Red Bull Bragantino 4-2 Cruzeiro-MG — Brazilian Serie A, 13 October 2026

Red Bull Bragantino produced one of their most convincing home displays of the Brazilian Serie A season on Tuesday, beating Cruzeiro-MG 4-2 at the Estádio Nabi Abi Chedid in Bragança Paulista. In a match that swung one way and then the other, the home side answered every Cruzeiro rally with another goal, closing out a six-goal contest that underlined both their attacking quality and the defensive fragility that has made them such an entertaining fixture for neutrals this term.

The result gives Bragantino a valuable three points in their push up the Serie A standings, while Cruzeiro return to Belo Horizonte with questions to answer about a back line that conceded four times in a single league match for only the second time this campaign.

Match Overview

Bragantino started the brighter of the two sides, pressing high and forcing Cruzeiro into a series of hurried clearances in the opening quarter of an hour. The breakthrough arrived on 12 minutes when Thiago Borbas latched onto a low cross from the right and finished first time from close range, sending the home crowd into early celebration.

The lead was doubled on 34 minutes through captain Eduardo Sasha, who timed his run into the penalty area perfectly to meet a clipped ball over the top and head past the goalkeeper. Cruzeiro, who had looked dangerous on the counter without ever really testing the home keeper, went into the interval two goals down and clearly needing a tactical reset.

They got one almost immediately after the restart. Matheus Pereira, Cruzeiro's chief creative force, pulled one back on 58 minutes with a curling left-footed effort from the edge of the box after a short corner routine caught Bragantino napping. For twenty minutes the visitors were the better team, pushing numbers forward and pinning the home side back.

That pressure was broken on 71 minutes, however, when Vinícius Lopes finished off a rapid counter-attack, racing clear after a Cruzeiro corner broke down and slotting calmly beyond the advancing goalkeeper to restore the two-goal cushion. Kaio Jorge gave the visitors late hope with a well-taken header on 84 minutes, but any thought of a dramatic comeback was extinguished in stoppage time when substitute Gustavo Pitta converted a cut-back from the byline to seal the win at 4-2.

Key Moments

• 12' — Bragantino 1-0: Thiago Borbas opens the scoring with a first-time finish from a low right-wing cross.
• 34' — Bragantino 2-0: Eduardo Sasha heads home a perfectly weighted ball over the Cruzeiro defence.
• 58' — Bragantino 2-1: Matheus Pereira curls a left-footed shot in from the edge of the area after a short corner.
• 71' — Bragantino 3-1: Vinícius Lopes finishes a counter-attack following a broken-down Cruzeiro corner.
• 84' — Bragantino 3-2: Kaio Jorge heads in to set up a tense final stretch.
• 90+2' — Bragantino 4-2: Substitute Gustavo Pitta converts from close range to end the contest.

Tactical Story

Bragantino's setup was built around speed in transition. With a compact midfield block and two quick wide players, they invited Cruzeiro forward and then attacked the space behind the full-backs at every opportunity. Two of their four goals came directly from turnovers in the middle third, and their willingness to shoot early from the edge of the box kept the visiting goalkeeper busy throughout.

Cruzeiro's problem was structural rather than individual. Their midfield struggled to protect the back four when possession was lost, and the gaps between centre-backs and full-backs grew wider as the game wore on and they chased the scoreline. Matheus Pereira's goal briefly changed the momentum, and for a spell Cruzeiro looked capable of levelling, but each time they committed bodies forward they left themselves exposed to the counter — exactly the scenario Bragantino's game plan was designed to exploit.

The substitutions told the story of the closing stages. Cruzeiro added attacking options in search of an equaliser; Bragantino responded with fresh legs in wide areas, and it was one of those substitutes, Pitta, who delivered the decisive fourth goal deep into stoppage time.

Standout Players

Thiago Borbas was a constant menace through the middle, holding the ball up well and dropping into midfield to link play. His early goal set the tone for the afternoon. Eduardo Sasha led by example as captain, and his movement in the box for the second goal was a reminder of the finishing instinct that has made him such a valuable figure in the sq