Cruzeiro coach Leonardo Jardim spoke of “mourning” after the team’s elimination in the semi-finals of the Brazilian Cup this Sunday (14/12). “Today is a day of mourning, a lot of sadness for the Cruzeiro family,” he said.
Raposa left the competition after being beaten by Corinthians on penalties in the second leg of the semi-final. The celestial team had to reverse the 1 x 0 defeat suffered in Mineirão and climbed 2 x 0 on the scoreboard with two goals from Arroyo, but saw Bidu equalize the total score of the match due to an error from Cássio and sending the duel to penalties.
Gabigol and Wallace wasted their accusations.
5 images
Close the modal.
1 out of 5Riquelve Nata/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images2 of 5Riquelve Nata/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images3 of 5Riquelve Nata/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images4 of 5Riquelve Nata/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images5 of 5Riquelve Nata/Sports Press Photo/Getty Images
Regarding the elimination, Léo Jardim regretted the defeat against Corinthians and considered that the defeat at home weighed on the final result:
“As for the match, we lost the draw at home. It was one of the few big matches in which we were not at our level. Today we showed once again why the fans love this team and support them. We arrived at the Arena, with a difficult opponent, we won within 90 minutes. The first half was excellent, the second half was good. The opponent scores a goal from a set piece and goes in game. On penalties we were the last to qualify, we didn’t take advantage.”said Léo Jardim.
“We lost in order. Penalties don’t erase the game, which is what we presented. But it doesn’t erase the campaign we had either. We are sad, it wasn’t the result we wanted. We had the team to win a title. We didn’t get it”concluded.
The Portuguese was once again questioned about remaining at the helm of Cruzeiro. On this subject, Léo Jardim did not confirm the renewal, but revealed that he will have a meeting with the board of directors this Monday (14/12) to define his future:
“This is not the day to discuss. Tomorrow we will talk about everything that happens regarding my future,” he said.
The elimination of Corinthians culminates at the end of the season for Cruzeiro. In 2025, Raposa won a place to compete in the Libertadores in 2025. This will be the first time they will participate in the tournament after falling to Série B in 2019.
The celestial team finished the Brazilian Championship in 3rd place in the ranking. In 2025, they also participated in the South American Championship after being runners-up in 2024, but were eliminated in the first phase.
About The Author
