Caxias played out a goalless draw against Inter de Limeira in the nineteenth round of Brazil's Série C on Friday evening. The match at the Estádio Alfredo Jaconi ended 0-0 after ninety minutes. Both sides had chances, though neither could find the breakthrough they needed. To be fair, the result reflected a game where discipline outweighed ambition.
The opening exchanges saw Caxias pressing forward, but Matheus Nunes picked up a yellow card in the twenty-sixth minute for a late challenge. By then the game had settled into something more cautious than expected. Inter de Limeira kept their shape and looked to counter. The hosts had possession but struggled to cut through the visitors' line.
Things shifted after the interval when Inter introduced their replacements. Lucas Buchecha came on in the forty-ninth minute, followed by Romarinho and another change in the fifty-eighth. Caxias responded with Calyson's introduction in the fifty-fourth. Matheus Nunes saw red in the sixty-seventh for a second booking, and here's the thing — the hosts had to regroup rather quickly. Heitor Roca received a yellow for Inter in the seventy-third minute.
What happened next shaped the final quarter of the match. With ten men on the field, Caxias parked the bus. Inter pushed forward but found fewer openings than they might have expected. Gabriel Dias and Heitor Roca both came on for the visitors in the seventy-sixth minute. Yan Silva picked up a yellow card for Inter in the eighty-second minute. The match tightened up as time ran out.
The statistics tell a story of balanced but unproductive play. Both sides recorded fifty percent possession and four shots on target each. Caxias had 104 attacks to Inter's 101, while the visitors won five corners to one. Three shots went off target for each team. The red card didn't produce the advantage anyone might have predicted. And here's the thing — chances went begging for both sides.
The draw leaves Caxias in fourteenth place with 25 points from 19 games. Inter de Limeira remain in sixth with 30 points. The gap between them stays at five points. Neither side lost ground in the standings, though neither gained the momentum they were looking for. The result keeps both teams within reach of each other in the table.