1-1: Draw Palmeiras after being crowned champions

The palm treeswho on Wednesday won the Brazilian Championship title three days earlier, drew this Sunday 1-1 with their visit to Cuiaba with a save goal from Argentine José López and increased the number of unbeaten games in Liga to 21.

The green team from Sao Paulo, the team with the highest number of league titles in Brazil, with eleven, has reached 78 points in 36 games, so they have an advantage of 11 over their immediate rivals, International (67).

Cuiabá opened the scoring after 5 minutes through Jonathan Cafú, who took advantage of a rebound from goalkeeper Weberton, and played to defend himself for the rest of the game as the victory mathematically guaranteed his permanence in the first division .

Palmeiras pressed steadily but goalkeeper Walter, the star of the match, prevented Rony and Dudú from equalizing and saved at least two dangerous shots from Colombian Eduar Atuesta, who hit another ball from crossbar. Verdao only equalized in the 75th minute when José ‘el Flaco’ López capitalized on Walter’s only mistake of the match.

Coritiba won and saved the category

In another match this Sunday, Coritiba beat Flamengo 1-0 and, despite continuing in fifteenth place, guaranteed its permanence in the first division, as none of the last four places could get it.

The Curitiba team, supported by 33,000 fans at the Couto Pereira stadium, won with a penalty goal scored by Alef Manga in the second half after an unnecessary foul by Flamengo captain Diego Ribas, who announced on Saturday that he will retire at the end of the Brazilian Championship.

Flamengo, which fielded a substitutes team after winning its third Copa Libertadores title last week in Ecuador, remained in fifth place, with 61 points, and almost gave up the chance to fight for second place. The Rio de Janeiro team has already guaranteed its spot in next year’s Libertadores.

Also this Sunday, Atlético Goianiense, fighting to get out of the last four places and in serious danger of relegation, drew 1-1 in its visit to Fortaleza. The visitors opened the scoring through Luiz Fernando but Venezuelan Rómulo Otero guaranteed a tie for Fortaleza, who are tenth and still in contention for the last available spot for the Libertadores.

Fortaleza fans, with projections and a mosaic in the stands, took advantage of the game to pay tribute to their coach, Argentine Juan Pablo Vodvoja, and ask him to stay on the bench next year.

In Saturday’s matches, Internacional, Fluminense and Corinthians, Palmeiras’ immediate escorts, won and kept contention for second place. Inter defeated Athletico Paranaense 2-0 and finished second with 67 points, ten behind champions Palmeiras.

Fluminense, third, beat Sao Paulo 3-1, with three goals from Argentinean Germán Cano, leading the scoring classification with 24 goals. And Corinthians defeated Ceará 1-0 and remained fourth with 64 points, the same as Fluminense, which is third for having the highest number of victories and the best balance of goals.

Palmeiras, Inter, Fluminense, Corinthians and Flamengo have already guaranteed direct places in the Libertadores and sixth is temporarily held by Athletico Paranaense, who, with 54 points, are still in danger of being eliminated by América (52), Atlético Mineiro ( 52). ), São Paulo (51) or Fortaleza (49).

Avaí and Juventude no longer have a mathematical chance to stay in the first division, and the fight to avoid relegation is limited to Cuiabá, Ceará and Atlético Goianiense, of which only one can be saved.