With the victory over Corinthians on Sunday, Bragantino is one point behind leader Botafogo and puts itself even more in the fight for the Brasileirão 2023 title.
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Index
Bragantino’s performance in the Brasileirão
Pedro Caixinha’s team has been surprising in the championship, boasting a young and versatile squad. Massa Bruta plays an attractive and highly efficient style of football. Their recent performance is boosting the fans’ hopes in the title race, as Bragantino is leading the second half of the season and has only lost one of the last 11 matches in the Brasileirão.
The team from Bragança Paulista has the second youngest average age of players at 22.7 years, trailing only behind Vasco with 22.3. In this regard, despite the young talents receiving a lot of attention, the pillars and absolute starters of the team are the more “experienced” players with greater experience. Players like Cleiton (26) in goal, captain Léo Ortiz (27), Juninho Capixaba (26), the best fullback in the league, Lucas Evangelista (28), the team’s playmaker, and Eduardo Sasha (31), the top goal scorer.
In a work environment with excellent organizational structure and relatively low pressure compared to their competitors, Pedro Caixinha is very astute in providing confidence and freedom to the young talents, who are present in almost every position on the field.
As a result, it’s a team that dominates practically every match, both at home and away, making them a strong contender for the title. If Botafogo stumbles against Vasco on Monday, Massa Bruta will only depend on themselves to lift the long-awaited Brasileirão 2023 trophy.
Foto: Diogo Reis/AGIF
Bragantino 1×0 Corinthians
Playing at the Nabi Abi Chedid stadium in Bragança Paulista, Bragantino defeated Corinthians 1-0, but the narrow scoreline didn’t reflect the nature of the game, which was dominated by the home team.
In the 9th minute, Juninho Capixaba delivered a cross from the left, and Sasha headed the ball between the defenders. Cássio managed to make a difficult save.
At the 22nd minute, Lucas Evangelista showcased some excellent individual skill and passed the ball to Mosquera on the left. The Colombian received the ball in the box, eluded Fagner, and struck it with his left foot just wide of the post.
The very next minute, Helinho unleashed a long-range rocket, Cássio spilled it, and the defense cleared the danger.
Braga found the back of the net at the 28th minute. Helinho took a short corner to Mosquera, who returned the ball to him. Helinho evaded his marker and beautifully slotted the ball into the top corner with his left foot. It was a fantastic goal, leaving Cássio with no chance.
Photo: Ari Ferreira/RBB
At the 37th minute, Helinho came close to scoring another fantastic goal. Following Hurtado’s cross, the defense cleared, and the ball fell to Helinho, who struck it with a curl, narrowly missing the crossbar.
With Bragantino’s clear dominance, Mano Menezes made the substitutions of Giuliano and Felipe Augusto for Rojas and Yuri Alberto in an attempt to change his team’s attitude. However, the scenario remained the same in the second half, with the hosts having the upper hand in the game.
At the 5th minute, Henry Mosquera received a beautiful pass from Matheus Fernandes and found himself one-on-one with Cássio. The young Colombian attempted to dribble Cássio three times, wasted time, and then passed to Helinho, who was blocked when attempting the shot.
At the 16th minute, Corinthians had their first dangerous opportunity. The goalkeeper punched away a high ball into the box, and Renato Augusto placed a shot for Cleiton to save.
At the 21st minute, Braga almost extended their lead with a beautiful team play. Juninho Capixaba passed to Helinho, who threatened to shoot but instead delivered an excellent pass to Borbas. Borbas took a shot from inside the box, but Cássio made the save.
At the 35th minute, Maycon entered the area near the left-wing, surprised everyone, and took a shot saved by Cleiton. In the following minute, Gil won the aerial battle after a corner kick and headed it wide.
With the victory, Bragantino ended Corinthians’ six-game undefeated streak, staying just one point behind league leaders Botafogo.
Photo: Rodrigo Coca/Agência Corinthians
Written by Henry Miller.
