The Campeonato Brasileiro 2024 kicked off this weekend, with the four Portuguese coaches involved experiencing mixed fortunes on the opening matchday.
Defending champions Palmeiras, led by Abel Ferreira, made a fine start with a 1-0 win at Vitoria in Bahia. However, Artur Jorge saw his new side Botafogo beaten 3-2 at Cruzeiro, while there were draws for Pedro Caixinha’s RB Bragantino and Corinthians under António Oliviera, who received a late red card.
Abel’s Palmeiras, fresh from winning the Campeonato Paulista state championship, closed the weekend’s fixtures on Sunday evening with a trip to Vitoria in Bahia. Abel fielded both 17-year-old sensation Endrick as well as recent graduate Estêvão, 16, for the encounter, which was settled by a goal from Colombian midfielder Richard Rios on 20 minutes.
“We want to score goals, but I have to remember that we played three days ago and the trips we are going to have,” Abel reflected after the tight victory. “As much as I want my players to be perfect, they will no doubt struggle at times. What we have to do is preserve energy to play at maximum strength. I'm tired of talking about the sequence of games. It will be difficult, but we have to believe in all the players.”
Jorge praises players as Botafogo edged out by Cruzeiro
There was less good news for Artur Jorge, who recently arrived in Brazil from Sporting Braga. Jorge took his Botafogo side to a tricky opening-day encounter in Belo Horizonte against Cruzeiro on Sunday, which provided plenty of entertainment but ended in a 3-2 defeat thanks to an injury-time home winner.
The loss leaves Jorge with defeats in both his opening two matches in charge, with a 1-0 reverse in Ecuador to Lige de Quito in midweek leaving his side pointless after two Copa Libertadores group stage matches. Fogo’s task at Cruzeiro after their midweek excursion was made tougher by a red card to substitute Alexander Barboza in the 72nd minute when the team trailed 2-1.
Jorge praised his team’s efforts in fighting back to 2-2 from a losing position with a numerical disadvantage, but ultimately was left to lament an opening-day defeat. “We have to take away the positive things we did and the players had tremendous availability and a desire to do things well,” he said. “They committed themselves to a game that, for us, had many setbacks.
“We opened the scoring, then we lost Marlon very early [23’] and we started the second half with two very clear opportunities to score again. Then we were left with one player less. There are many setbacks that this team had to fight, and they did so until the end. That's what I'm going to take, the team's dedication to fight for the result, even though it wasn't what we wanted.
“In relation to what we wanted, the intensity we want, we have to admit that we have a team, at this point, with a physical limit below what we want. We are racing against time to fight this, so we can train well, with games every three days. Today we had some samples of what a strong, dynamic, intense Botafogo is and capable of attacking. And it is this Botafogo that we try to work on, we need some time for that.”
Caixinha’s Bragantino hold South American champions
Pedro Caixinha’s RB Bragantino were a surprise package in the Campeonato Brasileiro last term. The São Paulo club went from a 14th place finish in 2022 to ending the 2023 campaign in 6th position, with a brief title charge scuppered by a late-season collapse in form.
Caixinha was awarded Manager of the Month in Brazil for both September and October, leading to his name being linked with some of the country’s biggest clubs, including champions Palmeiras had Abel opted to leave. However, the former Nacional and Leiria boss extended his contract with Bragantino in December for two more years.
Bragantino began the 2024 Brasileirão with a trip to South American champions Fluminense. Once again Caixinha’s men proved no pushovers, responding well to going behind in first-half injury time by scoring twice early in the second period to lead 2-1 at Maracanã.
Fluminense levelled to take a share of the spoils in a 2-2 draw, after which Caixinha praised his team’s efforts following a gruelling midweek defeat to Racing of Argentina in the Copa Sudamericana. “We are very pleased with the courage of our team,” Caixinha said. “We were beaten on Wednesday, and we needed to respond. We have to highlight the courage and quality of our team. A difficult game, but with great courage from our team.
“Fluminense is a very intelligent team, we had to suffer a lot to get into the game. Going into the dressing room losing, with the courage we had and how we were playing, for me, was unacceptable. I told the group this along with the changes we had to make to send the team forward in our own way. I never ask for results, but I do ask for a competitive attitude.”
Oliviera asks for referee dialogue following red card
Finally, the least eventful match on paper was Corinthians’ 0-0 draw at home against Atlético Mineiro, which came in António Oliveira’s first league match in charge. Despite being just 41 years of age, Oliveira has extensive experience in Brazil, having held four managerial positions ahead of being appointed Corinthians manager during the close season.
While there were no goals in the meeting with Atlético Mineiro, things livened up after the final whistle. Oliveira, who is the son of Benfica legend Toni, was issued a second yellow card for approaching referee Yuri Elino Ferreira da Cruz. Speaking in his press conference, Oliveira lamented the lack of willingness shown by referees to engage in dialogue with managers.
António Oliveira sent off after his first league match at Corinthians. He criticised the decision, saying: “I’m not proud of being suspended, but referees should analyse themselves like we do. He has the ability for dialogue. Why not have conversation?” pic.twitter.com/c8SUGLD2N7
— Sean Gillen (@SeanGillen9) April 15, 2024
“I won't stop living the game in my own way, passionately,” he said. “Today we had as a linesman, perhaps the best linesman in the country. He has the ability to conversate. The referee... I'm not proud of being suspended or getting yellow or red. In the same way that I analyse the opponent, the referee must analyse.
“Why don't we have a conversation first before we go into confrontation? Will giving me a yellow card solve anything? We have different sporting cultures where dialogue is more preferred. Tolerance is zero for some, I've noticed.
“There must be reflection on both sides and there must be more tolerance. I don't come to educate anyone, but it is with good actions and principles that we build a better society.”
The relentless calendar in South American football will impose a packed schedule for the foreseeable future. Round 2 takes place this midweek, with Palmeiras’ home clash with Internacional one of the standout matches.
By @SeanGillen9
