Chapecoense held Bahia to a 3:3 draw at Arena Condá on Sunday evening, a result that leaves the hosts rooted to 20th place while Bahia remain fifth in the table. Both sides arrived with contrasting fortunes — the home side struggling for confidence after five games without a win, the visitors having kept three clean sheets on the spin before the final whistle blew.
A. Veliz opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 13th minute, but Giovanni Augusto equalised for Chapecoense six minutes later. The momentum shifted when Kauan turned on his own goal in the 42nd minute, though the home side rallied immediately after the break. Marcinho struck in the 48th minute to restore parity, and it felt like the match might settle into something predictable.
However, Nicolas Acevedo pulled Bahia level again in the 65th minute before Tulio restored the home side's lead just six minutes later. By then, the game had become something of an end-to-end affair, with both teams refusing to go away. Bahia made several changes in search of an equaliser, bringing on R. Gomez and Jean Lucas for the second half, while Chapecoense also shuffled their pack with three substitutions around the same period.
The statistics tell a story of dominance without conversion. Bahia controlled 66 per cent of possession and created more chances, as reflected in their 2.36 expected goals figure compared to Chapecoense's 1.25. Yet the visitors managed only four shots on target from 15 attempts, while the home side's three on target from seven proved decisive. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging — a pattern visible across the evening.
Three yellow cards were issued in the closing stages, with Mateo Sanabria and Camilo booked for the hosts and Erick Pulga for Bahia. The result leaves Chapecoense still nine points adrift of safety with one game remaining, while Bahia's position in the upper half remains secure.
The draw ends a run of consecutive clean sheets for Bahia, but more importantly it confirms what has been a difficult period for Chapecoense. They took the lead twice but could not hold on, and the table position tells its own story. The hosts needed something from this match, and three points would have changed the complexion of the final day. Instead, they saw it out — and it came to nothing.