The first leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16 left most of the matches open, with no away wins and many draws. Flamengo’s 2-0 victory over Palmeiras stood out, in a direct confrontation between the two best teams of the moment.
At the Maracanã, the Brazilian team won thanks to goals from Pedro and Luiz Araújo, both in the second half. They were clearly superior to their rivals, who missed the injured star Estêvão Willian.
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The result reflected the moment each team is going through: Tite’s men are joint-toppers with Botafogo in the Brasileirão after three straight wins, while Abel Fereira’s men have lost three of their last four matches in the local league. The return match will be on August 7 at Allianz Parque.
In another duel between top teams, Corinthians and Grêmio drew 0-0 in São Paulo. It was a hard-fought match in which both teams finished with 10 players on the pitch. The tie will also be decided on August 7, in Porto Alegre.
Isso é #CopaBetanoDoBrasil!!! 🔥🔥🔥
Que noite insana de jogos! As oitavas de final estão de tirar o fôlego. Seu time ganhou? Empatou? Perdeu?
Ainda tem muita coisa para acontecer! 🤩 pic.twitter.com/x3TTKnHdnP
— Copa do Brasil (@CopaDoBrasilCBF) August 1, 2024
Draws were a constant in these first-leg matches: Botafogo and Bahia ended 1-1 in Rio de Janeiro, the same result as Atlético Goianiense and Vasco da Gama in Goiânia.
Clube de Regatas Brasil, eleventh in the Série B and a great revelation in the Copa do Brasil so far, was close to striking a new blow in its duel against Atlético Mineiro. At home, they went 2-0 up after 7 minutes of the first half, but the team led by Gabriel Milito reacted and the score was 2-2.
Meanwhile, São Paulo and Athletico Paranense have reached the quarterfinals, beating Goiás and Red Bull Bragantino 2-0 respectively.
