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With just over 33,000 people at the Governador José Magalhães Pinto Stadium, the "Mineirão," Fernando Diniz's Cruzeiro, former head coach of the Brazilian National Team, could only manage a tough 1-1 draw against Betim, currently outside of Brazil's national football divisions.
Eurico scored Betim's goal in the 38th minute, while Cruzeiro, nicknamed "Cabuloso," equalized with Lautaro Diaz in the 87th minute.
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Gustavo Lopes
The match also marked the official debut of the star Gabriel Barbosa, affectionately nicknamed "Gabi-Gol," who, in 90 minutes, contributed very little. The striker now receives one of the highest salaries in Brazilian football and was the team's biggest prize in free agency and primary hope for scoring goals in 2025; despite his last two seasons with C.R. Flamengo being well below the level fans had grown accustomed to seeing from Gabi.
"We have to win games, win championships, that’s the only way out we have. And the fans, I repeat, are in their right to boo, they’re in their right to be impatient, and that’s exactly it. We have to look for victories. Everything has a limit, we have to look for wins." - Diniz
However, the fans, who already had their grievances with Head Coach Diniz, found another reason to boo the coach and call for his dismissal. Under his tutelage, the team has played 18 matches, with 4 wins, 7 draws, and 7 losses. The fans had already been asking for his job after the poor end to last season, especially following the 3-1 loss in the Copa Sudamericana final, which crowned Racing/ARG as champs.
After the game, the tension increased, and football director Alexandre Mattos and investor Pedro Lourenço, sources say, held meetings with Diniz that lasted over an hour to demand results from the team, which had just played its third official match of the year.
"We had a private conversation, and I won’t go into the details of it. The meeting had content, discussing the team and the conversation about me. A conversation needs to happen. It’s a charge, because the results have been very poor." - Fernando Diniz.
Many thought he would be fired, which wasn't the first time. According to several reports, the board had considered firing the coach last year. Still, it reversed the decision after a press conference in which the coach addressed the situation following a defeat.
Currently, in 1st place in their group in the state championship with a record of 1-1-1, the team still has five games left in the tournament plus playoffs to turn things around, including the derby against Atlético Mineiro.
Cruzeiro's next match is against Itabirito on January 30, away from home.
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Gustavo Lopes
