In 1996 Palmeiras put together a side that seemed unbeatable. With Cafu, Junior, Flávio Conceição, Rivaldo, Djalminha, Muller and the ever-efficient Luizão, the team scored 102 goals in 30 matches in the Sao Paulo State Championship. However, scoring goals for fun, with an amazing average of 3.4 goals per game, was not enough for a side that could count four of Luis Felipe Scolari’s 23-man 2002 World Cup winning squad amongst its number, not to mention of a player who had just picked up the 1994 World Cup. Palmerias also went on to set a Brazilian record for the most consecutive victories, winning 21 games in a row, including humiliating Santos 6-0 at Vila Belmiro. It was a superb record and one which stood until last Thursday when Coritiba recorded theri 22nd consecutive win, setting their own new benchmark.
It should be noted that Coritiba have only so far played in the early stages of the Copa do Brasil and the Paraná State Championship and there will be a widespread feeling this takes some of the shine off their record. And it is true that at this point of the Brazilian season bigger clubs will almost always face small sides. But Coritiba can answer this argument by rightfully pointing out that the country’s giants have been playing minnows at this stage of the season year by year, yet the record set in 1996 stood for 15 seasons. This is to overlook too that Atlético-PR – Coritiba’s main rivals and widely considered a bigger club – play in the Paraná State Championship.
Another argument advanced is that the Paranense have weaker sides than the Paulistão, pointing out that it is impossible to compare the Sao Paulo quarter (Corinthians, Palmerias, Santos and Sao Paulo) with the Paraná duo (Coritiba and Atlético-PR). However, this is another charge easily combated, as while it is true that sides taking part in the Paranense are not as relevant as those playing in the Sao Paulo State Championship, finances must be taken into consideration too. The difference between the Paraná duo and the state’s small sides is much less than that which divides the four larger Sao Paulo clubs and the not-so-representative teams in that championship. Whichever way the cake is cut, Coritiba deserve immense credit.
And praise has been forthcoming, with an acceptance that the players at Coritiba’s disposal are not, unlike those Palmerias could call upon, World Cup winners or recent world champions, but instead a squad containing players the likes of Bill – who after failing to perform in 2009 moved from Corinthians to Coritiba on loan and turned out to be one of the key drivers behind this winning streak.
This superb run has led the Coxa to the Paraná State Championship first stage title, before equalling the 1996 record by beating rivals Atlético-PR 3-0 at the Arena da Baixada, a victory which handed the side the first state championship of the 2011 Brazilian season. 27-year-old forward Marcos Aurélio, named the state championship’s best player, basked in the victory, emphasising the fact that the title was won at their rival’s ground, adding that the club’s fans deserved the trophy after the club’s relegation to the Brasileirão Série B in 2009.
Indeed, this is a special moment for the Coxa, especially when taking account that the side are newly promoted to Serie A, having bounced back from their relegation. Several key players stayed with the ship as it sunk and the board pursued a policy of signing talents that were underused at their clubs in Rio de Janeiro, such as Leo Gago from Vasco da Gama, and in Sao Paulo. Another crucial decision the club’s management made was to keep on coach Ney Franco, who only left at the end of the 2010 campaign after it was announced the 44-year-old would take up a position as coach of Brazil’s Under-20s. The role played by Franco was not only important on the pitch, but off it too, as he became a member of the club and showed remarkable commitment in his quest to help Coritiba gain promotion. And when the coach left he had a hand in appointing his successor, having recommended current boss Marcelo Oliveira, the man responsible for the record winning streak. In fact, Ney Franco was so important for the Coxa and the club’s fans that all concerned credit him as a key part of the 22-game winning run.
Now, having beaten Caxias and qualifying for the Copa do Brasil quarter-finals, setting a new record and winning their second consecutive state championship title, Coritiba will face the side they dethroned – Palmeiras. The duo will meet in the cup and the Coxa’s detractors will finally have the chance to judge just why the side have racked up 22 straight victories and now hold the record Palmeiras once called their own.
