Ponte Preta finished the Campeonato Brasileiro Série B season with a 2–0 defeat against Operário-PR on Thursday, December 12, at the Estádio Ítalo Mário Limongi in Indaiatuba, São Paulo, according to ge.globo.com and Band.
Already relegated to Série C as the competition’s bottom-placed team, Ponte Preta recorded its 29th defeat of the campaign and finished with just 18 points across 37 matches, according to ESPN Brasil.
Because of ongoing stadium renovations at the Moisés Lucarelli venue in Campinas, Ponte Preta hosted the fixture in Indaiatuba, ESPN Brasil reported. The match started at 19:00 local time (UTC-3).
Assistant coach Nenê Santana led the home side from the sideline, as head coach Gilson Kleina served the final match of a five-game suspension imposed for a gesture directed at the referee during a previous fixture against Cuiabá, Band reported. Operário-PR arrived in tenth place in the standings with 54 points, having no remaining path into the G6 promotion zone.
Operário secured the victory to close their year in mid-table safety, while the hosts failed to reach the 19-point threshold that would have kept them clear of the worst defensive record in league history, which remains held by Duque de Caxias with 17 points in 2011, Band noted.
Ponte Preta deployed Vinicius Ferrari in goal, supported by Di Mauro, Sérgio Palacios, Gabriel Caran, and Danilo Barcelos in defense. Operário-PR countered with an XI featuring Elias in goal, alongside Maguinho, Cuenú, Joseph, and Nicolas.
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