Botafogo Held by Santa Fé in Copa Sul-Americana

God bless the Copa Sul-Americana and it's wonderfully counter-intuitive schedule. Yes, this midweek round-up consists of only one match, and thus will be laughably short. With Vasco set to get their last 16 tie underway next week, and São Paulo and Flamengo only continuing their campaigns in late October (seriously), it was left to Botafogo to fly the Brazilian flag on Thursday night.

Botafogo 1-1 Santa Fé
With Série A success understandably his side's main priority, Caio Júnior rested a number of top players for the visit of Santa Fé. Fábio Ferreira, Marcelo Mattos and Maicosuel were all given the evening off, whilst Elkeson started on the bench. Botafogo's weakened side struggled in the opening period, and fell behind to a lovely team goal. Alejandro Bernal swapped passes with a teammate on the edge of the area and burst to the byeline, before picking out Omar Pérez in the six-yard box. The Santa Fé captain completed the easiest of finishes, inspiring Colombian hopes.

Anything you Canedo: Caio grabs Botafogo's equaliser.

Botafogo improved considerably after the break, buoyed by the introduction of Elkeson (who was on Brazil duty just 24 hours earlier). It was he who created the equaliser, sliding an impeccable pass through to Caio Canedo, who lofted coolly over the goalkeeper. It was a welcome return to prominence for Caio, a one-time prodigy whose star has dipped over the last twelve months. If Botafogo can harness his undoubted ability, they will lend yet another string to their formidable attacking bow. On Thursday, their late pressure came to nothing, meaning that they face a tricky second leg in Bogotá. That match is scheduled to take at some point before February 2019.*

*Don't take this as gospel.

(Photo credit; Paulo Sergio.)

Young Guns Fire Brazil to Superclássico Win

It wasn't the most exciting match Brazil and Argentina have ever produced, but let's look on the bright side - this was a far better game than the drab goalless draw two weeks ago. The seleção won the Superclássico das Américas with a comfortable 2-0 win in Belém, a result that spoke volumes about the growing quality gap between the two countries' domestic leagues.

Brazil 2-0 Argentina
With Leandro Damião sidelined through injury, Mano Menezes handed a start to Borges, who has been in stunning form for Santos in recent weeks. Although not a traditional target man, the 30-year-old acted as the nominal focal point in attack, with Neymar, Ronaldinho Gaúcho and Lucas buzzing round in support. Behind them, Vasco defensive midfielder Rômulo earnt a first start and in-form Botafogo man Bruno Cortês (he of the infamous fast food wedding) got the nod at leftback.

The joy of six: Neymar celebrates half-dozenth Brazil goal.

Before kick-off, the Mangueirão produced a rousing rendition of the Hino Nacional. Belém (literally "Bethlehem") is on Brazil's north coast, miles away from the country's traditional footballing centres, and so only rarely hosts seleção matches. The rarity of the event guaranteed that the Brazilian fans were even more vocal than usual. Buoyed by the partisan support, Menezes' side started on the front foot. Neymar - who had been unusually quiet in the first leg of the Superclássico - was at his effervescent best, dropping deep to drag defenders out of position and teasing them with his footwork. On the right, Lucas also caused problems; Emiliano Papa decided that the best way to deal with the pacy attacker was to clobber him in the face with his forearm.

The visitors, despite being outplayed for much of the opening period, made it to the interval on level terms. Admittedly, they did so more by luck than by judgement; Neymar spurned a glorious chance to open the scoring from Borges' drilled cross just before the break. Argentina did manage the occasional foray forward, but were well marshalled in the main by Dedé and Réver. Ironically, two of Argentina's better players on the night - Walter Montillo and Pablo Guiñazú - actually play in Brazil; a fact that reveals plenty about the contrasting prosperity of the two domestic leagues in question.

