Botafogo vs Palmeiras

Botafogo and Palmeiras played out a goalless draw at the Estádio Nilton Santos, with goalkeeper Gabriel Batista the man of the match. He kept the hosts level with sharp stops on Andreas Pereira and Lucas Evangelista, even as Palmeiras controlled the ball for long stretches and put more shots on target. The closing stages turned tense when Palmeiras center-back Alexander Barboza was shown a second yellow card deep into stoppage time and sent off, leaving the visitors to play out the final whistle a man light. Bookings were handed out throughout a physical, cagey contest that never quite opened up. Neither side moves much closer to their targets. Flamengo takes over top spot with the result, pushing Palmeiras down to second, while Botafogo stay stuck in mid-table, still hunting the consistency that would lift them back into the title conversation.