The myth of the fire-breathing dragon is as old as time itself.
With origins that can be traced all the way back to ancient civilizations, dragons have often been associated with powerful natural phenomena.
For instance, in ancient Mesopotamia, dragons were linked to storms, thunder, and lightning.
In China, dragons were believed to be benevolent creatures and were often associated with water and rain, which symbolized power and good fortune.
In European folklore, dragons were typically portrayed as fearsome, fire-breathing monsters who caused chaos and destruction.
It’s from this European view of the deadly beast that we get our modern ideas of dragons guarding treasures and fighting knights.
But no matter what culture you’re in, dragons have always been revered and feared for their immense power.
However, in modern times, things are a little different. The times have changed and dragons nowadays can be found in all sorts of places, from video games, books, movies, and even as the mascot for sports teams.
And it’s like this that I shall introduce you to Atlético Goianense, a team from Brazil’s first division whose mascot is—you guessed it, a dragon.
Atlético-GO is far from the mythical all-powerful beast from ancient times; in fact, they are basically the opposite.
With the worst campaign in the divison so far, Atlético-GO currently sit at the last spot in the league with only a shocking 12 points from 21 matches.
The harsh reality for the dragon is that unless things change quickly, relegation is inevitable, and their last game, played on August 4, perfectly showcased that.
To set the scene for the battle which occurred at Atlético’s home stadium, the Estádio Antônio Accioly, we first need to introduce our actors.
On one side, we had Atlético, the mighty dragons from Goiânia, playing at home, hoping to defend their lair and keep their treasure, which here would be expressed as three points.
On the other side, we had Botafogo, the brave knight whose search for three points brought him to the dragon’s lair, where he would have no other option but to face the beast himself.
Going into the battle, Atlético-GO ran the very traditional 4-3-3 formation.
With Pedro Rangel in goal and Maguinho, Adriano Martins, Luiz Felipe, and Guilherme Romão in defense.
The three in the middle were Shaylon, Gonzalo Freitas, and Gabriel Baralhas, while the three up top were Joel Campbell, Emiliano Rodrigues, and Luiz Fernando.
At the other camp, coach Arthur Jorge decided to stray away from his traditional 4-2-4 formation and go a little more orthodox with a 4-4-2 which played as a 4-3-3.
Up top for the Glorious were Igor Jesus, Carlos Alberto, and Luiz Henrique.
Botafogo couldn’t count on Tiquinho or Savarino, both of whom were out due to physical reasons.
In the middle of the park, Arthur Jorge put Kauê, Allan, and Danilo Barbosa.
In defense, Botafogo were counting on John Victor under the posts and Mateo Ponte, Barboza, Bastos, and Cuiabano in front of him.
The game was an eventful one, with a total of five goals and only one being in the dragon’s favor.
The match turned out to be a one-sided shit show, something that Atlético were truly hoping to avoid. The first goal of the match came early, at 21 minutes, when Carlos Alberto put in a close-range shot.
However, right before halftime, the dragon was able to strike back, and with a well-taken penalty by Joel Campbell, they were able to equalize everything.
It was in the second half that the match really went off the rails for Atlético.
What was a 1-1 tie that could’ve swung either way soon became 2-1 after Igor Jesus restored Botafogo’s lead and was extended to 3-1 after Oscar Romero’s decisive penalty.
As if 3-1 wasn’t enough, Botafogo’s star Luiz Henrique sealed the victory after converting another penalty for the Glorious.
The match encapsulated all of Atlético’s problems this season.
The dragon struggled defensively and as a result, conceded four times.
Their lack of composure was also put on center stage, as two penalties in one game just scream a lack of stability within the squad.
For Botafogo, the match was perfect.
A big and dominant away win was more than the perfect way for the team from Rio de Janeiro to silence the doubters and give a perfect start to their very difficult month of August.
Beyond this, with Flamengo’s loss to Sao Paulo, the win also meant that the glorious were back to the top spot in the league.
Next up, both teams will have very challenging games, but a different type of challenge. The Brazilian league will take a back seat and both teams will play their respective second-leg games for the Brazilian Cup.
The dragon, just like Botafogo, tied their first leg match 1-1. As a result, both teams will head into away games without any advantage—something that can make the challenging task of qualification even more challenging.
Atlético will play Vasco at the São Januário Stadium in Rio de Janeiro, while Botafogo will go up against Bahia at the Arena Fonte Nova.
However, until both games, all we’re left to do is ponder and wonder if the dragon will be able to finally get their season back on track.
Because the way things are going it will take a lot more than myths and folklore to save them from this situation.
As we learned in their last match, although the legends of dragons may depict them wielding fire as a weapon, in reality, not even dragons are fireproof, and when you play with fire, you get burned.
