Short round, like a pig's kick

Hey everyone! What a weekend it was! If your team won, Monday is always better. If they lost, oh well, there's always the bar to drown your sorrows. The 2025 Brazilian Championship decided to "heat things up" just when we thought the script was set.

Let's get down to business.

"Bar Talk" from the Newsroom

The Throne Changed Owners (and the Scent Returned)

The big gossip of the weekend, my friends, is that the Brasileirão leadership changed hands. Palmeiras, who had been dominating, went to Vila Belmiro on Saturday (15) and... slipped. They lost to a Santos team that was more desperate than a loan shark at a bank gate, needing the victory to breathe outside the relegation zone.

And who was grateful? None other than Flamengo. On the same day, Flamengo went to Pernambuco, completely dominated Sport, and delivered a 5-1 thrashing, officially sealing the Pernambuco team's relegation to Série B. As a result, Flamengo takes the lead in the standings. The championship, which seemed decided, is now heating up.

The "Whining" of the Round: VAR, CBF, and the FIFA Date

Of course, a game of this magnitude wouldn't end without controversy. The referees were once again the stars. The specialized press spent the entire Sunday debating a penalty call (or the lack thereof) in the Santos vs. Palmeiras derby.

But the main complaint was something else: the stubbornness of our beloved CBF (Brazilian Football Confederation) in scheduling decisive matches during FIFA international breaks. Palmeiras, for example, had to play with several players missing, and the result is what we see now. Those who applauded the change in the calendar must be scratching their heads now.

And as if the on-field battle wasn't enough, the behind-the-scenes war between Flamengo and Palmeiras continues unabated. The bigwigs of both clubs are still exchanging public barbs over the division of money from Libra, that league they're trying to create. In the end, it's "traditional football" versus "office football."

Beyond the Four Lines: The Lifestyle of the Stars

While the football world was ablaze, the couple of the moment, Vini Jr. and Virginia Fonseca, showed how to manage a crisis... involving an ex. Virginia, a powerhouse of engagement, was asked what she thought of Ana Castela, her ex-husband Zé Felipe's new girlfriend. With the class of a number 10, she was full of praise, saying that her daughters adore "Boiadeira" (Vini Jr.'s nickname). That's what we call "fair play" off the field. Vini Jr. must have approved.

"The Round's Show": Serie A Results

The weekend was short in Serie A because of the World Cup Qualifiers, but the few games we had (all postponed from previous rounds) were worth the entire championship.