Atlético Paranaense 2–0 Vitória
Atlético Paranaense saw off Vitória 2–0 in the Round of 16 of the Brazilian Cup on Tuesday evening. Joao Cruz opened the scoring with a first-minute strike, and Dudu Kogitzki added a second later on to secure the home side's passage to the quarter-finals.
The visitors were troubled early on, with Emmanuel Martinez picking up a booking in the twenty-first minute, and the hosts took a lead when Cruz found the net before the quarter-hour mark. Vitória tried to respond, but a yellow card for Arthur Dias in the twenty-sixth minute kept them on the back foot.
The shape of the game changed after the break. Emmanuel Martinez was sent off in the sixty-seventh minute after his second caution, leaving Vitória to play with ten men for the remainder. Atlético Paranaense made changes of their own, bringing on Joao Cruz in the sixty-sixth minute before adding Matheuzinho and Gilberto in the seventieth.
The statistics tell the story of a one-sided contest. Atlético Paranaense enjoyed 55 per cent of possession and registered 10 shots on target, while Vitória managed none. The visitors created just one big chance compared to four for the home side, and their expected goals figure of 0.62 sat far behind the 1.47 recorded by Atlético Paranaense.
Victória's defensive effort was hampered by the dismissal, and they failed to register a single shot on target despite making eight tackles and 22 clearances. Atlético Paranaense completed 376 passes to their opponents' 294, and their 13 key passes dwarfed the five produced by the visitors.
The result extends Atlético Paranaense's momentum after a draw with Corinthians in their last outing, while Vitória's recent run of defeats continues following their heavy loss to Palmeiras. The home side now advances in the competition, having held every card through a match that did not require much pressure once the early lead was established.