Is it too late for the report on the 7th round of Brasileirão? Well, better later than never was the motto of the weekend in the tournament. 5 out of 10 matches were decided in the final moments.

Newcomer Santo Andre kept the good campaign with a 2-1 victory over Sport. The winning goal was scored by defender Marcel with 3 minutes into the second-half’s stoppage time. For Sport fans, I don’t know what’s worse: allow the comeback from Santo Andre, allow a goal in the match’s last moment or allow the comeback with the match almost over because of a brutal mistake of the linesman. Marcel was so offside that linesman José Hamilton Pontarolo was suspended this Monday for 30 days.

After the elimination in the Copa Libertadores, Palmeiras visited Atletico-PR, one of the weakest sides of the league. The home team was managing to win the match with one of the goals scored by midfielder Marcinho, ex- Palmeiras. At that point, the match was already memorable both for the goal Obina scored (incredible blunder by the goalie) and for the one he did not scored. The striker was the victim of another mistake by a linesman. Guilherme Dias Camilo was also suspended this Monday. With 3 minutes after the 90th mark, Palmeiras had a great chance saved by the defender just before the line. 1 minute later, however, Palmeiras had a corner, and forward Keirrisson gave finals numbers: 2-2. Goals highly recommended.

In Florianopolis, the last club in the table, Avai, received Fluminense. The home team jumped on a 2-0 lead in 15 minutes. Even showing a bureaucratic football, typical of the sides headed by Parreira, Fluminense tied. 2 goals by Fred, ex-Lyon. The best was still to come. Leo Gago, from Avai, got a beautiful long range with 2 minutes past the 90th. The 3-2 gave the first victory of Avai in the tournament. The first in almost 30 years. (goals recommended too)

In Porto Alegre, the goals took place only in the second-half. Gremio was not playing well against Goias, and the visitors scored first through Felipe. Tcheco tied from the spot. The other Felipe (know as Felipe Menezes) put the visitors ahead in the game again. It did not seem that anything else was happening. But with 2 minutes after the regular time, Argentinean Maxi Lopes scored from a header again this season. The 2-2 saved Gremio from its first defeat at home since last September.

The best match of the round was Vitoria and Botafogo. The attack of the two sides worked after tons of criticism, and the first-half ended with 5 goals, 3 for Vitoria and 2 for Bota. When, in the second-half, Victor Simoes tied the match, Botafogo fans were very happy. The club, after all, was losing 3-1. But there are things that happen only to Botafogo – specially with the weak side of this season. With 1 minute left in the match, sideback Apodi showed up, used his head and sealed the 4-3 victory of Vitoria.

Another match could’ve have belonged to the group above. The absolute and surprising leader Atletico-MG was beating Santos at the Vila Belmiro 3-2 with 2 beautiful goals (one by Diego Tardelli, ex Betis and PSV). This is when Molina scored for Santos after a huge mess (so big that it deserves a post of its own) of referee Djalma Beltrami. The man in black ignored the goal.And now Atleitoc is the only team in the table that does not have a single loss. Another surprising work of coach Celso Roth.

The other 4 matches were massacres:

-Flamengo humiliated Inter with a 4-0. Adriano pulled of a hat-trick.

-Corinthians humiliated rival Sao Paulo 3-1 in the paulista derby. Believe or not, the current Brazilian champs seat just one position above the relegation zone. Coach Muricy Ramalho was fired on Friday.

-Newcomer Barueri visited Cruzeiro and had no mercy: 4-2. Two goals by forward Pedrao,who is now one pf the league’s top scorers.

-The 1-0 victory of Coritiba over Nautico is not a massacre in numbers, but knowing that Nautico missed a penalty and that now it is in the relegation zone helps to understand what fans may be feeling.

Related posts:

1. The Post and the Virgins
2. Campeonato Brasileiro: Surviving a Hang Over
3. Brasileiro: Palmeiras Gains New Hope

The first round of Campeonato Brasileiro, or Brasileirao, started with the promise of at least 5 great matches: 6 states champions were going to meet face to face in 3 matches and another 2 matches involved 4 traditional sides.

In its return to first division, Corinthians, the paulista champion, faced Inter, the defeatless gaucho champion. Too bad Corinthians decided to put a reserve side to save some breath for the quarter finals of Copa do Brasil. The battle between Ronaldo and Nilmar had been postponed. The number 9 from the visitors, as if showing to Ronaldo what he was missing, scored with just 10 minutes the greatest goal in the Brazilian season so far. Another 37 rounds will be played, but the goal Nilmar scored after turning Corinthians defense into hell will still be on the top 5 of the competition at the end of the year. After that, Inter controlled the game and pocketed its first 3 points of a promising campaign.

