Cuiabá held to a draw in Copa Verde debut with U-20 squad, extending winless run to six games; Kenzo Hamazaki shines
It was a night of reunions and challenges at the Arena Pantanal. In their Copa Verde opener, Cuiabá Esporte Clube let a win slip through their fingers in the final minutes, settling for a 1-1 draw against Tocantinópolis. This bitter result adds to a streak that's starting to worry the Cuiabá faithful: six games without a taste of victory.
To be fair, the coach put out a side quite different from what we're used to seeing. With one eye on a packed fixture list and another on developing youth talent, the Dourado took the field with a lineup mixing experience with youngsters from the Cuiabá Esporte Clube U-20 squad. And honestly, the kids didn't drop the ball. Quite the opposite—they showed that fresh blood isn't afraid of the big stage.
The first half was scrappy, as you'd expect from a debut. Cuiabá tried to set the pace but kept running into a stubborn visiting defence. The goal, which seemed like it might never come, arrived from one of the young players who really caught my eye. When the ball fell to him just outside the box, attacking midfielder Kenzo Hamazaki, only 18 years old, didn't hesitate. He unleashed a rocket into the bottom right corner, leaving the keeper with no chance. The Arena Pantanal, even with a smaller crowd, erupted as if it were a championship decider. Right there, in the embrace between the youngsters and Kenzo, you could see the essence of what Cuiabá is trying to build.
But that lead turned out to be bittersweet. The team dropped back a bit in the second half, and Tocantinópolis, with nothing to lose, threw everything forward. In the 40th minute of the second half, after a scramble in the box that no one could clear properly, the ball fell kindly for them to equalise. 1-1 on the scoreboard, and the feeling that two points got away.
The youth showed they have the game, but the savvy of a big team is missing
I'll be straight with you: watching the match, you can split the analysis into two parts. On one side, there was courage. Players like Kenzo Hamazaki showed personality. He didn't hide, he asked for the ball in the tough moments, and he delivered the passes the team needed to breathe. He's the kind of gem that Cuiabá fans love to see shine.
On the other hand, they lacked that experience, that "know-how" of a big team to manage the result. Holding onto a lead for 45 minutes requires knowing when to slow the game down, make a tactical foul, or hold the ball up in the corner. These are things a more seasoned side would have, but this young squad is still learning on the job.
- Possession was even: Cuiabá had a slight 52% of the ball, but lacked penetration in the final third.
- Individual standout: Kenzo Hamazaki was the engine of the team, involved in the main attacking plays.
- Negative streak: This marks Cuiabá's sixth consecutive game without a win, a stat that raises a red flag for upcoming competitions.
Now, it's about taking the lessons from this draw and moving on. The Copa Verde is still in its early stages, and qualification is far from being a problem. But the pressure for a win, to restore confidence in the squad and the fans, only grows. They can't afford to slip up in their next match. Cuiabá needs to show that, whether with the experience of the veterans or the hunger of the U-20 youngsters, the shirt weighs in their favour, not against them.
And here's the message for the fans: these kids deserve support. Kenzo and the young lads from the academy showed they have star quality. Now it's about maturing quickly, because in Brazilian football, time is something no one has to spare.