Paysandu surprised everyone by pulling off an epic 4-2 victory against league leaders Criciúma away from home on Sunday afternoon. Despite starting the game apathetically and conceding a goal in less than 15 minutes, the bicolor team magically resurrected and completed a comeback with goals from Reverson, Garcez (2), and Marlon, while Nicolas and Jhonata Robert scored for Criciúma. The result ended a drought that had lasted since July and rekindled hopes of avoiding relegation in the hearts of the fans. The next game will be on Thursday against Cuiaba at the Curuzu stadium.
The first half in Criciúma was a mix of drama, reaction, and the feared ‘Law of the Former Player’. Paysandu started the match on the back foot, without spark, sitting back behind the midfield line and watching the home team stack up corners and chances in the initial minutes. The pressure paid off early: at the 13-minute mark, after a pass from Marcinho, Felipinho assisted Jhonata Robert to score in the corner past Matheus Nogueira, opening the scoring for Tigre and setting the Heriberto Hulse stadium alight.
The Pará team was producing very little – Denílson isolated in attack, Denner missing crosses – and Criciúma almost extended their lead with Borasi, a former Paysandu player, shortly after. However, the game turned on its head after a touchline dispute involving masseur Silvano Australia and the fourth official. Following the incident, Garcez made a play down the left, Castán cleared poorly, and Reverson, from outside the box, buried a low shot into the corner to equalize. The goal ignited the Papão, who started attacking frequently and looked like a different team.
At the 35th minute, André Lima hit the post with a low shot. And at 42 minutes came the turnaround: Reverson made a long pass to Denner, who crossed perfectly for Garcez to rise between the defenders and head firmly into the back of the net. Paysandu seemed poised to go into halftime with the advantage, but, in the 48th minute, the old ‘Law of the Former Player’ came into play. Marcinho crossed from the byline, and Nicolas, a former Paysandu idol now at Criciúma, rose high to equalize: 2-2. And there was no holding back on the celebration, the striker, who was practically booed out of Belem by the bicolor fans, celebrated enthusiastically with the crowd.
The second half started at the same intense pace as the first: Paysandu maintained the initial formation, banking on the revitalized confidence from before the break. Criciúma, swift and driven by nearly 14 thousand fans, continued to exploit spaces, while Papão placed all their chips on Garcez to lead the attacks. Just 7 minutes into the second half, the number 10 almost opened the scoring with a low, angled shot that narrowly missed the post.
The game was open, back and forth. At the 10th minute, Diego Gonçalves forced Matheus Nogueira into two great saves in quick succession, first with a powerful shot and then with a header. The bicolor response came at the 16th minute when Denner missed a clear opportunity: after an individual play by Ptterson, the ball fell cleanly at the penalty spot, but the midfielder sent it over Alisson’s goal.
In the 19th minute, Garcez took off in a direct run, dribbled past the defender, and was fouled right on the edge of the box. The forward wanted to continue the play, which could have put him one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but the referee interrupted the move. Felipinho was sent off in the action, and Paysandu was rewarded shortly after. On the free-kick, Marlon struck low, the ball passed under the wall, and Alisson couldn’t keep it out – 3-2 to Papão.
Even with one man down, Criciúma didn’t give up. Jhonata Renan almost equalized with a long-range shot that skimmed the post. To secure the result, Márcio Fernandes substituted Denner with Ramon Vinícius at the 30th minute, bolstering the midfield. But it was Garcez who sealed the deal. At 33 minutes, the number 10 received a long ball from the defense, sprinted down the left, sprinted past Castán like a bullet, dribbled the goalkeeper, and scored a brilliant goal: 4-2, much to the delight of dozens of bicolor fans in the stadium. Shortly after, Paysandu had a chance to increase their lead as Vinni Faria danced around Castan and almost scored a spectacular goal, but it wasn’t to be.
The victory ended a drought since July 19 when Paysandu had thrashed Coritiba – then the league leader – 5-2. Once again, Papão defeated a league leader despite being in last place. With this result, the team reaches 25 points, still at the bottom, but gains momentum in the fight against relegation. Amazonas (27 points), Botafogo-SP (29), Volta Redonda (30), and América-MG (30) have yet to play in this round and could alter the difference. Paysandu’s next challenge will be against Cuiabá at the Curuzu stadium on Thursday.
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