I've been following the Brazilian league over the past few months. It's one of the closest in years, with just 2 games left.

Realistically the title is between just 2 teams, although mathematically, 3 clubs stand a chance. Then there is the battle for a top 4 place, which means qualification for the Copa Libertadores.

Unbelievably, on the penultimate weekend of the season, the top 6 all play each other. Well, not quite, what I mean is that each of the top 6 is playing another side from the top 6.

Who'd a thunk it?

Anyway, here's my latest update.




CORINTHIANS COME FROM BEHIND TO STAY AHEAD


A goal in injury time gave leaders, Corinthians, a crucial win to keep them 2pts ahead of Vasco. But it was tense stuff as Atletico Mineiro had threatened to spoil the party when they took the lead through Leonardo Silva, 10 minutes after half-time.

Into the final quarter-of-an-hour and then Liedson grabbed an important equaliser. Corinthians have followed Sao Paulo’s example and tempted a European-based player back to his homeland, when Adriano joined from Roma on a 1-year deal. In just his 4th appearance, Adriano chose the ideal time to finally open his goalscoring account. He came on as a sub for Willian in the 67th minute, and as the game was still level going into injury time, Adriano popped up to grab the winning goal. He then was booked a minute later to round off an eventful match for the Brazilian international.

Corinthians 2 – 1 Atletico Mineiro

Pressure was on Corinthians to maintain their winning run after Vasco had cruised past, bottom club, Avai, on Saturday. Second half goals from Felipe and Elton gave Vasco a 2-0 win, but they have to rely on Corinthians to drop points from the final 2 matches

Vasco Da Gama 2 – 0 Avai

Third placed, Fluminense, travelled to Figueirense, who were on a 14-game unbeaten run. Figueirense had put together a 6-game winning run until they drew with Flamengo, last week. In one of the most surprising results for a while, Fluminense ran out 4-0 winners.

Having beaten Gremio, 5-4 last week, Fluminense then continued their rich goalscoring form with a further 4 goals against Figueirense. Last week, Fred scored 4 goals, this week he helped himself to a further 3, taking his total to 20 for the season. This may well be too little too late for Fluminense to win the overall title, but they just need a point from their last 2 matches to secure a Copa Libertadores place.

After a goalless first half, Fred took just 3 minutes after the re-start, to put the visitors in front. On 57 minutes, Fred grabbed his 2nd, and then Marquinho made it 3-0 in the 72nd. Fred completed his hat-trick with just 5 minutes remaining.

Figueirense’ defeat meant they dropped out of the Copa Libertadores places and were replaced by Internacional, who travelled to Botafogo on Sunday. Botafogo are on a nightmare run of 3 successive defeats and 6 losses in their last 7 games. This run of form continued as Leandro Damiao and Oscar put Internacional 2-up before Felipe Menezes scored a consolation goal for Botafogo. Internacional won 2-1 and are up to 4th, on goal difference.

Flamengo failed to take advantage of Figueirense’ slip, as they too continued their poor run of form. They took their run to just 1 win in their last 6 as they were held by Atletico Goinanense, 0-0. They have now gone 3 games without a win and have a real fight on their hands to try and get back into the top 4, as their final 2 matches are against sides above them.

Sao Paulo paid Sevilla £7.6m for Luis Fabiano in March. In just 8 appearances he took his goal tally to 4, with 2 more against, relegation threatened, America Mineiro. 2-0 up at half-time, Sao Paulo ran out 3-1 winners and are 1pt away from 4th place.





So things are hotting up for a really tight finish to this season. Mathematically, Fluminense still have a chance of the title, but realistically it is between Corinthians and Vasco Da Gama. Fluminense are virtually assured of a top 4 finish, but the battle for 4th is, mathematically between 5, possibly 6 clubs, but realistically between Internacional, Figueirense, Flamengo and Sao Paulo. Botafogo and Coritiba would seem to have too much to do.

Remaining Fixtures (current positions in brackets)

Corinthians

(a) Figueirense (5th)
(h) Palmeiras (12th)

Vasco Da Gama

(a) Fluminense (3rd)
(h) Flamengo (6th)

Fluminense

(h) Vasco Da Gama (2nd)
(a) Botafogo (8th)

Internacional

(a) Flamengo (6th)
(h) Gremio (11th)

Figueirense

(h) Corinthians (5th)
(a) Avai (20th)

Flamengo

(h) Internacional (4th)
(a) Vasco Da Gama (2nd)

Sao Paulo

(a) Palmeiras (12th)
(h) Santos (10th)

Next Sunday proves to be a fascinating series of fixtures as the top 6 all play each other. Rarely could a fixture secretary have engineered an end to a season like this.

