🤯 Even with Vagner Love on the pitch, team relegated to Série D

Champion of the 2024 Série D and runner-up in this year’s Pernambucano, Retrô – packed with veterans in its squad – is already back in the Fourth Division of Brazilian football.

Founded in 2016 and collecting good results – also finishing as state runner-up in 2022 and 2023 – Fênix drew 1-1 with ABC this Sunday (24th), at Arena Pernambuco.

The team reached 14 points and can no longer catch up to Anápolis, the 16th-placed team with 20 points, with only one round left.

Tombense (13) was already relegated. ABC (18) and Itabaiana (19) complete the relegation zone. And they will face each other on Saturday (30th).

The Retrô lineup that took the field included Vagner Love, 41 years old and signed during the competition, Fernandinho, 39, formerly of Flamengo, São Paulo, and Grêmio, and Rômulo, 34, formerly of Vasco, Flamengo, and Grêmio.

Another standout is Fabinho, 38 years old, who has played for Internacional, Ceará, Botafogo, and Sport.

Love joined Retrô with the mission to make a difference. But he has only one goal in 11 matches.

The campaign of the Pernambuco club in Série C was poor from the start. They only won three times and failed to score in 13 games.

With just seven goals scored, they have the least effective attack in the competition.

It’s on FIRE!

Caxias, Náutico, Ponte Preta, Londrina, and São Bernardo are already qualified.

Several teams are fighting for the last three spots.

Highlights include the surges from Belo, Confiança – finalist of the Copa do Nordeste –, Guarani, and Figueirense.

And the battle to avoid occupying the remaining two spots in Série D-2026 is also intense.

See the updated standings below and, afterwards, what’s left.

The 18th round will still have two matches this Monday (24th).

The final round will be next Saturday (30th).

18th round

Monday – 8/25

7:30 PM – Guarani vs Confiança – Brinco de Ouro da Princesa

7:30 PM – CSA vs Ponte Preta – Rei Pelé

19th round

Saturday – 8/30

All matches start at 5 PM (Brasília time)

Náutico vs Ituano – Aflitos

Ponte Preta vs Londrina – Moisés Lucarelli

Confiança vs Retrô – Batistão

Tombense vs Guarani – Antônio Guimarães de Almeida

Anápolis vs Botafogo-PB – Jonas Duarte

Maringá vs Caxias – Willie Davids

Ypiranga-RS vs Figueirense – Colosso da Lagoa

Brusque vs CSA – Augusto Bauer

Floresta vs São Bernardo – Domingão

ABC vs Itabaiana – Casa de Apostas Arena das Dunas

Featured photo: Reproduction/Retrô

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.