Borussia coach Pedro Abreu sees a more mature team in the draw with Botafogo: "I believe we surprised people"

Borussia went into the game against Botafogo without the favorites' tag and left the Estádio Municipal Coronel Juventino Dias with a 1-1 draw and the feeling that they could have come back. That is how coach Pedro Abreu, known as Pedrão, summed up the team's debut in the Rex Cup 2026 (Copa Rex 2026), in an interview with reporter Renato Corrêa on the night of Thursday, November 12.

The conversation began with a memory of home. Pedro Abreu is the grandson of Abel de Abreu, a locomotive engineer for the Federal Railway Network (Rede Ferroviária Federal) who left his mark on the 80-year history of Rádio Cultura. "I'm grateful for the memory of my grandfather, he is a milestone of Lavras broadcasting," said the coach, who also recalled his grandfather's greeting on Sertanejo Dawn (Alvorada Sertaneja): "Good evening, my comadre, good evening, my compadre."

On the game, Pedrão recalled Borussia's last chance, a ball that passed a few centimeters from the striker's head and came close to changing the score. "I believe we surprised most people. Last year was our first year in the top division, we felt the championship and we tried to come back stronger. The favoritism was all on the other side, justified, but I think we played our part and created chances," he said.

For the coach, the word of the night was maturity. "The championship is very strong today and the economic power of the teams is very high. We are not even the only team in our neighborhood, there are three teams right around us, so we don't have great economic power. But we do everything to build a mature, experienced team, and tonight the team knew how to play, knew how to use its head," he said. "The championship isn't over, this was only our first challenge."

All Rex Cup games are broadcast live on Rádio Cultura 96.5 FM and the station's YouTube channel, with play-by-play by Júnior Murad, commentary by João Pedro Barbosa and reporting by Renato Corrêa. The full broadcast of Borussia x Botafogo is at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lRrcajsf2ug

The Rex Cup 2026 is sponsored by Supermercados Rex, Lavras Municipal Government (Governo Municipal de Lavras), Sicoob Copermec, Pax Carvalho, Laboratório Santa Cecília, Chopp Brahma Express, Fábrica de Óculos, Conecta Internet, Casel Materiais de Construção, 123 Car, Fadminas (Adventist College of Minas Gerais; Faculdade Adventista de Minas Gerais) and Jornal de Lavras.