Correio newspaper | Vitória surpasses first round score with eight games remaining in Series A

With the result of 1-0 against Red Bull Bragantino, the red and black team reached 17 points in 11 games

A fundamental part of sport is the daily coexistence with overcoming, whether to overcome imposed barriers or to overcome obstacles created by oneself. Among the 20 clubs that make up the Brazilian Championship, the script followed by Vitória in the 11 most recent matches follows the guideline of the second example. After all, the red and black team has already surpassed the score from the first part of the competition, with eight games still to be played.

Leão has given signs that it can finish Serie A free from the relegation zone. At the moment, it is outside the Z4, in 16th place, with 32 points. It’s the same amount as Corinthians, but the Bahian club is ahead for having won more (9×7).

Among the 11 duels played in the return, Vitória scored 17 points, with five wins and two draws. The utilization rate in this cut-off is 51%.

If this performance is maintained in the remaining eight clashes, the tendency is that red and black fans will be able to celebrate their stay in the first division at the end of the 38 rounds. If the team led by Thiago Carpini adds 12 more of the 24 points at stake, they would finish the competition with a total of 44. According to the Department of Mathematics at the Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), the score carries a probability of just 4.5 % drop.

With just over a month to go until the end of the Brasileirão, the expectations created by the club’s recent results even seemed unlikely at the end of the first round. Vitória ended the opening half of Série A with a 26% performance, with only 15 points out of a possible 57. During the period, Leão won four times, drew three and lost another 12.

One of the main factors for the recovery was the reformulation of the squad, both in relation to the players and the technical command. With Léo Condé, there were five matches played and only one point scored. With Carpini, the red and black managed to achieve a balance. Or, as the coach himself defined it, “he stopped the bleeding”.

Against Red Bull Bragantino, last Saturday, five players who entered the field wearing the red and black shirt arrived during the second transfer window: Neris, Ricardo Ryller, Gustavo Mosquito, Machado and Carlos Eduardo. The latter, in fact, was decisive in overcoming the São Paulo opponent by crossing for Everaldo’s goal.

With the 1-0 result against Massa Bruta, the red and black team became the team with the 8th best return campaign. Among the other clubs still fighting against relegation, only Fluminense and Grêmio have scored more points than Vitória in the last 11 games. Still according to UFMG calculations, the Bahian team has a 40% chance of falling to the second division.

Even with the recovery in the Brazilian Championship, coach Thiago Carpini rejected the idea that it is possible to dream of a place in the South American Championship. At this moment, teams that finish Series A between 7th and 12th place are guaranteed in the international competition. However, the classification zone may change according to the performance of Brazilian teams in the Copa do Brasil, Libertadores and the South American Championship itself.

“No way. We need to dream of permanence and work for it. It’s difficult to win at this point in the competition, it’s a very difficult final stretch, everyone fighting for their goals. We can’t talk about bigger things, we have to consolidate ourselves. These 32 points do not guarantee us permanence, much less the South American Championship. Let’s think about having a good week to beat Fluminense”, said Carpini.

The Tricolor from Rio is the next opponent in the sequence of direct confrontations that Vitória has. The duel will be on Saturday (26), at 4:30 pm, at Barradão. The rival occupies 15th place in the Brasileirão, with 33 points.