Ceará Edge Novorizontino in Dramatic Finish
Ceará claimed a 2:1 victory over Novorizontino in the 29th round of the Brazilian Serie B at Estádio Castelaу on Thursday night. The home side took the lead after the break and held on despite being reduced to ten men in stoppage time. The result keeps Ceará in 15th place with 35 points while Novorizontino remain second on 50.
Novorizontino struck first in the 45th minute when Matheus Henrique Bianqui found the net just before half-time. Melquisedeque Costa De Oliveira equalised three minutes into the second half, and Rian Bonfim De Santana turned it around after the break with a 61st-minute goal. And here's the thing — the match had already seen two VAR penalty appeals for Ceará, both cancelled at 31 and 32 minutes, before the visitors took the lead.
The statistics tell a different story than the scoreline. Novorizontino dominated possession at 55 per cent and created three big chances with an expected goals total of 2.09. Ceará managed only one big chance and 0.71 xG, yet found a way through when it mattered. The away side registered nine shots on target and 10 off target, but their efficiency was nowhere near enough to match the home side's ruthless finishing.
What changed the complexion of the game came in the closing stages. Patrick Marcos de Sousa Freitas was shown a red card in the 90th minute for Novorizontino, leaving them to see out the final minutes with ten men. Ceará had already missed a second VAR penalty at 90+4 through Saulo Mineiro, but the hosts never got out of second gear when it counted. By then, the result was clear enough.
Novorizontino's recent form had been impressive — three consecutive wins including a 3:1 victory over Botafogo — but they ended a barren spell against Ceará only to find themselves on the wrong side of a result they should have dominated. The away side's nine corners and 32 crosses went largely unrewarded, while Ceará's 16 successful tackles kept the visitors at bay when it mattered most.
The win moves Ceará closer to safety in the lower half of the table, though they remain 15 points adrift of the play-off places. Novorizontino's slip-up leaves them with a three-point gap to the teams above, and they are running out of games to recover any lost ground. The table doesn't lie — second place is still there, but not for much longer if results like this continue.
