Atlético-MG and Cruzeiro drew in a lively and tense derby this Wednesday (15th) at Arena MRV.
Matheus Pereira opened the scoring for Raposa early in the second half, and Ruan equalized shortly after.
Following the equalizer, the league’s top scorer, Kaio Jorge, was sent off for making a theft gesture with his hands.
Even with a numerical advantage for most of the second half, Atlético could not turn the game around.
The Match
The first half at Arena MRV saw the home side with the best chances to score.
Atlético-MG was the team pressing forward more and posed a threat, especially with shots from Gustavo Scarpa and Bernard.
But what stood out most in the first half of the derby were the confusions caused by referee Paulo Cesar Zanovelli.
He showed the wrong card in two different incidents in the same minute. In both situations, he initially showed a red card and then quickly corrected himself by pulling out the yellow.
PROFESSOR TÁ CONFUSO!
Árbitro aplica cartão vermelho sem querer para Kaiki Bruno e Kaio Jorge em sequência e quase mata os cruzeirenses do coração. Nos dois lances, o juiz corrigiu e aplicou o amarelo.#futebol#atleticomg#cruzeiro#brasileiraopic.twitter.com/BXPLTL6mfz
— ge (@geglobo) October 16, 2025
The goals were “saved” for the second half and didn’t take long to come after the break.
Just two minutes into the second half, Gabriel Menino tried to play the ball back but ended up serving Kaio Jorge.
One-on-one with Everson, the top scorer wasn’t selfish and squared the ball for Matheus Pereira to tap into the empty net.
The equalizer came soon after, from a set piece.
Galo took a quick corner and Guilherme Arana crossed into the box, finding Ruan’s head, who finished into the net.
While Atlético’s players were celebrating, Kaio Jorge made a theft gesture with his hands and was shown a red card, leaving Cruzeiro with one player less.
KAIO JORGE EXPULSO!
Árbitro expulsa Lucas Romero por “gesto de roubo”, mas VAR avisa e juiz corrige o cartão vermelho para Kaio Jorge. Cruzeiro com um a menos contra o Atlético-MG.#futebol#atleticomg#cruzeiro#brasileiraopic.twitter.com/mAfuLzyEE1
— ge (@geglobo) October 16, 2025
Galo couldn’t take advantage of the numerical superiority to turn the score around, and the match ended in a draw.
Schedule
Atlético-MG
10/18 – Corinthians vs Atlético-MG (Brasileirão)
10/21 – Independiente del Valle vs Atlético-MG (Copa Sudamericana)
10/25 – Atlético-MG vs Ceará (Brasileirão)
10/28 – Atlético-MG vs Independiente del Valle (Copa Sudamericana)
11/02 – Inter vs Atlético-MG (Brasileirão)
Cruzeiro
10/18 – Cruzeiro vs Fortaleza (Brasileirão)
10/26 – Palmeiras vs Cruzeiro (Brasileirão)
11/01 – Cruzeiro vs Vitória (Brasileirão)
11/05 – Grêmio vs Cruzeiro (Brasileirão)
11/09 – Cruzeiro vs Fluminense (Brasileirão)
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.
📸 Pedro Vilela – 2025 Getty Images
