Cruzeiro have made it to the point where the second leg matters, but they have also been handed the sort of problem no manager wants on the eve of a knockout tie. Yannick Bolasie suffered an abdominal trauma and a pancreatic injury during the draw with Chapecoense at Arena Condá, was replaced at halftime by Neto Pessoa, and later went to a hospital in Chapecó. That means he will not be available for the return leg at Mineirão, and that is a real blow for Cruzeiro in the Copa do Brasil round of 16.
This is not a minor absence dressed up as bad luck. It is the loss of an attacking option in a game that now demands control, patience and a sharp edge in the final third. Cruzeiro may still be the favorite to advance, as Felipe Melo said before the return leg, but favorites are not supposed to spend the build-up worrying about whether they can replace a player who was part of their forward plan just days earlier.
What happened to Bolasie?
The injury came in the first meeting with Chapecoense in Chapecó. Bolasie suffered a trauma contuso in the pancreatic region and was taken to hospital for observation after halftime. Rafael Lacerda did not try to dress it up, saying Bolasie was sent to hospital and that the team did not yet have information, while hoping it was nothing serious. In the short term, though, it is serious enough: Cruzeiro lose him for the return leg, and that changes the shape of the attack.
That matters because Cruzeiro have relied on a forward line with real output. Kaio Jorge arrived in 2024 and, in 2025, produced 21 goals in the Campeonato Brasileiro and five goals in the Copa do Brasil. That is a serious return, and it also means the burden of invention will fall heavily on him and the players around him. Bolasie’s absence removes one more route into the game, one more body to stretch Chapecoense, and one more option if the match gets sticky.
Cruzeiro still have the advantage, but not the comfort
Chapecoense are expected to defend and look for counterattacks, which is exactly the sort of plan that can make a second leg annoying if the home side gets impatient. Felipe Melo’s praise for Lucas Romero was warm enough, calling him a very good player and the sort of regular performer who is usually above a six out of ten, but praise does not solve selection problems. It only reminds you that Cruzeiro have a squad with good players and real expectations attached.
That is why Bolasie’s injury feels more meaningful than a standard availability update. Cruzeiro are not just missing a name; they are losing a specific profile at a specific moment. The tie is still there to be won, and the draw in the first leg means the door is wide open. But the mood has shifted from confidence to calculation. For Cruzeiro, the job at Mineirão just became a little less straightforward.
