Copa do Brasil 2023: round of 16

The 8 qualifiers for the Copa do Brasil have been determined, with historic comebacks and several penalty shootouts. The quarterfinals of the Copa do Brasil 2023 are scheduled for July 5th and 12th. The matchups will be determined by a draw, on a date yet to be announced by the CBF.

Fortaleza 1×0 Palmeiras

Palmeiras qualified.

After building a great advantage at Allianz Parque in the 3-0 victory over Fortaleza, Verdão suffered a setback at Castelão with a narrow 1-0 defeat. Nevertheless, they secured a spot in the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil 2023 and continue their quest for their fifth title in the competition.

In the first leg, Palestra Itália showcased their strength at home and dominated the game from the first minute. Fortaleza, on the other hand, tried to close the gaps and exploit counterattacks but failed to be effective in both aspects.

Palmeiras managed to push the lines of Leão do Pici and easily exchanged passes in midfield, allowing wingers Dudu and Tabata, as well as full-backs Piquerez and Mayke, to exploit the spaces left by the Tricolor de Aço on the flanks. Just two minutes into the game, Rafael Veiga received a good pass from Tabata at the edge of the box and unleashed a powerful shot off target.

Palmeiras continued to press, and in the 7th minute, after a brilliant play by Dudu on the left, Baixola centered the ball into the box, and Rony was fouled by Caio Alexandre, resulting in a controversial penalty. Raphael Veiga stepped up to take the spot-kick and confidently scored down the middle, opening the scoring.

Fortaleza attempted to hold onto the ball more, but Palmeiras maintained a high tempo and created several chances to extend their lead. At the 17th minute, Veiga took a corner kick, Gustavo Gomez headed well, and João Ricardo made a fantastic save. However, the ball fell to Bruno Tabata, who headed it, and despite João Ricardo touching it, the ball had already crossed the line. The determination of Palmeiras was such that even though the goal had been scored, Gustavo Gomez, who had already celebrated, still struck the ball into the net.

In the second half, the game opened up, and Fortaleza started to create more, especially with shots from medium distance, while Palmeiras continued to have chances to score the third goal.

Then, at the 42nd minute of the second half, Breno Lopes received the ball on the left wing, made a cutback, and with his right foot, delivered a pinpoint cross that found Colombian Richard Ríos. Ríos controlled the ball, allowing it to pass slightly, but quickly regained possession, executed a skillful move that left the defender on the ground, and finished beautifully. The ball even hit the post before going in, what a masterpiece! The game in Terra da Garoa ended with a stunning 3-0 victory for Porco over Leão.

In the return leg, Fortaleza needed to win by a margin of at least 3 goals to force a penalty shootout. The team, the board, and the coaching staff acknowledged the difficulty of the task and called on the Tricolor supporters to fill the Castelão stadium. Promotions were even offered for the club’s members, and the atmosphere at Castelão was fantastic. What a show the fans of Leão do Pici put on!

Unfortunately, the show from the fans wasn’t enough for Tricolor de Aço to advance, but it greatly supported the team, which played well and managed to match the strength of one of the best teams in Brazil.

Fortaleza entered the match more alert and determined not to let Verdão keep possession in their own half. They were also clever in stopping the quick transitions of the São Paulo team. Additionally, Fortaleza managed to exchange good passes and execute excellent triangular plays to create space and break through Palmeiras’ defense.

On the other hand, Palmeiras defended well and tried to exploit the speed of Rony, who engaged in several interesting duels with defender Titi.

Leão do Pici had excellent chances in the first half. At 7 minutes, Thiago Galhardo dribbled through the middle, successfully evaded Gustavo Gomez but was blocked by Mayke. At 12 minutes, Brítez had a good header after a corner kick from Pochettino, but the ball narrowly missed the post. At 32 minutes, Bruno Pacheco crossed the ball into the box, and Zé Welisson shot wide.

Up until then, the accuracy wasn’t on point. However, at 35 minutes, Galhardo took a precise shot to the corner, but Weverton made a good save. Almost at the whistle, Pikachu provided a good cross to Galhardo, who gently set up the ball for Lucero. The Argentine forward took the shot from the penalty spot, but Weverton made another excellent save.

