CRB beat AVAI 1-0 in the Brazilian Série B on Tuesday night, a result that leaves them in sixth place while AVAI remain rooted in seventeenth. The visitors took the lead when Bressan struck in the thirty-fourth minute, and despite AVAI's relentless pressure afterwards, that single goal held firm until the final whistle.
By then the home side had thrown everything forward. They logged 114 attacks against CRB's 101 and enjoyed 51 per cent possession, yet their expected goals of 1.56 yielded nothing more than the one goal conceded. Ten shots on target produced zero returns — a stat that will have had the AVAI fans muttering about missed opportunities.
And here's the thing about the goalkeeper. Vitor Caetano made nine saves throughout the evening, keeping CRB alive when the hosts were cutting them open at will. The difference between 1.56 expected goals and one goal on the board tells you everything about how these fixtures can go.
Discipline became an issue in the second half. Thiaguinho and Luiz Henrique both picked up bookings in the sixty-fourth minute, and Wallison had already been cautioned before that. AVAI made three changes around the hour mark — Crystopher Ribeiro, Danielzinho and a double swap — trying to find something.
CRB's recent form suggests they knew how to see this out. They'd won two on the bounce against Vila Nova and Ceará before that, and while the away trip to AVAI wasn't easy, the squad dug in when it mattered. Three substitutions in the closing stages, including Pedro Castro coming off in the eighty-eighth minute, told the story of a game managed.