The other big favorite for the title also won its first 3 points, at home, though. Cruzeiro, the defeatless mineiro champion, took on Flamengo, the carioca champion. true,Fla had the chance to have the game on their hand when on the 14th mark had a penalty and saw Cruzeiro’s right back Jancarlos be ejected – the first of the league. Juan took it, but Fabio denied him. Coach Cuca took off a defensive midfielder and put Everton Araujo. Cruzeiro defended well and counterattacked even better, which resulted in a penalty, still in the first-half. Kleber took it and convertedas if showing to Adriano he was missing out a great battle. More of the same in the second-half, and with one minute left, Ramires (it had to be him) gave final numbers: 2-0.

The last match involving state champions were Atletico-PR, paranaense champion, received Vitoria, baiano champion. And the visitors won 2-0, goals by Wallace and Leandro Domingues.

Yes, the 6 clubs did nothing in terms of marketing to promote the battle of state champions. Neither CBF. These people know nothing about events promotion. Anyway, back to football…

Current Brasileiro champs Sao Paulo visited Fluminense at the Maracana. Flu’s coach, Carlos Alberto Parreira,knew exactly how to mark Sao Paulo (and honestly,who doesn’t nowadays?). What Parreira, the fans and Sao Paulo did not expect was the strange goal by Mauricio with just 2 minutes. From there, Flu seated on the defense and waited for another horrifying match from Sao Paulo this season. And this is what happened. Final score, 1-0.

Last year’s runner up Gremio received Santos at the Olimpico. In the first-half one great chance for each side. Maxi Lopez hit the post with a header. Kleber Pereira managed to miss yet another goal in his career. In the second-half, the sides took even less risks. Still Gremio, on the half hour mark, opened the score with Rever. When the victory seemed cemented,a man who is about to be fired from Santos took a free kick. Ironically, Molina, the Colombian midfielder that Gremio is trying to hire, tied the match.

Debuts, draws and revivals

The three other clubs coming from the second division all tied their matches. Barueri in its first appearance ever must be happy about getting a draw with Sport as a visitor. Pedrao is now in the history of the club as the player to score the club’s first goal in the first division ever – a goal that had a ghostly touch. For Sport, who was not putting too much effort as it has an important match for Copa Libertadores on Tuesday, the only good news was that defender Igor scored the first goal of the tournament.

Unlike Barueri, Santo Andre and Avai are not happy with their results. The former was beating Botafogo 1-0, goal by Nunes, until the 39th mark of the second-half. This is when Eduardo tied. The latter had a 2-0 lead over Atletico-MG at home, but let the visitors tie in the second-half. Needless to say that for Botafogo and Atletico, two sides that are still hurt after losing their state tournaments, the draws sucked.

Another bitter draw will have to be digested by Goias. The green side was winning at home 3-1 against the weak side of Nautico, and still let them tie. Shame.

Finally, Palmeiras faced Coritiba at home, a match that put forward Keirrisson for the first time face to face against his former club. Palmeiras controlled the match, but in a mistake of Jefferson gave a penalty to the visitors. Marcelinho Paraiba took it and converted. In the second-half Palmeiras kept the pressure and tied through Williams. With 2 minutes left, the moment Coritiba fans were not looking forward. Keirrisson received in the box and scored. That must sucks. Palmeiras 2-1.

Related posts:

1. Brasileiro: Not Every Round is a Sao Paulo Round
2. Half of State Tournaments in the Pockets of Two Big Clubs
3. Brasileiro: First-Half is Over; Sao Paulo Killing

In the group of death, the tournament offers great contrasts for the two Brazilian sides. On Tuesday, Palmeiras received Colo-Colo. The club played a poor match. And despite the fact that Colo-Colo was coming from a huge crisis, by the beginning of the second-half it was already winning 2-0. The ejected player from the visitors made no difference. Not even the goal by Keirrisson. Minutes later, Colo-Colo had another counter-attack and scored the third. 3-1. The second loss in the main tournament of the season, showed a defense full of mistakes, players lacking experience and consumed by their nerves, and a coach with a really bad history. Things became very difficult for Palmeiras, as it seats in the last position in the group. And coach Luxemburgo had to listen his own fans chanting that he only wins state championships.

On the other hand, things are great for Sport. The club took current champs LDU at home. Hard time? Not so much. LDU relied on forward Manso, who kept missing chances. Unlike Manso, Sport suffocated and scored through Daniel Paulista. In the second-half, LDU attacked more, but their hopes ended when keeper Cevallos was red-carded after committing a penalty. Paulo Baier took it and gave finals numbers. 2-0. And Sport is the leader of its groups.

Related posts:

1. Brazilians Clubs Make History in Copa Libertadores
2. Sour Start for Brazil in Copa Libertadores
3. Video: Palmeiras and Sport Sharing Misery

And Corinthians beat 2-0 Noroeste, the last club in the table.

Related posts:

1. Brasileiro: Unstoppable Palmeiras
2. Big 4 in the Semis in S. Paulo
3. Palmeiras Reborn