The nerves are on edge (daily newspaper Junge Welt)

A beautiful good morning! The Sport Club Corinthians Paulista is still on course for the championship. On the 16th matchday of the Brasileirão, the Timão received the Clube de Regatas do Flamengo from Rio de Janeiro in the Neo Química Arena in São Paulo on Sunday for the most important football game in the country of the record world champions.

The two teams are the most popular of the subcontinent’s largest country and have just qualified for the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores, America’s premier competition. Corinthians had even managed the feat of eliminating the second most successful club in the competition, Boca Juniors, in their own “Bombonera” (candy box) stadium on the Río Riachuelo.

Executioner Bocas picked up where he left off in Buenos Aires and defeated the Fla 1-0 – with the twist that the visitors scored the only goal of the match themselves. Right lateral Rodinei plinked the ball over the line from a cross that was definitely not meant for him, as if he had just fallen asleep playing a game of Compjuta. Such foolish self-goals have been punished with executions in this business, so we wish Rodinei a good night’s sleep.

It was a very special day for the Timão’s goalie, Cássio, who skated the Paulistas jersey for the 600th time. He thanked him with spectacular saves and was then inevitably named MVP. The lackluster win sees Lula da Silva’s Corinthians second in Série A (Flamengo is ninth). Sociedade Esportiva Palmeiras remain at the top of the table with a one-point lead. The green-whites scored zero in the black north-east at red-lantern side Fortaleza, which may have caused mixed feelings for club president Leila Mejdalani Pereira. After all, the Libertadores winner of 2020 and 2021 has the best defense with only twelve goals conceded.

Corinthians and Flamengo meet again in the quarterfinals of the Libertadores. On August 2nd in São Paulo, a week later in Rio. In the night from Wednesday to Thursday (2.30 a.m. CET) both will play in the round of 16 second legs of the Copa do Brasil. For Corinthians, nothing should burn out in the Paulista classic at FC Santos (first leg 4-0). Regatta club Flamengo, meanwhile, have to make up for a 2-1 draw against Atlético Mineiro in the first leg in Belo Horizonte. Palmeiras is expecting FC São Paulo tomorrow (first leg 0-1).

After the early elimination in the Libertadores, Argentina’s flagships River Plate and Boca Juniors lost again in the domestic league. Marcelo “Napoleón” Gallardo, coach of the Millonario, was sent off during the home defeat against relegation candidate Godoy Cruz from Mendoza for calling the referee a “pelotudo” (idiot). The nerves are raw. The guests even defended their 2:0 lead for halftime outnumbered.

Meanwhile, there was a death in the lower class classic between Luján and Leandro N. Alem (Primera C, fourth division). 18-year-old Joaquín Coronel died from a nine-millimeter bullet in his chest. Supporters of the guests, including officials from Alem, had opened fire from a white Peugeot 308. The hail of bullets left six others injured. The game was stopped after 14 minutes.