At halftime, both Vojvoda and Abel made substitutions. Calebe replaced Pikachu for Leão, while Rafael Navarro came on for Rony and Breno Lopes replaced Dudu for Palestra.

Fortaleza continued to attack in search of their goals, but Palmeiras defended well. At the 11th minute of the second half, Hércules came on for Zé Welisson, and the young player further improved Leão’s dynamics, pushing Palmeiras back. However, Fortaleza struggled to break through the lines, so they started attempting shots from medium distance.

At 12 minutes, after a good play on the right, the ball reached Galhardo at the edge of the box, and he struck it firmly, but the ball went narrowly wide. At 18 minutes, it was Pochettino’s turn to try his luck. After a quick free kick, the Argentine controlled the ball and set it up for a shot, attempting to catch Weverton off guard. However, the shot went wide.

Palmeiras managed to launch good counter-attacks on the left side with the speedy Breno Lopes. However, the scorer of the 2020 Libertadores title-winning goal wasn’t having a great night and made poor decisions and passes when reaching the final third of the field.

At the 26th minute, after a good play on the left, Breno Lopes found Veiga in the box. The midfielder executed a beautiful cut inside and shot with his right foot. The ball went past the goalkeeper and seemed to be heading into the net, but Rafael Navarro arrived with a powerful slide tackle to push the ball in. However, the forward was offside, and the goal was disallowed.

In the subsequent counter-attack, Leão do Pici made a good play through the middle. Lucero executed a great pivot and found Pochettino, who took a powerful shot. The ball struck the post and came back to Lucero, who had followed the play, and he calmly tapped it into the net. It was 1-0 to Leão.

Tricolor de Aço tried everything to break through Palmeiras’ solid defense but only had one more good chance with a turn and shot from Calebe that went wide. With the narrow victory, Leão couldn’t overturn the score from the first leg, and Palmeiras remains alive in the pursuit of their fifth title.

Bahia 1(4×3)1 Santos

Bahia qualified.

With a draw in the first match at Vila Belmiro and plenty of excitement at Fonte Nova, Bahia defeats Santos in a penalty shootout and advances to the quarter-finals.

The home team came out with the following lineup: Marcos Felipe; Kanu, David Duarte, and Vitor Hugo; Jacaré, Acevedo, Rezende, Cauly, and Ryan; Everaldo and Biel. Coach: Renato Paiva.

On the other hand, the visitors started the match with: João Paulo, Gabriel Inocêncio, Messias, Joaquim, and Lucas Pires; Rodrigo Fernández, Dodi, and Lucas Lima; Mendoza, Soteldo, and Deivid Washington.

Bahia needed a simple victory to progress to the next round, but they knew that any mistake could be fatal. Therefore, the teams showed great respect for each other in the first half, carefully studying their opponents’ movements.

The Tricolor de Aço came close to scoring with Biel, but the offside was correctly signaled by the assistant and confirmed by VAR.

At the end of the first half, João Paulo, a key figure in the game, made a spectacular save from Kanu’s header.

In the second half, Bahia launched themselves forward, relying on the escapes of Biel and Cauly on the flanks. Thus, in a lofted ball, Rodrigo Fernandez makes a blunder. The Santos midfielder tries to shield the ball for it to go out, but it doesn’t. The Peixe player then wastes time complaining about a potential foul and is left behind in the play.

The ball is crossed, Everaldo heads it, and João Paulo performs another miracle save. However, the ball falls to Cauly, who calmly shoots it across the goal to open the scoring.

From that point on, Santos struggled to create opportunities. Odair Hellmann tried to find alternatives by bringing on Bruno Mezenga, Angelo, Camacho, and Wesley Patati.

Just when it seemed like the game was over, Soteldo takes a corner at 90+5′. Bruno Mezenga, in his specialty, heads the ball and equalizes.

The game goes to penalties.

Marcos Felipe and João Paulo have a low success rate in penalty kicks. The goalkeepers save approximately one out of every ten penalties.

Camacho misses his penalty, which is saved by Marcos Felipe. Adhemir has the final chance, but João Paulo stops him.

The savior, Bruno Mezenga, has the ball at his feet to keep Santos in the competition but misses the penalty, allowing Bahia to advance to the next phase.

(Photo: Reproduction/@ecbahia no Twitter)

Cruzeiro 0x1 Grêmio

Grêmio qualified.