Figueirense (5) v Corinthians (1)
Fluminense (3) v Vasco Da Gama (2)
Flamengo (6) v Internacional (4)

But let’s not totally rule out Botafogo or Coritiba as they both meet the bottom 2 clubs next Sunday and any slip up from the teams above them, could open things up.

Atletico Mineiro (14) v Botafogo (8th)
Coritiba (9) v Avai (20)

This seems pretty amazing a season for the legaue, amazing update for it too mate, i can't wait for the next installation of it

Great stuff Deeb,

With so many amazing Brazilian players I must confess I know very little about the Footie scene there.

I am sure this will inspire me to play a Brazilian team game on FM now.

Thanks

Looking at the Brazilian League system, it seems a lot more complicated than what is going on in Europe.

this has really caught my imagination. I don't know whether its because it was nearing the end of the season, but teams seemed to keep beating each other.

It has certainly got me more interested in it. I hadn't realised there were websites where you are able to find out as much detail as you can for the Premier League.

Then when you add that players like Adriano and Luis Fabiano have gone back there, coupled with the fact that Corinthians are rumoured to have enough money to burn to afford Tevez, it certainly does seem interesting.

WG, this league is a darn sight easier to follow than the Peruvian one, I think you'll agree.

Thanks for the comments

Peru is simplicity compared with Brazil.

Yes, the Peruvian end of season is a little weird, but Brazil... wow.

Let's go to the Wikipedia:

"There are two simultaneous and independent pyramids in the Brazilian football, the national pyramid, and the state pyramid.

While the national competitions are organized by CBF, the state championships are organized by the respective football federations of each state (for example, the Campeonato Pernambucano is organized by the Pernambuco Football Federation).

The national pyramid competitions starts in May and ends in December.
The state pyramid has different duration and schedule in each state,
but in states with clubs competing on the national first and second
divisions, the main state championships run from January/February to
April/May.

Most states have at least one secondary tournament involving smaller
clubs not in the top two leagues of the national championship, this
lesser championship runs from July to December. Besides the trophy, it
may award the winner(s) places in the main tournament or in the Brazilian Cup next year.

Smaller states, whose clubs do not take part in national competitions
have longer competitions, usually running during the "winter" months:
April to October."

See, you started following the national pyramid... but how the State championship pyramid fits in with this whole system, especially since it seems that different states have different ways they do their championships. It is all so confusing.

Yeah, now you mention it, it's very odd.

There doesn't seem to be a correlation between state and national

If you go to this website, down the left hand side is all the leagues!!
http://www.soccerway.com/national/brazil/serie-a/2011/regular-season/

Point made, WG

Looks bloody crazy!!! Think I might start in the lower leagues of Brazil on FM

I think the fact that professional footballers in Brazil play so many games in a year is probably one of the reasons why as a nation they've been so successful internationally.

Corinthians striker, Liedson scored his 12th goal of the season , 67 minutes into their match at Figueirense last night. It proved to be the only goal of the game, and leaves them in the position where a point against Palmeiras next weekend could be enough to see them lift the title for the 5th time in their history. One more than their opponents next week.

Third last season, Corinthians last won the title in 2005, and have managed to hold their nerve at the crucial stage, registering their 4th straight win. Figueirense had been on a fantastic run of 14 games unbeaten, but have now back-to-back defeats could have put paid to their Copa Libertadores hopes. They must win at Avai next weekend, and even then that might not be enough.

It was an epic night of football in Brazil, last night, as the top 6 all played against other teams from the top 6.

2nd placed, Vasco Da Gama, travelled to 3rd placed Fluminense, with both teams harbouring dreams of a league title, should Corinthians falter. With the game heading towards a goalless draw, Alecsandro put the visitors ahead in the 77th minute, 6 minutes after coming on as a sub. Fred then notched up his 21st of the season when he equalised with 6 minutes remaining, and then Bernardo, another substitute, grabbed the winner for Vasco in the 90th minute.


That defeat put paid to Fluminense’s title aspirations, but they are assured of a top 4 finish and therefore Copa Libertadores qualification. Internacional, who were 4th at the start of play, travelled to Flamengo (6th), with both teams separated simply on goal difference. There was just one goal in the game and it fell to Flamengo as some chap called Ronaldinho scored, right on half-time.