With the second half just eight minutes old, Brazil were rewarded with the goal that their play deserved. Bursting onto Danilo's slide-rule pass, Lucas outpaced the Argentina defence before slotting calmly into the far corner. In truth, the São Paulo player really should have squared the ball to Neymar, who was in a far better position, but all complaints were rendered slightly churlish when the ball found the back of the net. It was Lucas' first goal for the senior side, and one that prompted wild celebrations around the Mangueirão.

Sem cortes, com Cortês: Brazil celebrate winning the Superclássico.

Neymar wouldn't have to wait long to get his name on the scoresheet, though. With 75 minutes on the clock, the excellent Cortês surged forward, and slipped a pass to substitute Diego Souza on the left of the penalty box. The Vasco attacker crossed hard and low, and this time Neymar made no mistake, bundling the ball past Agustín Orión. That goal was the last meaningful action of the match, as both teams played out the remaining minutes in cruise control. The performance of the seleção - and of Neymar, Cortês and Lucas in particular - will have been pleasing to Menezes, especially after Brazil's rather indifferent display in the first leg. A win over your side's perennial rivals never goes amiss either...

(Photo credits; (1) Fernando Bizerra Jr, (2) Mowa Press.)

Brilliant Diego Souza Fires Vasco to Win Over Raposa; Flamengo Return to Winning Ways

The home straight of the Campeonato Brasileiro season is crawling into view, and confidence will be growing among fans of Vasco da Gama. Their side pulled away at the summit of the league this weekend, with São Paulo only managing a draw against Botafogo. Elsewhere, Flamengo finally returned to winning ways, and Figueirense put an end to Santos' excellent run of form.

Brasileirão Gameweek 26 Round-up
"That's it," claimed one Brazilian journalist on Twitter, "we have our player of the year." He was referring, of course, to Diego Souza. The Vasco attacking midfielder continued his majestic recent form with a hat-trick on Sunday, as his side cruised to a routine victory over Cruzeiro. His third, which involved a chapéu (literally a "hat" - when the attacker lifts the ball over the head of an unsuspecting opponent before bringing it back under control) past the blameless Fábio, was particularly memorable, and provoked an outpouring of appreciation among the Brazilian football community. The 26-year-old will hope that his club performances will be enough to earn him a starting spot for the seleção against Argentina on Wednesday evening.

Illuminado; hat-trick hero Diego Souza celebrates his opener for Vasco.

São Paulo, who went into the weekend level on points with Vasco, could only manage a drew with Botafogo. At half time, they would have bitten your hand off if you'd offered them that much; O Glorioso dominated the opening period and established a two-goal lead thanks to a brace from the increasingly influential 'Loco' Abreu. Adílson Batista's team talk at the interval must have been a good one, however, as São Paulo clawed their way back to rescue a point; Henrique reduced the arrears with an opportunist strike, before Rivaldo restored parity in the dying minutes. That result allowed Corinthians - who snuck a win against Bahia - to climb into second position.

After ten games without a win, Flamengo finally managed to secure maximum points, coming from behind to beat América-MG. Deivid and Thiago Neves were the heroes for the Rubro-Negro, but an honourable mention also goes to Júnior César. The Fla man employed novel means to distract opposition striker Kempes in the lead up to a first half penalty kick, repeatedly pulling down the latter's socks as he waited at the edge of the area. (It didn't work, as fate would have it, but full marks for trying.) That win saw Flamengo draw level on points with bitter rivals Fluminense, who drew away to Atlético Paranaense.

Socks offender; Júnior César (left) battles for possession.

In-form Santos would have been confident of maintaining their impressive recent run on Saturday, but came unstuck at home to Figueirense. Talented attacking duo Júlio César and Wellington Nem again made the difference for the Florianópolis side, bagging three goals between them. Ceará, who have enjoyed a rotten September, picked up three much-needed points; the Vozão battled to a 3-2 win over Coritiba. Below them, Atlético-MG and Avaí remain entrenched in the relegation dogfight after 2-1 losses to Internacional and Grêmio respectively. Draw specialists Palmeiras, meanwhile, met Atlético-GO and... drew.

