Internacional 3-0 Botafogo: Matheus Bahia helps secure Serie A victory

Internacional take control before half-time

Internacional beat Botafogo 3-0 in Brazil’s Serie A at Estádio Beira Rio, with the winner already leading 2-0 at half-time. Matheus Bahia opened the scoring in the 32nd minute, making it 1-0, before José Carlos Ferreira Júnior doubled the advantage in the 42nd minute for a 2-0 scoreline.

Botafogo made three changes by the 64th minute, including Arthur Cabral for Tiquinho Soares and Hakim Ziyech for Matheus Martins, but Internacional extended the lead. Alexandro Bernabéi scored in the 66th minute, assisted by Alerrandro, to make it 3-0. Botafogo collected three yellow cards: Álvaro Montoro in the 62nd minute, Nahuel Ferraresi in the 85th and Marçal in the 90th. There were no red cards.

The numbers behind the result

Internacional produced the stronger attacking figures despite Botafogo having 56% possession and completing 410 accurate passes to Internacional’s 291. Internacional had 17 total shots to Botafogo’s 11, led shots on target 7-4 and recorded an expected-goals figure of 2.81 against 0.62. The balance of chances therefore supported the three-goal margin.

Points gap narrows

Matheus Bahia was a standout performer, earning an 8.2 rating with one goal, one shot on target, one key pass and four tackles. Internacional moved from 32 points before the match to 35, while Botafogo stayed on 39. Botafogo’s advantage narrowed from seven points to four, with both teams’ post-match positions dependent on tie-breakers. Internacional’s most recent pre-match result had been a loss; Botafogo had entered after a win.