Atlético Goianiense put three goals past Botafogo at the Estádio Antônio Accioly on Tuesday evening. The result lifted the hosts to seventh in the Brazilian Serie B table, while Botafogo slipped further down to fifteenth. Both sides had played 25 matches by that point. The hosts now sit eight points above their visitors.
Marrony struck after four minutes and had nothing to do all evening. Botafogo's goalkeeper barely moved until the twenty-fifth minute. João Pedro Silva doubled the lead and the match settled into a pattern. The hosts made the difference with three goals from six shots on target, while Botafogo managed only one.
Three substitutions came for Atlético at the break. Hygor, Everton Morelli and Zé Hugo joined the line-up as the visitors tried to find a response. Botafogo kept possession but could not create a single big chance. Patrick Brey picked up a yellow card on forty-one minutes as frustration built.
Adriano Martins added a third in the seventy-ninth minute. By then Botafogo had made two changes of their own, bringing on Rafael Gava and Leandro Vilela. The visitors' goalkeeper made three saves compared to Atlético's single effort. The hosts were second to everything in the air but won seventeen of twenty-two aerial duels.
Botafogo held fifty-three per cent possession and completed 340 passes. Atlético finished with 288 successful passes from 358 attempts. The visitors created zero big chances while the hosts registered three. Expected goals told the same story: 0.25 for Botafogo against 1.92 for the hosts.
Atlético Goianiense cannot afford another slip with the play-off positions in sight. Botafogo have not won since August fourteenth and the gap between them and safety is widening. The hosts now carry momentum into their next fixture.
