Cruzeiro Three Points Away from Title, While Carioca Clubs Lose

By Lisa Flueckiger, Contributing Reporter

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – This weekend, in the 36th round of the Brasileirão, Belo Horizonte outfit Cruzeiro could grab their second Serie A title in a row. The team from Minas Gerais won 2×1 against Grêmio yesterday (Thursday, November 20th) and tops the table with a seven point lead, three games before the end of the season.

In the next round Cruzeiro will face Goiás, who are currently 12th placed, whereas second placed São Paulo FC will face state-rival Santos.

The 35th round of games was less successful for the Serie A clubs from Rio de Janeiro, as all three of them lost. The most bitter defeat was Botafogo’s 0x1 against bottom half of the table Figueirense, pushing the Glorioso to the second to last spot of the table with a five point gap to the non-relegation zone.

Fellow Carioca club Flamengo lost 0x4 against Copa do Brasil semi-final rival Atlético Mineiro. The rubronegro, who are safe from relegation, were run over by the Galos who secured the fourth spot of the league table with their win.

At home, Fluminense lost 1×4 against Chapecoense putting a lot of space between the Tricolor and the G-4 that permit a spot at next year’s Libertadores, the South American Champions League. For Santa Catarinean Chapecoense it was a vital victory, pulling the team out of the relegation zone.

On a more positive note for Rio de Janeiro, in the Serie B Vasco da Gama won 3×1 against Vila Nova and can secure their promotion to the Serie A tomorrow (Saturday, November 22nd) against Icasa. The fans are hopeful and 29,000 tickets for the game at Maracanã have already been sold. The fansector behind the goal has already sold out. Vasco only needs a draw to be back in the top league in 2015.