Mineiro edge Bragantino as the Brasileirão title race tightens
Mineiro beat Bragantino 1-0 on matchday 21, with both goalscoring settled before half-time.
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Mineiro took the three points against Bragantino in the Campeonato Brasileiro Série A, winning 1-0 on Saturday 3 October. The only goal arrived in a first half that ended 1-0, and the visitors never found a reply after the break.
Matchday 21 leaves the table exactly where it was at the top, but not in the way the chasing pack would like. Flamengo sit first on 60 points with a goal difference of +32. Palmeiras are second on 57, three behind. Then comes the gap.
Paranaense hold third on 49, with Fluminense a point further back on 48 and Bahia on 46. Cruzeiro complete the top six on 45. Read those numbers again: the difference between third and sixth is four points. One bad week and a club drops three places.
The scoring charts tell a different story about who is actually dangerous. Kevin Viveros leads the league with 18 goals for Paranaense, a side sitting outside the top six. Pedro has 16 for Flamengo, the leaders. Gabriel Barbosa follows on 13 for Santos, then Carlos Vinícius on 10 for Grêmio and Luciano on 9 for São Paulo.
What does that say about Paranaense? Their striker has scored more than anyone in the division, and they are still looking up at the top four. One player cannot carry a season.
The Campeonato Brasileiro Série A does not pause for long. Bragantino host Mirassol on Wednesday 7 October, the same day the competition resumes. Flamengo and Palmeiras will both be watching that result closely, because three points is a thin cushion when the teams below keep winning.