In an intense match held in Seattle, Botafogo emerged victorious over the Seattle Sounders with a narrow 2-1 win at the Club World Cup on Sunday night.
Jair Cunha and Igor Jesus each found the back of the net in the first half to give the Brazilian team a strong lead.
The match’s initial momentum swayed in favor of Botafogo as Cunha opened the scoring just 28 minutes into the game.
Taking advantage of a cross from Alex Telles, Cunha expertly headed the ball into the net.
A controversial moment followed when Nouhou Tolo of the Sounders received a yellow card.
This led to a free kick positioned just beyond the corner of the penalty area, causing discontent among the Sounders players.
Both teams were involved in some unseen tussling before Tolo’s push sent Artur sprawling to the ground.
With 30,151 fans watching at Lumen Field, Botafogo capitalized on their lead.
Just before halftime, Vitinho linked up with teammate Igor Jesus, who scored with a powerful header that found the bottom corner.
The Sounders, despite being two goals down, sounded a comeback alarm with a more vigorous performance in the second half.
Bolstered by strategic substitutions, they managed to get on the scoreboard at the 75th minute.
Substitute Paul Rothrock made an immediate impact by assisting Cristian Roldan’s header, which took a deflection off Jesus.
The dying moments of the match saw Seattle pressuring Botafogo’s defense.
In the final 30 seconds of stoppage time, the Sounders had two chances to equalize.
However, a resolute Botafogo defender blocked the first shot, while goalkeeper John scooped up Rothrock’s follow-up attempt.
The path forward for Seattle remains challenging as they face tough Group B opponents Atlético Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.
To avoid a group stage exit, the Sounders must secure points from these giants.
Botafogo, meanwhile, held strong defensively to safeguard their lead and currently stand in second place in Group B based on goal difference.
Despite the loss, Seattle’s head coach, Brian Schmetzer, acknowledged the challenge presented by their opponents.
“Obviously, they’re a great team, and they put us under pressure in moments, but we matched them,” Schmetzer commented.
He noted that the difference lay in a few key moments of quality.
Although he felt the Sounders were well-positioned according to statistics, the reality of the scoreline underscored the importance of finding that elusive second goal.
Botafogo’s head coach, Renato Paiva, criticized his team’s defensive efforts in the second half.
“The second half, in terms of our defense, it was not good,” Paiva stated, recognizing Seattle’s efforts.
He conceded that Seattle’s goal was a product of some fortune but believed it was deserved based on their play.