After a 1-1 draw at Arena, Grêmio wins at Mineirão and secures a spot in the quarterfinals.

Cruzeiro fielded: Rafael Cabral; William (Igor Formiga), Lucas Oliveira, Luciano Castán, and Marlon; Wallisson (Gilberto), Machado (Neto Moura), and Matheus Vital; Wesley (Daniel Jr.), Stênio (Bruno Rodrigues), and Henrique Dourado.

Grêmio started with: Gabriel Grando; Bruno Alves, Bruno Uvini, and Kannemann; Fábio (João Pedro), Carballo (Milla), Villasanti, Bitello (Gustavo Martins), Cuiabano (Galdino), and Reinaldo; Luis Suárez (Diogo Barbosa).

In the first leg, both teams engaged in a highly contested match at Arena, featuring beautiful goals from Bruno Rodrigues and Suárez.

In the second leg at Mineirão, Cruzeiro had a better start, controlling the game. In the 8th minute, Wesley made a good play on the right side, crossed to Dourado, who won the header, but just as the ball seemed to go in, Bruno Alves cleared it off the line.

Grêmio got into the game with Oliveira’s bizarre mistake. In the 28th minute, the defender made a passing error in the build-up, Suárez regained possession, and passed it to Villasanti, who placed it into the corner of the box to open the scoring.

The Minas Gerais team tried to react and had chances in the first half with Matheus Vital, shooting narrowly close to the post, and with Henrique Dourado, who received a cross, controlled the ball, turned, and hit a powerful shot that hit the crossbar in the 44th minute.

In the second half, Cruzeiro pushed forward and played in the opponent’s half, but without the same creativity they displayed in the first half. Pepa’s team made many mistakes, relying more on effort than inspiration, and created a few opportunities until the end of the match but couldn’t break through the solid Grêmio defense, which held firm with their backline of five players.

The Immortal even managed to extend their lead with Bitello in the 18th minute, but after VAR consultation, the referee disallowed the goal due to a foul by Cuiabano on Wesley.

Photo: Lucas Uebel/GREMIO FBPA

Corinthians 2(3×1)0 Atlético-MG

Corinthians qualified.

For many, when the draw was made, Galão da Massa was expected to have an easy time, especially after their convincing 2-0 victory at Mineirão and considering the contrasting form between the two clubs. Atlético was on a winning streak, having found a good playing style under Coudet, while Corinthians had suffered defeats and was trying to adapt to Luxemburgo’s tactics. However, the strength of the Fiel made a difference, and Timão delivered a perfect second game, securing qualification through penalties.

In the first game, Atlético went on the attack from the early minutes, while Corinthians took the field with a defensive mindset, aiming to preserve their lead for as long as possible. Until the 20th minute of the first half, Galo struggled to break through the compact defense of the São Paulo club, which marked tightly and protected their area well.

Galo was determined not to leave home without a result, and Hulk started unleashing his powerful shots. In the 21st minute, he received the ball on the right side of the box and unleashed a powerful right-footed cannon wide. In the 26th minute, he fired a low bullet from outside the box that narrowly missed the goal. On the other hand, Corinthians tried to break through with the speed of young Wesley on the right flank, but when they reached the attack, they didn’t have many passing options.

It was not until the 31st minute, after a great counter-attack, that Corinthians had their best and perhaps only chance to open the scoring. Paulinho played a beautiful through ball to Yuri Alberto, who controlled the ball well and waited for Roger Guedes’ overlapping run from the left. He then delivered a perfectly weighted pass to the Corinthians’ top scorer of the season, who entered the box and struck a powerful left-footed shot, but Everson made a stunning save with his feet.

After this chance, it seemed like Corinthians would improve in the game, but that was not the case. Galo kept finding their way to the goal, and Battaglia attempted a powerful long-range shot, which Cássio struggled to save and spilled the ball. Murilo was quick to react, and shoot the ball wide. Until the end of the first half, Galo had at least two more chances from outside the box.

The second half started the same way and remained that way until the end of the game: Galo pressing and Timão closing ranks to avoid conceding goals. However, the Corinthians’ defense couldn’t hold off Galão da Massa for the entire game.

