Botafogo dominates, beats Atlético-MG and gets closer to the lead

At the end of the 15th round of the Brazilian Championship, Botafogo and Atlético-MG faced each other on Sunday night (07) at the Nilton Santos Stadium. With absolute dominance on the field, Botafogo won 3-0, with goals from Luiz Henrique, Cuiabano and Savarino.

surgical botafogo

Botafogo proposed a fast game at the beginning of the match, while Galo held back as they tried to find their footing in the game.

With freedom to work the ball, Botafogo needed just 13 minutes to open the scoring. Luiz Henrique controlled the ball, thought about it and, from outside the area, finished with a beautiful shot, leaving no chance for the young goalkeeper of the black and white team from Minas Gerais.

In a counterattack by Botafogo, in the 24th minute, Junior Santos came out with the chance to extend the lead. Igor Rabelo, as the last defender, committed the foul and was shown a red card.

Playing with one less player and struggling to create chances, Atlético were unable to be effective in their few attempts to equalize the score. Botafogo remained calm in the first half, playing intelligently, keeping the ball moving and wasting time.

The first half was marked by few goal opportunities and the Rio team's intelligence in controlling the match, while Atlético's apathy and collective disorganization.

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Number 7's celebration (Reproduction/Gettyimages Embed)

2nd Half: Botafogo returned from the locker room with the intention of increasing the score and ensuring peace of mind for the last part of the match. In the 5th minute, Eduardo took a free kick, and Matheus Mendes jumped, making a good save and preventing Botafogo from scoring.

In the first quarter of the second half, Galo managed to maintain possession of the ball, but did not convert good opportunities, making mistakes in the definitions and finishing of the attacking plays.

Vulnerable and with the marking far away and again outside the area, Atlético was a victim of Botafogo. In the 34th minute, Cuiabano extended the advantage with a shot of rare happiness.

With the goal scored, the visitor found themselves in a complicated situation and could change the course of the match, while Botafogo maintained the standard they had played throughout the game.

Apathetic, Atlético still conceded the third goal. In injury time, Savarino closed the score with a beautiful finish from outside the area.

With the result, Botafogo takes second place with one point less than Flamengo, who in this round drew with Cuiabá, while Galo with only one victory in six games drops to 12th with 18 points.

Datasheet:

Location: Nilton Santos Stadium, Rio de Janeiro

Referee: Rafael Rodrigo Klein (FIFA, assisted by: Rafael da Silva Alves (FIFA) and Jorge Eduardo Bernardi (Trio de SC)

VAR booth: Rodrigo Guarizo Ferreira do Amaral.

Botafogo: John; Damian Suarez, Barboza, Bastos, Cuiabano; Danilo Barbosa (Tchê Tchê), Marlon Freitas (Gregore); Luiz Henrique (Oscar Romero), Junior Santos; Eduardo (Savarino) and Tiquinho Soares (Kauê). Commanded by: Artur Jorge

Atletico-MG: Matheus Mendes; Igor Rabello, Bruno Fuchs and Battaglia; Otavio, Alan Franco, Paulo Vitor (Palacios) and Gustavo Scarpa; Cadu (Eduardo Vargas), Paulinho (Vitinho) and Hulk. Commanded by: Gabriel Milito.

What's next

Next Thursday (11) Atlético will host São Paulo in Belo Horizonte and on the same day Botafogo will travel to Salvador to face Vitória.

Featured photo: Cuiabano celebration. Reproduction/Gettyimages Embed