goal. It’s not his responsibility, it’s mine, for choosing him.”
Projecting the future, Jardim pointed to the continuity of work as an essential factor for Cruzeiro to fight for titles again.
“Continuing and doing what Pedrinho recently said. Always another step towards what the future will be. I certainly can’t put my words into the future of the club, but I’m remembering that Pedrinho said the importance of continuing to take a step forward.”
Finally, when evaluating the 2025 season, the coach recognized different feelings.
“It depends on who analyzes Cruzeiro’s season. If it’s that conscious person, who realized the limitations and everything that was built on top of that, they will look at the season with appreciation for the team, which was positive. It wasn’t excellent, because winning a title is excellent. If we just look emotionally, it was a total failure, because we didn’t win a title. One of the biggest failures of my career as a coach, which I like to win and I didn’t win here today.”