After a scramble in front of the Corinthians’ box, the ball fell to Pavón, who dribbled and crossed to the far post for Paulinho to tap it into the back of the net. 1-0 for Galo, who continued to search for more goals. Then, in the 78th minute, Paulinho scored again. Atlético kept exchanging passes incessantly in front of Corinthians’ box, until Hulk delivered a beautiful cross to Rubens, who nodded it down for Paulinho to finish alone. It ended 2-0 for Galão da Massa.

Two weeks passed, and Galo saw their winning streak increase but then come to an end with a draw against Palmeiras on the weekend. On the other hand, Corinthians started to strengthen their team and achieved a great result against the highly regarded Fluminense on the weekend. It was the first victory under the new Luxemburgo era and crucial to boost the team’s confidence and satisfy the supporters.

And what a fanbase, the bando de loucos (crazy gang) packed the Itaquerão stadium and played a key role in the excellent performance of the Corinthians. Coudet decided to rest some of his players, considering that he already had the result in his hands, but the Argentine didn’t expect to face a different Corinthians and receive a tactical masterclass from Profexô Luxemburgo.

Corinthians took the field with a system never used by the coach in this tenure, a sort of 3-5-2 formation that provided excellent defensive balance, with one of the full-backs joining the backline of four, and in the attacking phase, it gave good width to attack the space left by Galo. It’s no wonder that Fagner and Matheus Bidu were among the best on the field. Additionally, the system allowed Renato Augusto to roam in midfield.

The game started with both teams studying each other, but Timão had more ball possession. The first dangerous chance came in the 16th minute when Fausto Vera played a beautiful pass to Fagner, and the full-back crossed well for Roger Guedes, who headed over the goal. Then, in the 20th minute, Gil played a fantastic long pass to Fagner, who made a surprising run into the box and shot wide.

In the next play, Paulinho came from the left side, roamed around the Corinthians’ area, and played a beautiful pass to Zaracho, who struck a powerful shot towards the goal, but Bidu threw himself in front of the ball and managed to block it. The game was contested, and at the 30-minute mark, Galo had a great attack with the talented Pavón, who made a teasing run from the left, cut inside, and took a dangerous shot.

In the 31st minute, Corinthians created a good attack. The Galo’s defense made a mistake while clearing the ball from their area, and the ball fell to Yuri Alberto, who shot close to Everson, who made the save. The ball then fell to Renato Augusto, who delivered a beautiful cross to Matheus Bidu, who closed in at the far post and headed the ball. The Fiel (Corinthians’ fans) went crazy. It was 1-0 for Corinthians.

Timão was determined and eager to increase the lead, and still in the first half, they had a good chance to do so. In the 36th minute, after a corner kick, Yuri Alberto rose well and headed powerfully, hitting the crossbar.

At halftime, Coudet felt that Corinthians was not the same as in the first leg and that he was on the verge of securing qualification. That’s why he made four substitutions, including bringing in key players Hulk and Battaglia. The team improved, but the determination and organization of Corinthians were such that Galo couldn’t impose their dominance.

The Timão came close to extending their lead at the 6th minute, after a corner kick taken by maestro Renato Augusto. Yuri once again won the aerial battle and delivered another excellent header that hit the crossbar. The ball then fell to Fausto Vera, who struck it with power, only to see it hit the crossbar again, leaving the goal scream stuck in the fans’ throats.

On the other hand, Atlético had their fair share of good chances, especially with Paulinho on the left side, but Cássio was immense in goal, denying everything that came his way. Meanwhile, the second goal for Corinthians seemed to be on the horizon, but striker Yuri Alberto, despite being a prolific scorer, missed at least two more opportunities.

At the 18th minute of the second half, Roger Guedes received a long ball from the left. The forward sprinted with incredible speed, leaving the Galo defenders behind. Just when it seemed like the ball would go out of play, he made an excellent pull-back, creating space for a clinical shot into the goal. What a fantastic goal by the talented striker.

From that point on, the game opened up, and both teams created good opportunities, but were denied by the two excellent goalkeepers. There was also a clear chance created by Hulk, who found Paulinho on the left side. The striker controlled the ball, advanced towards Cássio, but Bruno Méndez flew in front of the ball and saved it with his foot.