Série A results; Atlético-PR 1-1 Fluminense, Santos 2-3 Figueirense, Flamengo 2-1 América-MG, Corinthians 1-0 Bahia, Botafogo 2-2 São Paulo, Internacional 2-1 Atlético-MG, Cruzeiro 0-3 Vasco, Avaí 1-2 Grêmio, Atlético-GO 1-1 Palmeiras, Ceará 3-2 Coritiba.

(Photo credits; (1) Ramon Bitencourt, (2) Paulo Sergio.)

Botafogo Close Gap With Win Over Grêmio; São Paulo and Corinthians Play Out Goalless Draw

It was a rare low-scoring round in the Campeonato Brasileiro; the ten midweek games produced only 19 goals. With Vasco, São Paulo and Corinthians all drawing, Botafogo edged closer to the leadership with a fortuitous win over Grêmio. Further down the table, losses for Cruzeiro and Ceará saw them edge ever closer to the relegation zone.

Brasileirão Gameweek 25 Round-up
Football, as we all know, can be a cruel mistress. Grêmio were reminded of this the hard way on Thursday evening; the Tricolor battered Botafogo at the Olímpico, only to come away empty-handed. The hosts racked up an incredible 22 efforts on goal, but were made to pay for their profligacy when 'Loco' Abreu slid home the winner after the interval. That result takes Caio Júnior's side to within two points of leaders Vasco, who could only manage a 1-1 draw at home to Atlético Goianiense. São Paulo and Corinthians, the two remaining members of the top four, played out a goalless draw at the Morumbi.

Matador; Fred celebrates his second goal against Avaí.

Ronaldinho Gaúcho was back among the goals on Wednesday, cancelling out Daniel Carvalho's gorgeous free-kick to rescue a point for Flamengo against Atlético-MG. That result, however, leaves the Rubro-Negro's title challenge hanging by a thread; Vanderlei Luxemburgo's charges have now gone ten games without a win. Bitter rivals Fluminense are having a much better time of it; a brace from Fred sent them on the way to a comfortable win over Avaí in Rio. That game also saw the return of Deco, whose decision to forgo his wages during his last spell in the treatment room appears to have prompted new-found patience among some sections of the Tricolor faithful.

In Uberlândia (aside: Über Land sounds like some kind of post-fascist theme park), Borges continued his ridiculous "YEAH I SCORE IN EVERY MATCH, SO BLOODY WHAT?" routine, as Santos picked up a 2-1 win over the hapless América Mineiro. If the Peixe continue in this vein (and win their games in hand), they could yet have a say in the destination of the Série A title. Cruzeiro, though, who were tipped by many as contenders before the start of the campaign, will not be in the running; this week's defeat to Coritiba leaves them just four points above the drop zone. (Goalkeeper Fábio, incidentally, must be keeping a close eye on the Rubgy World Cup; he's now taken to donning scrum cap to complement his trademark gumshield.)

Relief for Palmeiras; striker Luan commemorates his side's goal against Ceará.

Palmeiras earnt some respite from their recent poor form, sneaking a 1-0 win over Ceará at the Canindé. That result leaves the Fortaleza side perilously close to the relegation zone, heading into the last third of the season. Atlético-PR can already hear the chilling call of Série B; they remain ensconced in the mire after succumbing to Bahia. Finally, in Inconsequential Midtable News ©, Internacional held Figueirense to a 1-1 draw.

Série A results; Fluminense 3-1 Avaí, Coritiba 2-1 Cruzeiro, América-MG 1-2 Santos, Bahia 1-0 Atlético-PR, São Paulo 0-0 Corinthians, Figueirense 1-1 Internacional, Atlético-MG 1-1 Flamengo, Palmeiras 1-0 Ceará, Vasco 1-1 Atlético-GO, Grêmio 0-1 Botafogo.

(Photo credits; (1) & (2) Lancenet.)