Figueirense 0 – 1 Corinthians
Fluminense 1 – 2 Vasco Da Gama
Flamengo 1 – 0 Internacional

Internacional’s defeat has now opened the door for Coritiba, who have put together a decent run late on in the season. Their 1-0 win over Avai takes them to 5 wins in their last 6, and propelled them from 9th to 5th last night. Serie B champions last season, Coritiba has only won the Brazilian title once, in 1985. They stormed to the Serie B title last season on the back of a remarkable 24 consecutive wins, and picked up the Copa do Brasil too, in slightly unusual circumstances. They won on away goals, as the Copa do Brasil is the only cup in the world that can be decided this way.

Coritiba need Flamengo to slip up next weekend, but their superior goal difference could be a deciding factor.

Sao Paulo ruined any hopes they had of Copa Libertadores qualification when they went down 0-1 to Palmeiras. The biggest win of the night was for Atletico Mineiro as they thrashed Botafogo, 4-0. I say this every week, but the end of the season cannot come soon enough for Botafogo, as that’s now 5 straight defeats, and their 7th in their last 8 games.





Next weekend fixtures

So the Brazilian Serie A reaches its conclusion next Sunday, with still a couple of issues to be decided. The title, for one.

Corinthians are at home to Palmeiras (11th)
Vasco Da Gama are at home to Flamengo (4th)

Corinthians, Vasco and Fluminense are all certain of Copa Libertadores participation, but 4th place is still to be determined.

Whilst 4th placed Flamengo travel to 2nd placed Vasco, Coritiba (5th) are away to Atletico Parenense (18th) who could still stave off relegation.

Internacional (6th) are at home to Gremio (12th) and Figueirense (7th) travel to relegated Avai (20th)

Love it when its down to the wire.

Will look forward to the update next week but my money is on Corinthians to take it all

America MG was the finalist in the CL against me last season... so I am sort of rooting for them to avoid relegation.

Wow, a North American sports fan who understands the concept of relegation


America Mineiro are away to Atletico Goianiense.

They've been battling hard against relegation with 4 wins from their last 5 matches, including wins over Corinthians and at Fluminense.

They are completely reliant on results elsewhere, although Atletico Paranense are the only side around them, playing a team that needs to win, as they're at home to Coritiba

In one of the most exciting competitions for years, the Brazilian Championship went down to the wire. On the final day, we still didn’t know who would win the title, although Corinthians were in the driving seat. We had still to decide the qualifiers for the Copa Libertadores (South American Champions League).

Brazil has 5 entries into this competition, the top 4 in the league plus the winner of the Copa do Brasil. Vasco da Gama won that trophy when they beat Coritiba on away goals over 2 legs. With Vasco battling for the title this meant clubs finishing in the top 5 would be assured of going into the Copa Libertadores.

Corinthians and Vasco were battling it out for the title. Corinthians were 2pts clear, with
both teams at home. Brazilian rules dictate that with 2 sides level on points, the first count-back is for games won, rather than goal difference as we have in Europe. At the start of play, Corinthians had 21 wins, Vasco 19. So, Corinthians just needed a draw to become champions.

Corinthians, Vasco and Fluminense were already certain of finishing in the top 5, but Flamengo (who were away to Vasco on the final day), Coritiba, Internacional, Figueirense, Sao Paulo and Botafogo, all stood a chance of gaining 1 of the 2 remaining places.

At the bottom, 4 go down. Avai were doomed a while back, but the remaining 3 spots were between America Mineiro, Atletico Paranense, Ceara and Cruzeiro.


Here is how things progressed.


Corinthians v Palmeiras
Vasco da Gama v Flamengo

Remember, Corinthians just need a draw, Vasco must win, but even that might not be enough. Flamengo can afford to lose and still finish in the top 5, but they’ll be worrying about results elsewhere. A draw would make sure of 4th.

30 mins: Diego Souza puts Vasco 1-0 up. Corinthians are 0-0, so they’re going to be champions if it stays like this.