The match ended 2-0 and went to penalties. Was it a lottery? Luck? Competence? Or training?

The shootout began with the hero of Atlético, Hulk, taking the first penalty. He took his characteristic run-up and shot low and to the side, but Cássio dove and made the save. On the Corinthians’ side, it was the expert taker Fabio Santos who stepped up first. He ran towards the ball and struck it firmly into the top right corner of the net, a well-taken penalty that put Coringão in the lead.

Edenílson, who came on late solely for the purpose of taking a penalty, took a short run-up and hit the ball firmly towards the middle, but it struck the crossbar with force, another miss. Yuri Alberto ran up for Corinthians and his weak shot to the left side was saved by Everson, making it 1-0 for Timão.

The third penalty taker for Galo was Paulinho, who cleverly sent Cássio the wrong way, scoring the first goal for Atlético in the shootout. On the Corinthians’ side, the Argentinian Fausto Vera sprinted towards the ball and unleashed a powerful shot down the middle. The ball grazed the crossbar but went in, making it 2-1 for Corinthians.

Battaglia stepped up for Atlético’s fourth penalty but blasted the ball high over the bar, a terrible miss. Maycon had the opportunity to seal the victory for Corinthians. He calmly approached the ball and beautifully placed it into the side netting, securing the Timão’s qualification. The bando de loucos (crazy gang) reached the pinnacle of madness and celebrated the spot in the quarterfinals.

Internacional 3(4×5)1 América-MG

América-MG qualified.

After América won 2-0 at Independência, Inter had a devastating first half at Beira-Rio but lost the qualification in the penalty shootout.

Internacional fielded: John Victor; Igor Gomes, Rodrigo Moledo, Nicolás Hernández, Renê; Gustavo Campanharo, Johnny, Carlos de Pena; Pedro Henrique, Lucca, and Wanderson.

América-MG: Mateus Pasinato; Marcinho, Wanderson, Iago Maidana, Danilo Avelar; Lucas Kal, Juninho, Alê; Everaldo, Aloísio, and Felipe Azevedo.

Not even the most optimistic Colorado supporter would have imagined that Inter would have such a promising start to the game. The team scored 3 goals in the first half, which would have secured their direct qualification. However, América pulled one back in the second half, taking the match to penalties.

Colorado opened the scoring in the 19th minute. Carlos de Pena took a free-kick, and Nico Hernández headed it into the ground to beat goalkeeper Pasinato. The Colombian scored his first goal for Inter.

Once again from a free-kick by Carlos de Pena, Inter extended their lead in the 32nd minute, this time with Igor Gomes. The defender, playing as a full-back, outmaneuvered the América defense and tapped it in to score Inter’s second goal.

In the final minutes of the first half, Lucca was brought down by Alê inside the box. Initially, Luiz Flávio saw the incident as a normal play, but after VAR review, he awarded the penalty. Pedro Henrique stepped up and skillfully converted it, making it 3-0 for Internacional.

In the second half, Inter had opportunities to put the game to bed. First with Wanderson, who made a solo run from midfield and tried to chip Pasinato, but the goalkeeper made the save. Later, Renê missed an unbelievable chance in the 14th minute. In a quick counter-attack, Alemão passed to Jean Dias, who found Renê free in the box to shoot, but at the moment of the shot, the left-back mishit it with his right foot, sending the ball over the crossbar.

In the 31st minute, Coelho (América) scored the goal they needed to take the match to penalties. Marcinho crossed from the right, and Juninho, at only 1.73 meters tall, anticipated and scored, causing celebrations among the América fans.

In the penalty shootout, Inter was eliminated in a cruel manner, as the only penalty that was not converted came from Carlos De Pena. The Uruguayan did manage to score the goal, but he slipped during the shot and touched the ball twice, resulting in an error that cost them the qualification for the quarterfinals.

With this qualification, América eliminates Inter once again in a penalty shootout, repeating the feat from 2020 when the club reached the semifinals of the competition.

(Foto: Maxi Franzoi/AGIF)

Botafogo 1(2×4)0 Athletico-PR

Athletico-PR qualified.

Botafogo applies intense pressure, wins but is eliminated in a penalty shootout by Athletico-PR on a brilliant night for Bento.

