Ceará defeats Botafogo-SP and enters the G-4 of the Série B of 2024.

On the night of Tuesday, November 12, 2024, Ceará achieved a convincing 4-1 victory over Botafogo-SP at the Arena NicNet in Ribeirão Preto, in the 2024 Campeonato Brasileiro Série B. With this triumph, the alvinegra team reached 60 points and surpassed Sport Recife, securing 4th place in the G-4 of the competition.

Saulo Mineiro shines with three goals and an assist

The standout player of the match was striker Saulo Mineiro, who scored three goals and provided an assist for Erick Pulga. Saulo Mineiro's performance was crucial for Ceará to secure the three points and remain in the fight for promotion to Série A.

Match Details

The match began with Ceará showing more aggression in attack. At 23 minutes, Saulo Mineiro received a pass from Aylon, but his shot was slightly off-target. However, the opportunity soon arose again. At 38 minutes, Saulo Mineiro was brought down in the box by Bernardo Chapo after dribbling the defender, and he converted the penalty, putting Ceará ahead on the scoreboard before halftime. In the second half, Douglas Baggio took a free kick that Fábio Sanchez converted, equalizing for Botafogo-SP. However, at 50 minutes, Saulo Mineiro made a great individual play, dribbling past Bernardo Chapo and scoring Ceará's second goal. Just two minutes later, Saulo Mineiro delivered a beautiful pass to Erick Pulga, who scored the third goal. To cap it off, at 20 minutes into the second half, Saulo Mineiro completed his hat-trick and scored the fourth goal of the match. Ceará defeated Botafogo-SP by 4-1.

Current Situation of Ceará

With the victory, Ceará is now in the G-4 of the Série B of the Campeonato Brasileiro, with 60 points, and remains in the hunt for a spot in the elite of Brazilian football. There are two rounds left until the end of the competition, and although Ceará has a good chance of maintaining its position, the team still runs the risk of dropping out of the G-4, but this possibility is small.

Next Game

Ceará still has two crucial matches before the end of the competition. In the 36th round, the team will face América-MG at home next Monday (November 18). Then, on November 24, Ceará will travel to Campinas (SP) to take on Guarani. Both matches will be decisive for the team to remain in the promotion zone to Série A. Recommended reading: Ceará standings