Sport Recife beat Ponte Preta 2:0 in the Brazilian Serie B on Thursday, the result of a match where the hosts controlled proceedings from the opening exchanges. The victory kept them in tenth place in the table while extending Ponte Preta's misery at the foot of the standings.
The breakthrough came early when Diego Monteiro Leao turned on his own side with an own goal in the twenty-fifth minute. By then Sport Recife had already established their rhythm, and the visitors looked uncomfortable under pressure. A penalty was awarded to the hosts after thirty-two minutes following a VAR check, and Chrystian Amaral Barletta de Almeida made no mistake from the spot to double the lead.
There was a moment of drama just before half-time when Diego Monteiro Leao appeared to score, but the goal was cancelled by VAR in the forty-fifth minute plus five. To be fair, the visitors had little to offer in attack beyond that, and the home side dominated possession with sixty-six percent of the ball. They created four big chances while the away team managed only one, though the xG figures tell a starker story of one side's dominance.
Sport Recife registered six shots on target against eleven off target, while Ponte Preta could manage just two shots on target from seven attempts. The visitors attempted twenty dribbles but only seven were successful, suggesting their attempts to build attacks were frequently disrupted. With thirty-four percent possession and an expected goals figure of just 0.62, they simply could not find a way back into the game.
The result means Sport Recife remain in tenth place with thirty-eight points from twenty-six games, while Ponte Preta sit bottom with ten points and twenty defeats. The hosts have lost three of their last five matches, but this performance was a step forward. The visitors, meanwhile, have now lost four consecutive games and face a difficult run ahead.
