We live in a toxic relationship with Botafogo!

August 21, 2024 will be forever etched in our lives. Not because of our place in the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores, but because of the way it happened. It’s worth living again.

The match against Palmeiras at Allianz Park was the second match of the round of 16. A week earlier, we played the first match in Rio, which we won 1-0 and stayed in the title race with a tie. These two matches together amounted to what we usually call 180 minutes of competition, right?

Wrong. In Botafogo’s match against Palmeiras, the match lasted 270 minutes. We had to add a third to those two, which caused a wound that has not yet healed. I was present in all three. This match ended the dream of winning the Brazilian title last year. Even with this result, we would have had a chance to become champions if the mood of the players and fans allowed it. The story of that match is unprecedented. Botafogo confirmed its surprisingly positive momentum with an overwhelming start, destroying its opponent in a grand show. Without a doubt, this was the best first half I have ever seen a team play. We went into the half-time with a 3-0 lead.

No one in the stadium had any doubts that the game was over. It was enough to wait for the time to pass, following the procedure for entering the venue in the second stage. What we saw was the worst second half of our lives. We watched in disbelief as the green club won 4-3, achieving a historic comeback. Palmeiras continued to win the championship with the victory. Stumbling Botafogo accumulated a series of disastrous results and finally won the championship in fifth place. I made a lemon Caipirinha I put my tragedy on stage in a humorous form.

In 2024, we managed to get back on our feet. We won the Copa Libertadores and remained in the top three of the Brazilian Championship, at least until this column was published. It wasn’t until the last 16 of the Copa Libertadores that we met the man who had deeply traumatized us. In the first game, we won. In the second…

We had forgotten what we had gone through last year. Crowds flocked to the other team’s home to watch the match. The two thousand tickets for the viewing area were sold out in a few minutes. We beat our old rivals Flamengo 4-1.