Menezes Names Separate Squads for Brazil Games

Mano Menezes had a bumper press conference today, in which he announced two different Brazil squads; one for the second leg of the superclássico against Argentina (which takes place on October 28), the other for the friendlies against Costa Rica and Mexico (October 7 and 11 respectively).

The squad for the Argentina clash again consists only of domestic-based players, and includes a few new faces; Elkeson and Borges have been rewarded for their excellent Brasileirão form, and Diego Souza earns a recall some two years after last being selected. Coritiba defender Emerson is the surprise name on the list, but Leandro Damião misses out through injury.

Brace yourself; Botafogo attacker Elkeson has been in fine fettle this term.

The full squad for the superclássico is as follows:

Jefferson (Botafogo)
Rafael (Santos)

Danilo (Santos)
Mário Fernandes (Grêmio)
Bruno Cortês (Botafogo)
Kléber (Internacional)
Dedé (Vasco da Gama)
Réver (Atlético-MG)
Rhodolfo (São Paulo)
Emerson (Coritiba)

Ralf (Corinthians)
Paulinho (Corinthians)
Casemiro (São Paulo)
Rômulo (Vasco da Gama)
Lucas (São Paulo)
Diego Souza (Vasco da Gama)
Oscar (Internacional)
Elkeson (Botafogo)

Borges (Santos)
Neymar (Santos)
Fred (Fluminense)
Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Flamengo)

The squad for the Mexico and Costa Rica games also contains a number of surprises. Fábio da Silva earns his first senior call-up despite hardly having played for Manchester United this term, whilst young Fiorentina goalkeeper Neto has also been drafted in. Yet more intriguing is the selection of Porto striker Kléber, who is a relatively unknown quantity in Brazil. Lúcio has been left out of this latest squad, and has been replaced by Atlético-MG stopper Réver. Pleasingly, SKP favourite Hernanes has finally earnt a recall.

Surprise inclusion: Porto striker Kléber.

The full squad for the matches against Costa Rica and Mexico is as follows:

Júlio César (Internazionale)
Jefferson (Botafogo)
Neto (Fiorentina)

Daniel Alves (Barcelona)
Fábio da Silva (Manchester United)
Marcelo (Real Madrid)
Adriano (Barcelona)
Thiago Silva (Milan)
David Luiz (Chelsea)
Réver (Atlético-MG)
Dedé (Vasco da Gama)

Lucas Leiva (Liverpool)
Sandro (Tottenham Hotspur)
Fernandinho (Shakhtar Donetsk)
Luiz Gustavo (Bayern Munich)
Elias (Sporting)
Oscar (Internacional)
Hernanes (Lazio)

Neymar (Santos)
Hulk (Porto)
Kléber (Porto)
Ronaldinho Gaúcho (Flamengo)
Fred (Fluminense)
Jonas (Valencia)

(Photo credits; (1) Gazeta Press, (2) Unknown.)

Vasco Go Top as Rivals Falter; Santos Claim Third Successive Win

Another week, another round of musical chairs at the top of the Brasileirão. This time Vasco and São Paulo were the major beneficiaries, climbing as Corinthians, Botafogo, Fluminense and Flamengo all failed to record maximum points. Elsewhere, Santos picked up a third consecutive victory and Cruzeiro continued their mid-season malaise.

Vasco da Gama 4-0 Grêmio
It's shaping up to be a vintage season for Vasco da Gama. With the Copa do Brasil title (and a Libertadores spot) already in the bag, the Rio side are set to mount their most serious title challenge in years. With Diego Souza firing on all cylinders and Dedé insurmountable at the back, the Gigante da Colina have made steady progress up the Série A table in recent weeks, and now sit in pole position with fourteen matches to play. Even the stroke suffered by Ricardo Gomes last month appears to have galvanised team spirit at the São Januário; caretaker boss Cristóvão Borges has merely taken up where his more illustrious colleague left off.