45 mins: Vasco 1 – 0 Flamengo, Corinthians 0 – 0 Palmeiras
Both Vasco and Corinthians are on 71pts, but Corinthians has won 21 games to Vasco’s 20

55 mins: Renato Abreu scores for Flamengo. Vasco 1 -1 Flamengo. Vasco need another goal, but they also need Palmeiras to score against Corinthians

No further goals in either match

FINAL SCORE
Corinthians 0 – 0 Palmeiras
Vasco da Gama 1 – 1 Flamengo

Corinthians and Flamengo get the results they wanted.

CORINTHIANS ARE CHAMPIONS

With Flamengo securing 4th place we now had the battle for 5th place.

Coritiba (57pts), Internacional (57pts), Figueirense (57pts), Sao Paulo (56pts), Botafogo (55pts)

Sao Paulo v Santos
Internacional v Gremio
Atletico Paranense v Coritiba
Avai v Figueirense
Botafogo v Fluminense


5 mins: Botafogo 0 – 1 Fluminense : Fred scores his 10th goal in 13 games this season
Coritiba (58pts), Internacional (58pts), Figueirense (58pts), Sao Paulo (57pts), Botafogo (55pts)

10 mins: Botafogo 1 – 1 Fluminense : Felipe Menzes equalises for the home side
Coritiba (58pts), Internacional (58pts), Figueirense (58pts), Sao Paulo (57pts), Botafogo (56pts)


13 mins: Sao Paulo 1 – 0 Santos : Luis Fabiano scores

Sao Paulo (59), Coritiba (58), Internacional (58), Figueirense (58), Botafogo (56)

33 mins: Sao Paulo 2 – 0 Santos : Cicero doubles Sao Paulo’s lead
Sao Paulo (59), Coritiba (58), Internacional (58), Figueirense (58), Botafogo (56)

38 mins: Sao Paulo 3 – 0 Santos : Lucas Silva makes it 3

Sao Paulo (59), Coritiba (58), Internacional (58), Figueirense (58), Botafogo (56)

44 mins: Avai 1 – 0 Figueirense : Diogo Orlando puts relegated Avai in front

Sao Paulo (59), Coritiba (58), Internacional (58), Figueirense (57), Botafogo (56)

HALF TIME: Sao Paulo were in the driving seat, 3-0 up, but Coritiba and Internacional just need a goal. Figueirense needed to win now, 0-1 down. With Sao Paulo winning, Botafogo were likely to be out of it now.

47 mins: Avai 1 – 1 Figueirense : Heber scores after coming on as a sub

Sao Paulo (59), Coritiba (58), Internacional (58), Figueirense (58), Botafogo (56)

61 mins: Sao Paulo 3 – 1 Santos : Elano scores for Santos, could this be an epic comeback?

Sao Paulo (59), Coritiba (58), Internacional (58), Figueirense (58), Botafogo (56)

61 mins: Internacional 1 – 0 Gremio : Argentinian, D’Alessandro put Internacional in front. Now the pressure was on Coritiba, Sao Paulo and Figueirense

Internacional (60), Sao Paulo (59), Coritiba (58), Figueirense (58), Botafogo (56)


73 mins: Atletico Paranense 1 – 0 Coritiba : Disaster for Coritiba as Guerron puts Atletico in front.

Internacional (60), Sao Paulo (59), Figueirense (58), Coritiba (57), Botafogo (56)

81 mins: Sao Paulo 4 – 1 Santos : Luis Fabiano scores his 2nd of the game

FINAL SCORES

Sao Paulo 4 – 1 Santos
Internacional 1 – 0 Gremio
Atletico PR 1 – 0 Coritiba
Avai 1 – 1 Figueirense


Just before we show you the league table, here’s a special request from one chap for the America Mineiro result


Atletico Goianiense 5 – 1 America Mineiro


In the end the relegation battle wasn’t that exciting as Cruzeiro thumped Atletico Mineiro, 6-1. Which meant it was all academic what the 3 teams below them did, but Atletico Paranense beat Coritiba, 1-0, America MG lost, 1-5 and Ceara lost 1-2 to Bahia.

Here’s the final table





I hope you’ve enjoyed this coverage of the Brazilian Championship, as much as I’ve enjoyed putting it together. I must admit I’ve never really bothered with this league, but several things changed my mind.

Firstly, I’d heard it was an exciting competition this year. Then I’d also heard some Brazilian internationals had gone back home, such as Luis Fabiano and Adriano. Lastly, they’re just signed a lucrative tv deal so clubs now have more money, hence the Tevez interest from Corinthians.

If it encourages you to look at taking over a club on FM12, then I’ve achieved part of my aims with this.