Anapolis secured a 2:1 victory over Guarani Campina in the Regular Season 16 of Brazil's Serie C on Sunday night. The hosts took an early lead through Guilherme Cachoeira before Matheus Lagoa equalised for the visitors. Three red cards in the second half turned the game into a battle of attrition, but Anapolis held on despite going down to ten men.
Cachoeira made his way into space around the fifteenth minute to slot home the opening goal. It was a moment that set the tone for the first half, and Anapolis worked the channels with more authority. The home side had 54 per cent possession and generated 117 attacks compared to Guarani's 95. To be fair, the visitors were not without their chances, but they could not find the net.
Guarani responded in the thirty-ninth minute when Matheus Lagoa found the back of the net. That changed the rhythm of the match, and suddenly the visitors were pressing higher. But then came the chaos. Gharib was shown a red card in the forty-fourth minute, and Juninho followed suit just before the break. By then, Anapolis had already made two substitutions, bringing on Luiz Felipe for Cachoeira.
The match became a contest of survival after that. Anapolis continued to attack despite being a man down, and their 117 total attacks told the story of a team that refused to sit back. Guarani had more corners from throw-ins — 21 compared to 14 — but could not convert possession into clear chances. The visitors registered only two shots on target throughout the entire game.
Statistics after the final whistle showed the inefficiency on both sides. Anapolis had eight shots with three on target, while Guarani managed seven shots with two on target. Three red cards meant neither team could play their preferred shape, and the game devolved into end-to-end scrambles. Fernando Viana came on for Anapolis in the sixty-fifth minute, but the home side had already done enough.
The result leaves Anapolis in eighteenth place with nineteen points from nineteen games. They had lost three of their last four before this win, including heavy defeats to Maringa and Botafogo PB. Guarani remain tenth with twenty-eight points, but their recent form has been inconsistent. They beat Inter de Limeira 3:1 last time out, but had drawn with Florresta and lost to Paysandu. The gap between them and safety is narrowing, and this result will not ease the pressure.