Timão, who recorded their fifth defeat in 11 league matches, fought hard but did not play well and created little chance of danger. The alvinegros players complained a lot to referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio for an unmarked penalty at the beginning of the final stage.
The hosts had more of the ball and created more chances in the first half. Debutant of the night, Thiago Neves started on and took danger in kicks from outside the area. In one of them, Cássio was forced to make a good save.
Timão’s best chance came in a counterattack in the 32nd minute.
Everaldo finished a good move that hit the bar. However, four minutes later, it was Sport who opened the scoring. Jonatan Gomez kicked from outside the box and the ball touched Everaldo’s hand. Iago Maidana took the penalty with confidence and left the Lion in advantage. Timão came out better in the second half but were unable to score an equalizer.
The victory makes the Pernambuco team climb the table. Sport are now up to 17 points and reached seventh place in the Brazilian Championship. However, they still have one game in hand. Corinthians is at the bottom side of the standings. With 12 points, Timão occupies 13th place.
The teams will have a few days of rest before returning to the field. Sport’s next match is next Sunday, against Bahia at Pituaçu Stadium. Corinthians faces Atlético-GO in a game postponed from the first round next Wednesday.
