Confiança and Maringá drew 1-1 in the Série C regular season on Sunday evening. The visitors had been in stronger form before the game, sitting fourth in the table with 30 points from 19 matches. The hosts, meanwhile, occupied 20th place with just 13 points and were looking for any sign of improvement.
Caique Calito gave Confiança the lead in the 54th minute, a moment that shifted the momentum at home. Maringá responded quickly, with Icaro finding the equaliser six minutes later. The goals came in quick succession, and the match settled into a pattern where neither side would give ground.
Confiança's manager made three changes at half-time, bringing on Luiz Thiago, PK and Guilherme Nunes. The substitutions did not immediately alter the flow of the game, but they reflected a desire to find a winner. Maringá made fewer changes, perhaps content to see out the result with what they had.
Yellow cards accumulated on both sides, with Confiança picking up four and Maringá two. The discipline was not perfect, but nothing reached the point of disruption. Maikon Aquino and Madison were booked late in the game, adding to the tension as the match entered its final stages.
Confiança dominated possession and created more chances, but the statistics told a story that did not match the scoreline. They registered 95 attacks and 12 shots off target, yet could only find the net once. Maringá, with 86 attacks and 13 shots off target, were more clinical with their three shots on target.
The draw leaves Confiança still rooted in 20th place, but the result ended a run of three consecutive defeats. Maringá remain fourth, though the loss of two points after a strong start to the season is a setback. Both sides now look ahead to the next round of fixtures.