In the first leg at Arena da Baixada, Furacão managed a spectacular comeback. They were losing 2-0 but managed to turn the score around to 3-2, giving them a slight advantage for the second leg.

Botafogo fielded: Lucas Perri, Di Placido, Adryelson, Cuesta, Marçal (Hugo); Marlon Freitas, Tchê Tchê, Eduardo (Lucas Fernandes); Júnior Santos, Victor Sá (Luis Henrique), Tiquinho Soares.

Athletico-PR: Bento, Madson, Pedro Henrique, Thiago Heleno, Fernando; Hugo Moura (Terans), Erick, Christian (Alex Santana); Canobbio (Vitor Bueno), Cuello (Thiago Andrade), Vitor Roque.

At Nilton Santos, the game started with chances for both sides. First, Canobbio took a dangerous free-kick in the 8th minute, which narrowly missed the goal. Botafogo responded with a header from Eduardo, but Bento made the save.

Glorioso opened the scoring in the 16th minute. Júnior Santos passed to Tiquinho Soares, who eluded Hugo Moura and placed a low shot to beat goalkeeper Bento.

From that point on, the home team took control of the match. They had a goal disallowed as Victor Sá scored, but the referee called a foul by defender Cuesta inside the box.

In the second half, Fogão created opportunities through their well-coordinated passing game with technical finesse but were stopped by goalkeeper Bento. The best chance came from Vitor Sá, who had a clear shot from inside the area but hit it too centrally for the goalkeeper to make the save.

With the score level, the match went into a penalty shootout. Tiquinho Soares, the goal scorer, was the first to take a penalty but Bento made a spectacular save to deny him. Then, Thiago Heleno converted for Furacão.

Tchê Tchê took his penalty with a stutter step, but Bento saved another spot-kick. From that point on, all players successfully converted their penalties, and ultimately, it was up to Alex Santana to take the final penalty and secure Athletico-PR’s spot in the quarterfinals.

Foto: Divulgação/Athletico

Flamengo 2×0 Fluminense

Yes, we had the classic FlaFLu in the round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil 2023, the games everyone was waiting for, Fluminense in great form, Flamengo improving day by day, who could come out on top in the two matches at the packed Maracanã stadium?

In the first game, Flamengo started with a high intensity, pressuring Fluminense with their high defensive lines. Fluminense, as usual, tried to control the game with possession, but Flamengo was too determined, not allowing Fluminense to develop their game. When Flamengo couldn’t steal the ball, they strategically committed fouls to stop the game and prevent Fluminense from gaining momentum.

The first good chance of the game came at the 2nd minute, after a run from Arrascaeta on the left side. The Uruguayan crossed the ball into the middle of the box, where Wesley and Marcelo contested it, forcing Fábio to make a great save.

Fluminense seemed unable to escape Flamengo’s pressure, as Flamengo collected good chances to open the scoring. For example, there was a beautiful through ball from Pulgar to Gabigol, who received it and struck a firm shot across the goal, beating Fábio but hitting the post. Gerson also had a good chance after a long clearance from Léo Pereira, where the midfielder won the duel against Nino and chipped the ball over Fábio, but it narrowly missed.

Towards the end of the first half, Fluminense improved a bit and started finding some spaces in Flamengo’s defense. Marcelo had a good opportunity after a nice play, dribbling past two players and taking a shot from outside the box, but Santos made a good save. Unfortunately, that would be one of Marcelo’s last involvements in the game as he picked up an injury and was substituted by Guga.

In the final moments of the first half, Arias also had a chance to open the scoring for Fluminense. After a scramble in the box, the ball fell to the Colombian, but Santos made the save.

In the second half, Flamengo continued with their high intensity, pressing Fluminense and sometimes dropping their defensive lines a bit to create counter-attack opportunities. It was in one of these plays that Gabigol outran Fluminense’s defense and headed towards the box. Felipe Melo, sensing that the striker would have a clear chance on goal, sprinted to try to get the ball but ended up making a violent tackle on Gabigol’s leg. Felipe Melo was sent off, and Fluminense was left with one player less.

What was already difficult became even more complicated, but Fluminense reorganized themselves and managed to hold off Flamengo’s advances, especially with the performance of Ganso, who not only provided an outlet for the team, holding the ball and finding passes but also worked hard defensively to help Fluminense avoid conceding goals, despite being one player down since the 6th minute of the second half.

