BOTAFOGO 1 CORINTHIANS 2

With Botafogo courting its fans with various blandishments - free tickets for accompanied women and even more irresistibly the promise of wriggling free from relegation in the penultimate round of the championship - it was perhaps unsurprising that Caio Martins was packed to the rafters. At the back of all alvinegro minds was the final day fixture (APR) - something that had been a distant preoccupation back in April now seemed a much more immediate and awesome obstacle.

Admittedly during the 30-plus consecutive rounds of the championship mired in the relegation zone many botafoguenses may have settled for the chance to be in with a shout on the last day.

A brief survey of the championship table though should have triggered alarms about the visitors Corinthians for Fogo's last home game of 2004. Judging by the lethargic approach adopted by Botafogo for much of the first half they had not heard the resolution of coach Tite to play games wholeheartedly for the rest of the season rather than entering the holiday mood in advance.

To summarise the approach of the two teams, Corinthians strolled through the game with the self-assured poise of a side happy with their season's work.

The changes of pace came around the Fogo box and often found the alvinegros floundering. Central to much of this threat was the familiar balding figure of Fabio Baiano, the journeyman midfielder who has played for Botafogo but was much more renowned for the time he spent at Flamengo. Provocatively he had remarked during the week that his thoughts were with Flamengo and that he would relish relegating Botafogo. The stand-off approach to marking in the first half meant that Baiano's limitations were not exposed - indeed by half-time Fogo's passivity had contrived to make him look like a wandering minstrel, a strolling player who was doing more strutting than fretting and looked like a cross between Johnny Metgod and Franz Beckenbauer. Suddenly critics were having to reassess the popular assumption that he was a European midfielder living in a Brazilian body.

On 31 minutes the said Fabio Baiano put the paulistas ahead, a deflected shot after good work from Gil beating a hapless Jefferson. Fogo had chances before half time principally through Caio who hit the post and Almir who shot weakly after breaking into the penalty area.

With the concern that this was a must-win fixture Fogo pushed forward early in the second half. Seven minutes into the second period a Valdo cross found Alex Alves, who levelled matters. Alves may not be Jimmy Greaves but he has scored important and spectacular goals for Botafogo in 2005 - this was more from the important category but surely made alvinegros rue the large part of the season he was unavailable through injury.

Fogo optimism proved short-lived though, since within five minutes Corinthians had regained the lead. Wendel's return shot after a weak punch by Jefferson left home fans wondering why Corinthians were taking this so seriously and more pessimistically checking out the itineraries for weekend trips to Curitiba.

The second half continued with Fogo'as frustration compounded by the contrast between the constant but leisurely menace of Corinthians attacks and the predictable way in which Fogo's impotent forays foundered on an untroubled defence - a rock-solid defence has been a trademark of the team's surge up the table after Tite took over as club coach.

The disappointment of some fans manifested itself in attempted pitch invasion at the final whistle and some scuffles with the police. In a season when the club has lost several home games due to incidents the crowd unrest meant another imminent punishment (it will take effect in the 2005 Copa do Brasil). But with critics carping about the lack of decisive games in Brazil's national championship because of the league format Fogo had managed to convert their last day fixture into a cup final.