Cruzeiro beat Mirassol 3-1 in Serie A on Sunday, keeping pressure on the teams above them in the table. The hosts took an early lead through Joao Marcelo at the 12th minute, before Reinaldo equalised from the spot two minutes later. The match stayed balanced until the second half when Cruzeiro pulled away.
Mirassol came back level at 27 minutes when Reinaldo converted a penalty. The visitors had been the more dangerous side on the break, but Cruzeiro camped in the final third and waited for their chance. By then the visitors were already showing signs of fatigue, and the hosts sensed blood.
Kaio Jorge gave Cruzeiro the lead again at 76 minutes, and Wesley added a second at 84 to put the result beyond doubt. Both sides made changes in the closing stages, with Mirassol bringing on L. Villalba in the 90th minute. The visitors finished with five yellow cards to Cruzeiro's three, but the cards did not change the outcome.
The statistics tell a different story than the scoreline. Mirassol registered a higher expected goals total of 1.31 to Cruzeiro's 0.68 and had four shots on target to three. Yet Cruzeiro's efficiency proved decisive, while the visitors failed to convert their opportunities. Possession was split evenly at 50 per cent each.
The win moves Cruzeiro closer to the upper half of the table, where they sit sixth with 42 points from 26 games. Mirassol remain 16th with 28 points and have lost four of their last five matches. The gap between them widens, and the visitors will need to find consistency if they want to climb away from the bottom half.