The second game was highly anticipated, and as usual, the Maracanã was packed. Fluminense started the game very well, dominating all the actions and having the ball for themselves. Flamengo, on the other hand, tried to find through balls but couldn’t disrupt Fluminense’s plays as they did in the first game.

The entire first half belonged to Fluminense, who moved the ball and their players’ positioning very well. However, they couldn’t penetrate Flamengo’s defense to convert their plays into goals. Nonetheless, they had good chances with two shots from Cano from outside the box and one from inside the box.

At the end of the first half, Mengo managed to open the scoreline. After a beautiful pass from Gerson, the joker, into the box, Fabrício Bruno served Arrascaeta with a header. The Uruguayan received the ball and headed it into the top corner, leaving Fábio with no chance.

During halftime, Diniz made a substitution, replacing Guga with Pirani. It didn’t have much effect on the attack but had a negative impact defensively, as the young midfielder couldn’t close the left flank, causing Flamengo to play more through that area.

On the other hand, Mengão still struggled to maintain possession but became more efficient in exploiting counter-attacks, especially when Everton Cebolinha came on for Arrascaeta. Fluminense tried, but they couldn’t create good chances and increasingly pushed forward.

Flamengo sensed the moment and began to exploit the speed of Everton and Gabigol, especially in behind Nense’s defenders. From the middle of the second half onwards, they were closer to extending the lead than Fluminense to equalizing.

An example of this was the play that occurred at the 33rd minute. Ganso misplaced the pass near the box, Gerson seized the ball and headed towards the goal, shooting firmly. However, Fábio made a beautiful save with his face. The ball then fell to Everton Cebolinha, who cleared the play and unleashed a shot that hit the post. Gabigol grabbed the rebound and took a shot, but Fábio made the save. What a tense moment!

At the 42nd minute, Everton Ribeiro almost scored a goal worthy of a plaque and the Puskas Award. He received the ball on the right side, executed a bewildering spin, and unleashed a powerful shot that went wide. It was all about Flamengo, and then at the 45th minute, Gabigol, the man with goals in his name, extended the lead and sealed Mengão’s qualification to the quarterfinals.

São Paulo 1(5×3)3 Sport

São Paulo advances.

São Paulo suffers an impressive comeback but wins on penalties.

São Paulo started with: Rafael; Rafinha, Diego Costa (Arboleda), Beraldo, and Caio Paulista; Pablo Maia, Gabriel Neves (Wellington Rato), Michel Araújo (David), and Alisson (Jhegson Méndez); Luciano (Marcos Paulo) and Calleri.

Meanwhile, Sport started with: Renan; Eduardo (Kayke), Rafael Thyere, Sabino, Alisson Cassiano (Edinho), and Felipinho; Ronaldo (João Igor), Fábio Matheus, and Jorginho (Gabriel Santos); Luciano Juba and Fabrício Daniel.

São Paulo had a comfortable game in their hands since, in addition to the 2-0 victory at Ilha do Retiro, they started the match at Morumbi very well, demanding good saves from goalkeeper Renan.

At the 25th minute, Michel Araújo scored a fantastic goal for Tricolor. The Uruguayan left Rafael Thyere on the ground with a stunning dribble inside the box and beat the goalkeeper.

On aggregate, the home team was leading the match 3-0, but Sport didn’t give up and equalized before halftime. Alisson Cassiano took advantage of Rafael’s rebound after Felipinho’s shot and put it into the back of the net.

Early in the second half, Leão turned the game around with Sabino. Jorginho took the corner kick, and the defender anticipated at the near post to put Sport ahead.

São Paulo was struggling on the field while Sport pressed for the goal that would take the match to penalties.

In the dying moments, during stoppage time, Sabino appeared once again. The defender scored a goal almost identical to the previous one, heading at the near post, and thus the match was decided by penalties.

In the shootout, São Paulo scored all their penalties, while Luciano Juba, on the other hand, missed for Sport for the relief of the Tricolor crowd.

Photo: DANIEL CARVALHO/ENQUADRAR/ESTADÃO

Follow us on social networks to stay updated on the latest Cup news: Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

Written by João Felipe Miller, Henry Miller and Vitor F L Miller.