Match Report
Nova Cidade went into the game 9th in the table on 11 points; Sampaio Corrêa RJ sat 2nd on 15 — a 4-point gap. On recent form Nova Cidade sat only 31st league-wide over the last five rounds, well short of their 9th overall. Scoring rates set the scale: Nova Cidade 0.75 scored and 1.38 conceded per game, Sampaio Corrêa RJ 1.57 and 0.43, with the league averaging 1.28.
Sampaio Corrêa RJ had not lost in 11 games. Nova Cidade had banked 5 of the last 15 points on offer; Sampaio Corrêa RJ, 11.
The match was played at Estádio Joaquim de Almeida Flores in Nilopolis (capacity 3,000). On the scoreboard, Sampaio Corrêa RJ led 1-0 at the break; 4 second-half goals set the final 0-5.