Artur Jorge believes Cruzeiro fully deserved their place in the next round of the Copa do Brasil after a 1-0 win over Goiás at Mineirão. The victory came with a tense final stretch, especially after the coach had substituted key attacking players. Jorge explained his second‑half changes and offered an honest assessment of the team’s performance.
Kaio Jorge opened the scoring from the penalty spot in the 31st minute. Goiás goalkeeper Tadeu had already made several saves and continued to impress throughout the first half and after the break, denying two efforts from Sinisterra.
Jorge lamented the missed chances, particularly as Goiás piled on pressure in the closing stages. Kaiki and Fabrício Bruno cleared balls off the line, and Esli Garcia hit the post.
“We were the ones who scared ourselves by not scoring two or three more goals. That would have been the simplest and most deserved solution. Maybe we lacked a bit of efficiency in the final third,” Jorge said.
“We also have to give credit to the opposing goalkeeper—he played a great game and kept the match alive. These cup ties demand a competitive spirit to give our best while trying to control the game from the first minute. We did that in the first half. (…) It’s important to highlight we had many opportunities to kill the match. If we had, we’d be talking differently. But in the end, we achieved the main objective.”
A draw would have sent the tie to penalties. Yet by the 35th minute, Jorge had already taken off Gerson, Matheus Pereira, and Kaio Jorge – his key creative forces. The coach explained that physical management dictated those decisions.
“We took off the two most creative players, who were extremely tired and worn out. I’d add Kaio as well because he ran a lot, not only in this game but also in the previous one. Sometimes we need to renew the team’s energy, and that means bringing in the solutions we had on the bench.”
Against Bahia, Cruzeiro had improved after substitutions, with Kenji scoring the winner. Against Goiás, Jorge felt the substitutes struggled more due to the game’s context.
“The substitutes entered when the team was in a lower moment. We were at a stage where we had less quality in open play, and we couldn’t expect one, two, or three players to instantly make a difference. It’s important that they fulfilled their assigned mission. Even if we didn’t have as much brilliance, we had mission and commitment to what was needed at that moment.”
Beyond the in‑game changes, Jorge chose not to start regulars Fagner and Christian. Cruzeiro now faces Palmeiras on Saturday in the Brazilian league, then travels to Argentina to face Boca Juniors on Tuesday.