Hours after Palmeiras won at home against Bahia (2-1), the Rio club came under pressure in the Belo Horizonte field and ended with a 0-0 draw.
Botafogo did not take advantage of having played for more than an hour with a numerical advantage, after Rubens received two yellow cards in three minutes (37 and 40), with Artur Jorge’s team also finishing with 10, due to expelled Alexander Barbosa of Argentina, cautioned twice in stoppage time of the second half (90+3 and 90+8).
The end of the meeting was tense, as the Botafogo players clashed with several security guards, ending up expelling Luiz Henrique after being in the dressing rooms, after the intervention of the video referee, who saw the attacker bottle his worn by a member of the team.
With the draw, Botafogo has just two advantages over second-placed Palmeiras with just four rounds remaining and the two teams are scheduled to meet in São Paulo for the 36th round on November 27.
The Belo Horizonte meeting was a preview of the Copa Libertadores final, between Botafogo and Atlético Mineiro, scheduled for November 30, in Buenos Aires.