​Criciúma seized the leadership of the Série B standings with a hard-fought 2-1 victory over Ponte Preta in the opening match of the 17th round. The clash took place on Wednesday night at Moisés Lucarelli in Campinas, where Criciúma moved to the top of the table with 31 points, edging ahead of Vila Nova and Novorizontino who are close behind. Ponte Preta, meanwhile, dropped to 19th place with 8 points and remains deeply entrenched in relegation trouble.
Marcelo Hermes was the hero for Criciúma, scoring both goals for the visitors. He opened the scoring in the first half, giving Criciúma the lead, and delivered the decisive strike in stoppage time at the end of the match. Ponte Preta had previously equalized through Daniel Baianinho, momentarily rescuing a draw before Hermes sealed the win for the visiting side.
With 31 points, Vila Nova sits just behind Criciúma in second place, while Novorizontino is close in third with 30 points. Both teams still have the opportunity to overtake Criciúma by the end of the round, which concludes on Monday. Vila Nova’s upcoming fixture is scheduled for Friday, when they will host Juventude at the Alfredo Jaconi stadium. Novorizontino also has a road match lined up, traveling to Germano Krüger Stadium to face Operário on Sunday.
In the current standings, Juventude occupies sixth place and Operário sits fifth, placing both teams inside the Série B qualification zone. This year’s format awards promotion to the top two teams, while the playoffs will determine additional promotion spots. Specifically, the teams that finish third, fourth, fifth, and sixth at the end of the season’s first and second halves will compete in the playoffs, with the top two finishers earning promotion to Brazil’s top flight in 2027.
This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. The original Portuguese version can be read here for context and SEO purposes.