Vitória's midfield enforcer Zé Vitor turned Remo's home turf into his personal duel arena on Tuesday, winning 16 of 25 physical contests as the visitors sealed a 2-0 Brasileirão Serie A win at Estádio Baenão.
The 25-year-old dominated in the air with six successful challenges and anchored Vitória's midfield control throughout, earning a 7.4 match rating for his efforts. Remo managed just nine duel wins against him all evening, unable to impose themselves physically against a player who thrives in the congested central zones.
Midfield stranglehold
Zé Vitor's aerial supremacy proved crucial in nullifying Remo's attempts to bypass Vitória's midfield press. With the hosts struggling to establish any territorial foothold, the visitors built their platform for victory on the back of his relentless ground coverage and willingness to contest every second ball.
The clean sheet was Vitória's reward for suffocating Remo at source. While the scoreline tells its own story, the underlying numbers paint a picture of one-way traffic in the middle third, where Zé Vitor set the tone with work that rarely fills highlight reels but wins matches all the same.
Sixteen duels won in a single outing is the kind of workload that keeps opponents honest and teammates confident. For Vitória, it was another reminder that control comes in many forms, and on Tuesday night in Belém, it came wrapped in blue and white and answered to the name of Zé Vitor.