Fortaleza secured a 2-0 victory away to Krima in the Serie B regular season on Saturday evening at Estádio Eriberto Ulsé. The result moves the visitors five points clear of the home side in the table, with Krima sitting third on 44 points and Fortaleza fifth on 41. Both teams had played 25 matches by this stage of the campaign.
Krima took the lead in the 42nd minute through Pedro Henrique, who finished from a well-worked move. Guilherme Lobo had seen a yellow card just six minutes earlier, and the home side pressed forward with confidence. To be fair, the opening goal felt earned after sustained pressure, though Fortaleza's defence held its shape for most of the half.
The decisive moment came in the 87th minute when Paulo Baya doubled the visitors' advantage. Krima had made seven substitutions by that point, including bringing on Fellipe Mateus and Luiz Fernando, but could not find a response. And here's the thing — Fortaleza did not travel to make up the numbers, but they showed exactly how to punish a team that dominates possession without creating real chances.
The statistics tell a familiar story. Krima enjoyed 71 per cent of the ball and launched 123 attacks compared to Fortaleza's 39, yet the away side registered a higher expected goals figure of 1.51 against 1.0. Krima created zero big chances while Fortaleza produced two, and that difference proved decisive in the final third.
Shot accuracy tells its own tale: Krima hit 36 per cent of their attempts on target while Fortaleza reached 43 per cent. The visitors made 50 clearances to Krima's 24, showing how much defensive work they had to carry. Krima attempted 46 crosses against 15 for Fortaleza, but only 10 of those landed compared to five for the away side.
This result ends Krima's unbeaten run of five matches, which had included victories over Goyas and Novorizontino. Fortaleza, meanwhile, extend their collection of away points and keep pressure on the teams above them. By then, the home supporters were watching the clock rather than the ball.
