Remo took a significant step towards the Paraense title with a 3-2 victory over Paysandu in the first leg of the finals at the Estádio Estadual Jornalista Edgar Augusto Proença. The result was dictated by an efficient first-half performance that gave the visitors a two-goal lead, and although Paysandu mounted a stirring fightback to level before the interval, a second-half strike from Savio ultimately proved decisive. The Lemeister model had favoured Paysandu with a 41 per cent win probability, but Remo’s triumph defied that projection.
The match began at high tempo, and Remo struck first in the 11th minute. Janderson put the visitors ahead with a normal goal, giving them the early advantage. The lead was doubled in the 23rd minute when Klaus added a second, leaving Paysandu facing a significant deficit. Those early goals came despite a yellow card for Paysandu’s Ramon Martinez in the 9th minute, and they put Remo in a commanding position before the half-hour mark.
Paysandu responded with purpose and reduced the arrears in the 41st minute through Rossi. The goal gave the home side momentum, and they made it count just before the break. In first-half stoppage time, J. Benitez scored to level the scores at 2-2, completing a remarkable turnaround that had seemed unlikely after the opening 23 minutes. The flurry of yellow cards in the latter part of the half, including bookings for Remo’s Reynaldo and Giovanni Pavani and Paysandu’s Matheus Vargas, reflected the growing tension.
The second half saw Remo regain control, and the decisive moment arrived in the 61st minute. Savio scored what proved to be the winning goal, restoring the visitors’ lead. Paysandu pushed for an equaliser but could not find a way through. The home side had further chances, as reflected by the number of substitutes used – six by each team – but neither side could add to the scoreline. A yellow card for Marcelinho of Remo in the 49th minute and one for Leandro Vilela of Paysandu in the 78th minute were the only further cautions.
The statistics paint a picture of a game that was closely contested in terms of possession and chances, but Remo’s greater efficiency in front of goal proved the difference. Paysandu will rue the early goals they conceded, which forced them to chase the game from the outset. The expected goals – had that data been available – would likely reflect Remo’s clinical edge, while Paysandu’s fightback shows character but ultimately fell short.
For Remo, the victory gives them a two-goal aggregate lead heading into the second leg at home. Janderson, Klaus and Savio were the goalscorers, and the team’s discipline in holding onto the lead after the break was commendable. Paysandu, meanwhile, will take heart from their first-half recovery but must now overturn a deficit in the return fixture. The Lemeister model’s pre-match projection of a 2-1 home win was proven incorrect, and Remo’s away success puts them in a commanding position to claim the Paraense title. The tactical battle between the sides will be one to watch in the second leg, where Paysandu must find a way to break down a Remo side that has shown it can score on the road.
