Inter de Lemeira and Figueirense played out a 0-0 draw in the Série C Regular Season on Sunday evening, a result that keeps both sides in the middle of the table. The match, played in front of a sell-out crowd, lacked the kind of decisive moment that usually separates two evenly-matched sides. To be fair, neither side created enough to justify the possession figures we saw later.
The turning point came at the 61st minute when Lucas Dias received a red card for Figueirense, leaving them with ten men for the closing stages. By then, the game had already settled into a tactical battle rather than an open contest. And here's the thing — once that sending-off came, the visitors switched to a back three and camped in the final third with fewer bodies to work with.
The statistics tell a story of a closely-contested affair. Inter de Lemeira held 51 per cent possession and registered five shots on target compared to their opponents' single attempt on goal. Both sides were roughly equal in attacks, with the hosts managing 92 to 82 for the visitors. Many shots with one goal means chances went begging, something that frustrated both sets of supporters.
For Inter de Lemeira, the point moves them closer to the top six, though they cannot afford another slip in form. They sit sixth with 30 points from 19 games, having lost their last outing 2-3 to Brusque. The draw brought them together early with Figueirense, who remain on 28 points in 11th place after their 2-1 victory over Caxias last weekend.