Marsal kept Botafogo alive in contention for the Group of Five title in the Brazilian Championship and a direct place in the group stage of the Copa Libertadores. With a goal and a penalty kick in the second half, the left-back improvising as a defender on the right side was the main name for the Black and Whites in the 2-2 draw with Cruzeiro at Mineirão.
Although it does not place Botafogo among the top five, the equalizer achieved in the 50th minute of the second half, when Alex Telles scored from a penalty kick, means that the team still has a chance to enter the desired classification area. To do that, the Black and Whites will have to beat Fortaleza at Nilton Santos and hope for a draw between Fluminense and Bahia at the Maracanã.
-It took us a while to get into the game. After we conceded the first goal, we had more courage to keep the ball and were able to adapt better to the ball movement. Telles said: “Our commitment is always to win, and that is what Botafogo deserves, but I applaud our response from 2-0 to a draw, we achieved this difficult point.”
For Marsal, the outstanding performance reinforces the defender’s eligibility to renew his contract with the club, which expires on December 31. At the age of 36, the full-back (and defender) has already shown that he is a reliable player in any position in which he is used. Talks between the two parties are already underway and the tie should be postponed once the season ends.
As for David Ancelotti’s Botafogo team, the message is that in the next round’s ‘decision’, the team will need to start with its best ability from the beginning. Yesterday, when without Montoro, who only came on after 2-0 – goals from Cristian, in the first half, and Matheus Pereira, in the second – the black and white player was not very attacking and had difficulty converting possession of the ball.
On the pitch, the Argentine was mainly responsible for leading the match against Botafogo. Moreover, he was the one who stole the ball into the goal that Marsal scored with an assist from David Ricardo.
In fact, the defender created another problem for Davide. With several absences due to injury, the Italian coach will not be at David Ricciardo’s disposal, after he was sent off in the last minutes for interfering with Matthews Henrique. Without the injured Barboza, Botafogo will likely face Fortaleza with Marcell and Newton, a defender and midfielder, improvising in defence.