Overview

• Cuiabano put Botafogo ahead early in the second half from a Marlon Freitas assist before Tiago Volpi equalized from the spot after a VAR-reviewed handball on Matheus Martins at 44 minutes.
• Botafogo argued the images were inconclusive on whether the ball hit Martins’s shoulder first, a contention echoed in domestic analysis of the review.
• Thirteen unavailable players and a bench with several under-20s constrained rotation and shaped the approach in Porto Alegre.
• Davide Ancelotti made only three substitutions as starters tired late, with Arthur Cabral committing the foul that preceded the decisive dead ball.
• The draw leaves Botafogo fifth on 40 points and outside the G4, prompting strong denunciation from director Léo Coelho and international attention from Marca’s ‘curse’ framing.