At Mineirão, Cruzeiro beat Corinthians 3-0 in the 35th round of the Brazilian Championship on Sunday (23/11). Kaio Jorge scored twice, solidifying his position as the competition's top scorer with 21 goals. The result brings the Minas Gerais side closer to vice-leader Palmeiras.
The match took place at Mineirão in Belo Horizonte for the 35th round of the Brasileirão. Cruzeiro dominated from the start, opening the score at the 26th minute: Christian crossed from the right, Arroyo shot, but goalkeeper Longo saved; Kaio Jorge capitalized on the rebound and powerfully struck from distance to make it 1-0.
Celeste superiority persisted, and the second goal came from an Arroyo cross that deflected off a Corinthians defender and fell to Kaio Jorge to double the lead. After two assists, Arroyo scored the third, finishing first-time after a pass from Kaio Jorge, leaving Longo with no chance.
The end was eventful: Corinthians' José Martínez was sent off for aggression on Cruzeiro's number 10, Matheus Pereira. The home side also had a goal disallowed from Sinisterra due to a foul on the goalkeeper.
Dorival Júnior, Corinthians' coach, acknowledged the deserved victory for the opponents. “Cruzeiro deserved the result from first to last minute, played a secure, balanced game within their conditions, created on a night when once again we couldn't find our way. We had the ball in few moments of the match and struggled throughout the period,” he said in the press conference. On the team's inconsistency, Dorival noted: “We had difficulties away against smaller teams, but also against bigger ones. [...] We were really very irregular throughout the championship, impressive how we let important points slip away whether playing well or not.”
With the three points, Cruzeiro reached 68 points, now two behind vice-leader Palmeiras, who drew with Fluminense on Saturday (22/11), and six from Flamengo. To contend for the title, the team must win their final three matches and hope for stumbles from the leaders. Defeated Corinthians remain 10th with 45 points and face Botafogo on November 30 at Neo Química Arena.
