"We have a lot to celebrate," coach Marcelo Oliveira said just moments after being tossed in the air several times by his players. "We all know how hard it is to win the Brazilian championship, and we did it in advance and with impressive numbers."
The title caps one of the most dominating performances in the league since it went to its current format in 2003, with every team playing each other twice. Cruzeiro is the first in history to win the trophy by beating every team at least once. It has won 23 of its 34 matches, including 11 of 12 in one streak.
Cruzeiro's title in 2003 came with a team coached by former Brazil and Real Madrid manager Vanderlei Luxemburgo and led by former Brazil and Fenerbahce playmaker Alex.
Willian opened the scoring in the 37th minute at the Barradao Stadium in Salvador, and Dinei equalized for the home team in the 51st. Julio Baptista, who joined Cruzeiro a few months ago after several years playing in Spain, put Cruzeiro ahead in the 71st and midfielder Ricardo Goulart sealed the victory in the 81st.
"To return to Brazil and win an important title like this means a lot to me," Julio Baptista said.
With the match still under way, players celebrated by chanting and dancing on the bench. After the final whistle, players rushed toward the few thousand Cruzeiro fans who traveled to Salvador, celebrating and singing with them near the stands.
Cruzeiro had a chance to secure the title at home last Sunday in front of nearly 60,000 fans at the Mineirao Stadium in Belo Horizonte, but it wasn't able to celebrate despite a 3-0 victory over Gremio because Atletico Paranaense also won its match.
Also Wednesday, four-time champion Vasco da Gama returned to the relegation zone after a 1-0 loss at third-place Gremio in Porto Alegre, being overcome by Criciuma in the 20-team standings. Vasco can also be surpassed by defending champion Fluminense, which hosts last-place and already relegated Nautico on Thursday at the Maracana Stadium with a chance to leave the relegation zone.
Fourth-place Goias beat Ponte Preta 2-0 at the Serra Dourada Stadium in Goiania, while Clarence Seedorf's Botafogo, fifth in the standings, was held by Portuguesa to a 0-0 draw at the Maracana. Sao Paulo beat Flamengo 2-0 with one of the goals scored by goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni from a penalty, while club world champion Corinthians beat Coritiba 1-0 in Curitiba.
During every match, players from both teams stood still with their arms crossed for several moments to protest against a congested football calendar in the country. Some refused to kick off after the referee's whistle, while others put the ball in play before stopping and staying motionless to show their discontent with the Brazilian football federation.
The players have joined forces to try to improve a football calendar that has been notoriously long and unforgiving. They are demanding adequate vacation time, increased preseason periods and more player participation in major decisions, among other things.
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