Check out SKP, being all mature and not making a pun with Fagner's name.

Saturday's win over Grêmio had an air of inevitability about it; the Vasco trem bala (bullet train) had been cruising past all comers on home turf. Grêmio, whose form has actually taken a turn for the better of late, turned out to be very forgiving guests, hardly putting up a fight as Vasco notched four goals. Diego Souza and Élton both maintained their impressive form with first half strikes, but the real stars of the show were Fagner (no, that's not a typo) and Éder Luís, who combined time and again down the right flank. Both were rewarded with goals after the interval. It would be foolish to pick a title winner this early in the campaign, but Vasco fans have every reason to be confident heading into the home straight.

Brasileirão Gameweek 24 Round-up
São Paulo supporters also had motive to celebrate this weekend; their side strolled to a 4-0 win over Ceará at the Morumbi. Rivaldo, who - much to the chagrin of the Tricolor faithful - started on the bench, rolled back the years once more with an instinctive volleyed finish in that one. At the Engenhão, Botafogo and Flamengo battled to a 1-1 draw - a result that did neither club much good. That match was notable, though, for some more Brazilian celebration politics; Flamengo players took umbrage at 'Loco' Abreu's apparent send-up of Ronaldinho's parado na esquina routine (see here for details). Gloriously petty, I'm sure you'll agree.

Deadlock; Bruno Cortês of Botafogo tracks Flamengo midfielder Thiago Neves.

Fluminense's impressive run of form (four wins on the trot heading into the weekend) was brought to an abrupt end by Bahia, a side that many pundits (myself included) are still trying to figure out. Able to pull off impressive results against the big guns, yet oddly toothless against more modest opponents, the Tricolor de Aço are the Brazilian Blackpool. Only without so much patronising media sympathy. Midtable bedfellows Cruzeiro, meanwhile, continued their indifferent form with a goalless draw against local rivals/whipping boys América Mineiro.

History was made at the Serra Dourada, where Atlético Goianiense beat partial namesakes Atlético Mineiro for the first time in their 74 year existence. (Yes, it was actually only the sixth meeting between the two, but only fools let "facts" stand in the way of a good story.) Santos, meanwhile, continued their excellent run of form with a convincing win over rivals Corinthians. In an even game at the Pacaembu, it was the Peixe's ruthless finishing that proved the difference between the two sides; Henrique and Alan Kardec netted with opportunistic efforts, and Borges scored for the millionth* consecutive game. Elsewhere, there were deadlocks aplenty; Figueirense, Palmeiras and Coritiba scraped points against Atlético-PR, Avaí and Internacional respectively.

*A rough estimate. Don't quote me on this.

Série A results; Atlético-GO 1-0 Atlético-MG, Vasco 4-0 Grêmio, São Paulo 4-0 Ceará, Bahia 3-0 Fluminense, Atlético-PR 0-0 Figueirense, Avaí 1-1 Palmeiras, Botafogo 1-1 Flamengo, Corinthians 1-3 Santos, Cruzeiro 0-0 América-MG, Internacional 1-1 Coritiba.

(Photo credits; (1) Gilvan de Souza, (2) Bruno de Lima.)

The Hamit Altintop Rocky Horror Stockholm Sydrome Experience

Firstly, an admission; the following plug is entirely unrelated to Brazil (Christ, it's hardly even related to football). It is, however, an article ("article") penned by SKP's own fair hand, and thus finds its way onto this page.


Twisted Blood, an excellent blog run by the inimitable Andrew Thomas, has been running a series entitled "Through Gritted Teeth," in which various writers have detailed their begrudging affection for certain characters within the beautiful game. My effort is the latest entry into this growing pantheon of loveable rogues, and concerns José Mourinho. It also concerns Real Madrid new boy Hamit Altintop. And his (probably entirely fictional) Stockholm syndrome. And The Rocky Horror Picture Show...

It's probably just better to read it, before you get any more confused. Click here to be whisked away to the page in question.