Cruzeiro X Universidad Católica marked Cruzeiro’s return to a Libertadores night at Mineirão on Wednesday, April 15, as the club played in the second round of Group D at 19h. For the fans inside the stadium, the game was more than a fixture on the calendar. It was the return of a competition they had waited six years to see again in Belo Horizonte.
Ed Souza captured that feeling plainly. He said he had followed Cruzeiro in Libertadores matches in 2009 and 2019, and that being back for this one brought a huge sense of longing. “Saudade enorme, nossa senhora! Libertadores pra gente é especial. Eu estive em 2009, 2019, praticamente em todos os jogos do Cruzeiro na Libertadores a gente estava presente. Então é uma saudade, uma vontade de estar aqui muito grande,” he said.
The weight of that return was visible in the early arrivals. Miguel Mendonça came to Mineirão three hours before kickoff with friends so he would not miss the moment. He said Cruzeiro’s last Libertadores appearance was in 2019 and that it was long past time for the club to come back. Mendonça also pointed to the possibility of more ahead, saying: “Estava até conversando com o pessoal aqui. A última vez em que disputamos (a Libertadores) foi em 2019, já passou da hora de o Cruzeiro voltar. E vamos ver se com Artur Jorge ficando até 2030 a gente consegue mais um título, quem sabe neste ano.”
Ivo Alexandre Leal da Silva framed the evening in even bolder terms. He said he had been waiting to see Cruzeiro at Mineirão again so the club could chase the Libertadores title and a third championship. “Já não via a hora mais de ver o Cruzeiro aqui no Mineirão para poder buscar esse título da Libertadores, buscar esse tricampeonato. A torcida está confiante na possibilidade de título, o time está se acertando e a gente veio com tudo pra poder encher a casa e vai ser um jogo atrás do outro de casa cheia,” he said.
The match mattered because Cruzeiro had been away from the Libertadores for six years before this return, and Mineirão had again become the setting for what fans described as a noite de Copa. That kind of atmosphere is not built on a single game. It comes from absence, memory and expectation meeting in the same stands.
The tension now is whether that renewed energy turns into a deeper run in Group D. The crowd came ready for a return. What comes next will show whether Cruzeiro can match that longing with results.
