Fortaleza took all three points away from Estádio Ayl Pinheiro, beating Goiás 1-0 in the 26th round of Brazil's Série B. The visitors held firm after Luiz Felipe was sent off in the thirteenth minute, and their patience paid off when Vitor Ferreira found the net just before half-time. By then the hosts had already been reduced to ten men and were chasing the game.
Felipe's dismissal came at a critical moment, and Fortaleza made immediate use of the advantage with two quick substitutions in the fifteenth and sixteenth minutes. The goal arrived in the forty-fifth, a rare moment of clarity against a side that had spent most of the half throwing bodies in the way. Ferreira finished what should have been a simple chance, and Goiás were left to regroup before the break.
The statistics tell a story of frustration for the home side. They had 48 per cent possession and made 94 attacks, but their expected goals of 0.52 did little to reflect the pressure they couldn't convert. Three shots on target, one big chance created — that was all they managed to produce against a Fortaleza defence that made 16 clearances and kept them at arm's length.
Fortaleza were slightly more clinical despite having fewer corners and fewer crosses. Their expected goals of 0.59 came from a more efficient approach, with 120 passes into the final third compared to Goiás's 62. The visitors had 52 per cent of the ball and rarely looked threatened, making only three goalkeeper saves throughout the match.
The result moves Fortaleza to fifth place on 44 points, extending their unbeaten run, while Goiás remain twelfth with 36 points after their sixth defeat in 26 games. The hosts had won two of their previous five matches and lost two, so this result ends a more promising spell. Fortaleza, meanwhile, extended their run of games without defeat and kept their hopes of promotion alive.
