Sport Recife beat Athletic-MG 2-1 away in Brazil's Série B
Sport Recife secured a 2-1 away win over Athletic Club (Minas Gerais) in round 31 of Brazil's second-division championship (Série B), keeping alive hopes of returning to the top-six zone. The match was played at the Joaquim Portugal stadium in São João del Rei.
The result
On Thursday evening, football club Sport Recife beat Athletic Club, from the state of Minas Gerais, 2-1 away from home in round 31 of Brazil's Série B championship. The match was held at the Joaquim Portugal stadium in the city of São João del Rei, kicking off at 8:30 p.m. Brasília time. The game was broadcast exclusively on the streaming platform Disney+, according to Sport Club do Recife.
How the match unfolded
According to player ratings compiled by the sports portal ge (Globo Esporte), the win was built on the performance of goalkeeper Thiago Couto, who made decisive saves in both halves and was named man of the match. One Sport player set up a goal for De Pena with a good assist, while another provided the assist for Neto Pessoa's goal. Another Sport player scored the team's first goal and made a significant contribution to the victory. Athletic's only goal came after a Sport defensive error on an aerial ball — a problem the team failed to fully fix in the second half either; after the match, the coaching staff said defending high balls urgently needs to improve.
The opponent and background
Athletic is a 116-year-old club that has risen rapidly in recent years from the lower divisions of its home state to a stable place in national Brazilian football. The team is coached by Alex de Souza, a well-known former player in both Brazilian and Turkish football. According to Sport Club do Recife, his career record against Pernambuco clubs was largely unsuccessful — playing for Coritiba, Palmeiras and Flamengo, he lost to Sport several times, and his only win over the "Leão" came in 2001 with Cruzeiro. Athletic's current squad includes former Sport goalkeeper Luan Polli, while Sport defender Marcelo Ajul spent last season on loan at Athletic.
Ahead of the match, Sport midfielder Willian Oliveira, playing his tenth game for the club, said the team expected a difficult but important match and hoped to reward supporters with a good performance, as he told the club's website.
What's next
With this win, Sport closed out a two-match away sequence and continues its push to return to Série B's top-six zone (G-6). The team's next match is scheduled for Tuesday, October 6, at 7:30 p.m., when it hosts São Bernardo at home at the Ilha do Retiro stadium.
