Bragantino and Ceará played out to a goalless draw in the eighth round of the Brazilian Championship on Thursday. After winning five games and drawing three in their first eight matches, Braga maintains their position on top of the table with 18 points. Vozao sits at 11th place in the standings with 10 points.
The opening 45 minutes were boring for Bragantino and Ceará. Despite having more ball possession, the home team was unable to establish a clear goal-scoring opportunity or pose a serious threat to Richard’s goal.
Marlon came close to scoring for Ceará after a great one-two with a teammate in the 18-yard box, but his effort was deflected for a corner kick, and the opportunity was missed. Raul was given a yellow card for a horrible foul in the 20th minute, and the visitors were awarded a free kick that went far off the mark.
Lucas Evangelista forced a spectacular save from Cleiton, via a shot from outside the goal area.
Early in the second half, Fernando Sobral had a chance to draw first blood, but Bragantino’s goalkeeper saved his effort. Richard was there to stop Arthur attempt in the 70th minute, when the forward was very close to scoring.
The game heated up as a result of the coaches’ substitutions later in the game, and the players had multiple confrontations, leading to Cléber’s dismissal.
Both teams had chances to score at the end of the game, but the goalkeepers kept the score even by making multiple saves. Natan Souza was only able to hit the side netting at close range during stoppage time.
It was a point gained but the result meant Bragantino saw their four-game consecutive winning streak come to an end. For Ceara, it means they have now recorded a fourth draw from their last six games.
Bragantino will face Sao Paulo in the ninth round of Serie A on Sunday, away from home. On that same day Ceará will host Juventude.
