Negueba's late goal sealed the hosts' return to the top four
No interior paulista, o Mirassol reencontrou seu lugar entre os quatro melhores do Brasil — não por acaso, mas pelo acúmulo de esforço coletivo e determinação nos momentos decisivos. Diante do Fluminense, em uma quarta-feira carregada de tensão, os donos da casa souberam responder ao empate adversário com um gol tardio que separou ambição de conformismo. A vitória por 2 a 1 é mais do que três pontos: é a afirmação de um clube que ainda acredita no que pode se tornar nesta temporada.
- O Fluminense chegou a Mirassol com um gol anulado pelo VAR e chances desperdiçadas — a sensação de que o destino lhes escapava pelos dedos.
- O empate de Martinelli no segundo tempo reacendeu o jogo e ameaçou roubar do Mirassol o fruto de uma primeira etapa bem construída.
- Com urgência renovada após o empate, o Mirassol passou a pressionar em busca do gol que separaria as equipes — e encontrou em Negueba o homem do momento.
- O gol tardio de Negueba, aos 35 minutos do segundo tempo, fechou a conta e devolveu ao Mirassol o quarto lugar, com 46 pontos.
- O Fluminense cai para sétimo com 38 pontos, enquanto o Mirassol já mira o próximo desafio: o Internacional, em 15 de outubro.
Na noite de quarta-feira, o estádio do Mirassol viveu um daqueles jogos que exigem paciência antes de recompensar. O Fluminense chegou perigoso logo nos primeiros minutos, com Keno forçando uma defesa difícil de Walter, mas foi o time da casa que abriu o placar ainda no primeiro tempo. Guilherme Marques aproveitou um cruzamento na segunda trave e finalizou de primeira para colocar o Mirassol à frente. O Fluminense teve um gol cancelado pelo VAR antes disso, o que pareceu tirar o fôlego dos visitantes até o intervalo.
No segundo tempo, o Fluminense voltou com outra postura. Aos 11 minutos, Martinelli aproveitou rebote após jogada coletiva e empatou, reequilibrando a partida. O Mirassol, sacudido, passou a atacar com mais intensidade — Neto Moura e Gabriel testaram o goleiro Fábio, sem sucesso. O empate parecia o resultado mais provável quando, aos 35 minutos, Carlos Eduardo cruzou da direita e Negueba, no segundo poste, mandou para as redes.
O gol foi suficiente. O Fluminense não conseguiu reagir, e o Mirassol fechou o placar em 2 a 1. Com 46 pontos, o time paulista voltou ao G4 do Campeonato Brasileiro. O Fluminense permanece em sétimo, com 38 pontos. A próxima missão do Mirassol chega em 15 de outubro, quando recebe o Internacional em casa.
Mirassol's stadium in São Paulo filled with tension on Wednesday night as the home side faced Fluminense in the 13th round of Brazil's top division. By the final whistle, the hosts had reclaimed a place in the championship's elite four, a 2-1 victory that felt earned rather than gifted.
The match began with Fluminense nearly stealing an early lead. Three minutes in, Keno collected a pass in midfield, slipped past his marker, and cut into the box before firing a shot that forced Walter into a sharp save. Mirassol answered immediately when Guilherme Marques received the ball in the area but sent his effort over the crossbar. The opening minutes crackled with possibility, but the intensity faded as the first half wore on. Mirassol controlled possession without translating it into clear chances. Fluminense had a goal wiped away at the 31-minute mark when Lucho Acosta found the net, only for the VAR to flag a foul in the buildup and the referee to cancel it out.
The near-miss seemed to sharpen Mirassol's focus. Four minutes later, Guilherme Marques met a cross at the far post and finished first-time to put the hosts ahead. Fluminense felt the blow. Mirassol pressed their advantage, with Reinaldo testing goalkeeper Fábio from a free kick. Only in the closing moments of the half did Fluminense threaten again, Thiago Silva heading a cross just wide. The hosts carried their one-goal lead into the break.
Fluminense emerged with renewed purpose after halftime. Within four minutes, they had nearly equalized when Lucho Acosta orchestrated a flowing move that left Renê and Canobbio with shooting chances neither could convert. But the visitors' momentum proved brief. At the 11-minute mark of the second half, a cross found Freytes, who knocked it back for Martinelli to finish and level the score. The goal shifted the match's balance. Mirassol, stung by the equalizer, began attacking with greater urgency. Neto Moura had a chance at 18 minutes that Fábio saved; Gabriel followed with another effort the goalkeeper turned away.
Fluminense's next real opportunity came at the 33-minute mark when Cano received the ball near the penalty spot and forced Walter into a good save. The match seemed destined for a draw, both sides canceling each other out. Then, with ten minutes remaining, Carlos Eduardo worked hard to deliver a cross from the wing. Negueba was waiting at the far post and sent the ball into the net. The goal proved decisive. Fluminense could not find an answer in the time remaining.
With 46 points, Mirassol climbed back to fourth place in the standings, the position they had lost. Fluminense, despite the loss, remained in seventh with 38 points—still in the middle of the table but further from the top four than they would have liked. Mirassol's next test comes October 15 when they host Internacional at home, another chance to solidify their position among the league's best.
Citas Notables
The near-miss seemed to sharpen Mirassol's focus— Match narrative
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
What made this match feel different from a routine midtable game?
It was the stakes. Mirassol had slipped out of the top four and needed to climb back in. That kind of pressure changes how a team plays—more direct, more willing to take risks.
The first half seemed to belong to Mirassol, but Fluminense had that disallowed goal. How much did that moment matter?
It could have shifted everything. If that goal had stood, Fluminense would have been ahead and Mirassol would have been chasing. Instead, the VAR intervention seemed to wake Mirassol up. They scored four minutes later.
Martinelli's equalizer in the second half looked like it might send the match toward a draw.
It did feel that way. Both teams had chances after that—Mirassol was pressing harder, but Fluminense's defense was holding. Then Negueba's goal came almost out of nowhere, a cross from the wing that found him at the right moment.
What does this result mean for Fluminense's season?
They're still in the middle of the table, but the gap to fourth place is widening. They had a chance to close it and didn't. That's the kind of match that haunts a team later in the season.