paranaense – botafogo exploded Sunday as Athletico-PR hammered Botafogo 4–1 in the delayed fifth-round match of the Campeonato Brasileiro at Arena da Baixada. The game finished with Athletico moving up to vice-leader status, while Botafogo stayed 17th and inside the relegation zone. By 6: 38 PM ET on Sunday (29/3), the scoreline had sharpened the spotlight on Botafogo’s coaching limbo under interim Rodrigo Bellão after the dismissal of Martín Anselmi.
Paranaense – Botafogo: Four goals, a turning point before halftime, and an “Olympic” finish
Athletico struck early when Viveros ran through and finished under goalkeeper Raul for 1–0, a moment that set the tone for a night defined by costly errors. Botafogo answered late in the first half: Alex Telles delivered a corner, Alexander Barboza got a touch, and Edenílson pounced on the rebound to make it 1–1 at 42 minutes.
But the match flipped again before the break. Dudu attacked down the right, rolled the ball into the middle, and Viveros finished to restore Athletico’s lead at 2–1 in stoppage time of the first half. In the second half, a lateral free kick led to Aguirre’s goal for 3–1, and Esquível completed the rout at 4–1 with a goal described as an “Olympic” strike from a ball delivered directly from the sideline area, with Raul misjudging the flight.
For Athletico, the scoring sequence was clear: Viveros netted the first two, Aguirre added the third, and Esquível closed it. For Botafogo, Edenílson’s first-half finish was the lone response on the scoreboard.
Immediate reactions: Felipe Melo and Caio Ribeiro point to leadership above the squad
After the final whistle, Felipe Melo, former player and commentator, said the Botafogo issue goes beyond the dressing room, stressing that the players are not the problem. “If they had lazy players, excuse the term… every place has that guy less professional… In Botafogo there isn’t, ” Felipe Melo said. He added that the group is “dedicated” and “professional, ” and that “a problem that comes from above hits the athletes. ”
Caio Ribeiro, former striker and commentator, also focused on the instability created by the lack of a permanent head coach. “Botafogo doesn’t even have a coach. It’s an interim, ” Caio Ribeiro said, tying the team’s low output to recurring goalkeeper mistakes. He cited the first goal conceded under Raul and the Esquível goal as examples of errors in execution and reading of the play.
Inside the standings picture described after the match, Botafogo remained with six points in seven rounds, sitting 17th and opening the relegation zone. Athletico, meanwhile, rose to vice-leader, level on 16 points with São Paulo and Fluminense but ahead on tiebreakers.
Quick context: A delayed round, a new surge for Athletico, and Botafogo stuck in the Z-4
The match was a postponed fifth-round fixture played Sunday night at Arena da Baixada. Athletico’s win marked its third straight league victory, while Botafogo’s defeat kept the club in the Z-4 amid ongoing uncertainty under interim leadership.
What’s next: Rio stretch for Botafogo, Bahia trip for Athletico, and the next test for paranaense – botafogo
Next on the schedule, Botafogo returns to the field Wednesday (1/4) at 6: 30 PM ET to host Mirassol at Nilton Santos. Athletico plays the same day (1/4), traveling to face Bahia at Fonte Nova for the ninth round of the Brasileirão.
Botafogo’s calendar then turns into a four-game run in Rio de Janeiro: Mirassol (Wednesday), Vasco (Saturday at 8: 00 PM ET), Caracas (4/9 at 6: 00 PM ET) in the Copa Sul-Americana, and Coritiba (4/12 at 3: 00 PM ET). After Sunday’s collapse, the urgency now is whether Botafogo can stabilize results quickly while the wider questions raised in paranaense – botafogo remain unanswered on the pitch.
