Bareiro Breaks Deadlock as Fortaleza Edge Past Bragantino

Bareiro Breaks Deadlock as Fortaleza Edge Past Bragantino

Fortaleza claimed a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Red Bull Bragantino at Estádio Municipal Cicero De Souza Marques in Bragança Paulista. The result provided crucial points for the visitors in their Brazilian Serie A campaign despite facing sustained pressure from the home side throughout the match.

Adam Bareiro broke the deadlock in the 76th minute with a clinical right-footed shot from the centre of the box that found the bottom left corner. Lucas Crispim provided the assist after his initial shot from the centre of the box was blocked, with the ball falling perfectly for Bareiro to finish.

Bragantino controlled 66.4% of possession and registered 16 shots compared to Fortaleza's eight, but struggled to find the clinical edge in front of goal. The home side created numerous opportunities, particularly through headers from Lucas Barbosa and Isidro Pitta, while Fortaleza goalkeeper Brenno made key interventions when called upon.

The match flow heavily favoured Bragantino, who pressed relentlessly for an equalizer after falling behind. In the closing stages, Gustavo Marques forced a crucial save from Brenno with a header in the 89th minute, while Fernando's blocked header moments later epitomized the home side's frustration. Fortaleza defended resolutely and looked dangerous on the counter-attack, with Eros Mancuso testing Cleiton from long range late in the contest.

The victory moves Fortaleza up the Serie A table while Bragantino will rue their inability to capitalize on territorial dominance. Both teams made multiple substitutions in the final stages as the match became increasingly stretched, with five minutes of added time providing additional drama before Fortaleza secured all three points.