Marcinho, who had worn a Botafogo shirt in 2021, had just written himself into the match
No futebol, a vantagem construída longe de casa nem sempre é suficiente para proteger um clube da força de quem joga em seus próprios domínios. Na noite de quinta-feira, em Chapecó, a Chapecoense derrotou o Botafogo por 2 a 0 na Arena Condá e avançou às quartas de final da Copa do Brasil com um placar agregado de 2 a 1, eliminando o clube carioca que havia vencido o jogo de ida no Rio. É o tipo de reviravolta que lembra que, no esporte, a vantagem é sempre provisória — e que histórias antigas, como a de Marcinho marcando contra o ex-clube, encontram sempre uma forma de se fazer presentes.
- A Chapecoense precisava virar uma desvantagem de um gol jogando em casa — e o fez com eficiência e velocidade, abrindo o placar ainda no primeiro tempo com Marcinho, ex-jogador do próprio Botafogo.
- O Botafogo dominou os minutos iniciais e chegou a acertar a trave com Arthur Cabral, mas a incapacidade de converter as chances criadas custou caro ao longo de toda a partida.
- Bolasie ampliou para 2 a 0 antes do intervalo, e a Chapecoense passou a segunda etapa administrando a classificação enquanto o adversário se lançava ao ataque sem objetividade.
- O goleiro Anderson foi o grande nome da noite, respondendo a cada tentativa botafoguense e transformando-se no símbolo da resistência da equipe catarinense.
- O Botafogo encerra sua participação na Copa do Brasil e redireciona as energias para o Brasileirão e a CONMEBOL Sudamericana, onde a temporada ainda tem muito a oferecer.
Na Arena Condá, em Chapecó, a Chapecoense construiu uma vitória por 2 a 0 sobre o Botafogo que foi suficiente para reverter a desvantagem do placar agregado e avançar às quartas de final da Copa do Brasil. O clube carioca havia vencido o jogo de ida por 1 a 0 no Rio de Janeiro, mas não conseguiu sustentar a vantagem fora de casa.
O Botafogo começou bem, com Júnior Santos obrigando o goleiro Anderson a trabalhar logo aos onze minutos. A Chapecoense, porém, respondeu com eficiência: aos dezenove, Marcinho recebeu na entrada da área e bateu de longe para abrir o placar — um gol carregado de simbolismo, já que o atacante havia vestido a camisa botafoguense em 2021. Os visitantes reclamaram de pênalti não marcado e ainda viram Arthur Cabral acertar a trave aos trinta e oito minutos. Antes do intervalo, Bolasie ampliou para 2 a 0, selando a classificação da Chapecoense ainda na primeira etapa.
No segundo tempo, o Botafogo voltou com mais intensidade, mas esbarrou repetidamente no goleiro Anderson, que fez defesas decisivas em chutes de Danilo e Kadir. Nos acréscimos, Ítalo chegou a balançar as redes em um contra-ataque, mas o gol foi anulado por impedimento. O apito final confirmou a eliminação.
A Chapecoense conhecerá seu adversário nas quartas de final no sorteio de 26 de maio, em Brasília. O Botafogo, por sua vez, volta as atenções ao Brasileirão e à CONMEBOL Sudamericana, onde ainda tem uma temporada inteira pela frente.
Chapecoense walked out of Arena Condá on Thursday night with a 2-0 victory that sent Botafogo home from the Copa do Brasil. The Santa Catarina club's two-goal performance, combined with Botafogo's 1-0 win in the first leg played in Rio de Janeiro, meant the aggregate score tilted 2-1 in Chapecoense's favor—enough to advance to the round of eight.
Botafogo arrived with the advantage that comes from winning away. They needed only to hold the line, and in the opening minutes they looked capable of it. Júnior Santos forced a save from Anderson just eleven minutes in, a moment that suggested the visitors might control the tempo. But Chapecoense struck first. At the nineteen-minute mark, Ênio found Marcinho on the edge of the box, and the striker unleashed a long-range shot that found the net. Marcinho, who had worn a Botafogo shirt in 2021, had just written himself into the match as a former player scoring against his old club—the kind of narrative that sticks in memory.
Botafogo protested a potential penalty at the twenty-eight-minute mark when Júnior Santos went down in a challenge with Bruno Pacheco, but the referee saw nothing to award. The visitors pressed back. Arthur Cabral came close to equalizing at thirty-eight minutes, his shot striking the crossbar and bouncing away. Then, in the forty-ninth minute, Bolasie added a second goal for Chapecoense. The hosts went into halftime with a 2-0 lead that had already secured their passage to the next round.
Needing at least one goal to force a penalty shootout, Botafogo emerged for the second half with renewed energy. The problem was converting that energy into actual chances. Chapecoense, content with their position, moved the ball around the field and absorbed pressure. As the match wore on, Botafogo's desperation grew. Danilo had a chance in the fortieth minute but squandered it, striking the ball poorly from inside the area. Kadir tried next, only to be denied by Anderson's save. The goalkeeper had become Chapecoense's wall.
In the final minutes, with everything to lose, Botafogo threw bodies forward. Anderson continued to answer every call. In the last moment of the match, Chapecoense broke away on the counter. Ítalo finished the move, but the goal was ruled out for offside—a small mercy that changed nothing. The whistle came, and Botafogo's Copa do Brasil campaign was over.
Chapecoense will learn their quarterfinal opponent on May 26, when the draw takes place in Brasília. Botafogo, meanwhile, turns its focus to the Brasileirão and the CONMEBOL Sudamericana, competitions where their season still has room to breathe.
Notable Quotes
Marcinho, a former Botafogo player from 2021, opened the scoring with a long-range strike in the nineteenth minute— Match report
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does a goal from a former player carry so much weight in a match like this?
Because it tells a story within the story. Marcinho played for Botafogo once, and now he's the one eliminating them. It's not just a goal—it's a reminder that football is small, that players move around, and sometimes they come back to haunt you.
Botafogo had the advantage going in. How do you lose that?
They needed to be patient, to absorb pressure, to take their chances when they came. But Chapecoense scored first, which changed everything. Suddenly Botafogo couldn't just defend—they had to chase. And when you're chasing in someone else's stadium, the math gets harder.
Anderson, the Chapecoense goalkeeper, seemed to be the difference.
He was. In the second half especially, when Botafogo was throwing everything forward, he made the saves that mattered. That's what separates teams in moments like this—one goalkeeper having a night where he doesn't break.
What does this mean for Botafogo's season?
It narrows their focus. They're out of the Copa do Brasil, so now it's the league and the Sudamericana. Those are still meaningful competitions, but the Copa was a chance at something bigger. Now they have to rebuild momentum elsewhere.
And Chapecoense moves forward.
They do. They get a draw on the twenty-sixth to find out who's next. They've earned it—they came to their home ground, they executed, and they didn't let Botafogo back into it when it mattered.