Bola Rolando: Operário revives in Aflitos and keeps alive the dream of promotion

The Worker in the Access Fight is perhaps a phrase that, a few rounds back, seemed too laden with hope. Not today. After what happened at the Estadio dos Afligidos in Recife, the Ghost showed that he continues to breathe and breathe strongly in the decisive straight of the Serie B.

The 3-3 draw against Nautico cannot be analyzed as a simple point won away from home.

It was so much more.

It's one of those results that can mess with a campaign.

A beginning to forget

The worker started very badly.

He took a goal practically at the start, found it difficult to fit the score and, for approximately 20 minutes, saw the Nautico control the match.

The feeling at the time was worrying.

The Phantom took a long time to enter the game, erred in the organization, and allowed the opponent spaces. Gradually, however, the team managed to put the ball on the ground, improved mainly in the midfield and reached the draw in the first stage.

Indian found Vinícius Diniz in a great move and the attacker had category to cover up Muriel.

The interval came with 1 to 1 and a Worker completely different from the one who had started the match.

When everything seemed lost

The second half turned the game into a roller coaster.

The nautical team is back in the lead. Jean Carlos scored a penalty in the 37th minute and, at 43, Danielzinho took advantage of Wagner's rebound to make 3-1.

I'm ready.

Or at least it seemed ready.

43 minutes into the second half, losing by two away goals usually means starting to think about the next round.

They just forgot to warn the Worker.

Boschilia took a spectacular foul in the 49th minute and put the ball at the angle. It was the 3-2 that seemed only to diminish a loss.

It wasn't.

In the last breath, Gabriel Feliciano launched for Cuenu. The defender appeared as a centre forward, anticipated the defense and touched Muriel's exit.

3 to 3.

A tie of those who taste different.

The point is worth more than it seems

There is a difference between adding a point and winning a point.

The worker conquered this one.

Mainly because the result keeps the Ghost within the dispute in the final rounds. With the close of the 28th round, the team appears in eighth position, with 44 points, still close to the opponents who occupy the positions immediately above.

According to the projections presented in the Bola Rolando, 62 points appear as an important reference for the dispute for the vacancies that remain open. To reach this mark, the Worker would have to add 18 more points to the 30 still available.

It's not easy.

Nobody's saying it is.

But it's possible.

And there is another important ingredient: the moment.

Six games without losing

The tie at Recife led the Worker to a six-match sequence without defeat.

This is very important at this stage of the championship.

The final straight does not usually reward only those who have the best cast or campaigned for months. It also benefits those who arrive growing at the right time.

And the worker is growing.

The Ghost also managed to break a historic record in Recife: he had never scored against the Nautical in the Afflicted. This time, he scored three times and won his best result against the opponent in that stadium.

And now comes the Criciúma

This is where the story gets even more interesting.

The next opponent is the Criciúma.

Direct comparison.

The Santa Catarina team appears with 47 points, while the Worker has 44. A Phantom victory would bring both clubs to the same 47 points and also equal the number of teams wins.

More than accounting, therefore, the Worker will have before him the opportunity to interfere directly in the classification.

It won’t just depend on someone else’s stumbling.

You can face and take points from a direct competitor.

The ghost is alive

There are still obstacles.

There are opponents ahead.

There are points that need to be won.

And there's an extremely balanced B-series.

But there is also something that cannot be ignored: the Worker has come alive to the decisive moment.

After losing by 3-1 to 43 minutes of the second half, returning to Ponta Grossa with a 3-3 draw says something about this team.

Says he didn't give up.

Now comes the Criciúma.

And then it won't be just another round.

It could be the game that turns a mathematical possibility into an even more concrete candidacy in the final straight.

The ghost is alive.

And, after what happened in the Afflicted, no one should bury him before the time.

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