Palmeiras coach, Abel Ferreira acknowledged the team’s mistakes in the 3-1 defeat to Botafogo this Tuesday (26), at Allianz Parque, in São Paulo, in the 36th round of the Brazilian Championship. The Portuguese, however, also poked at the refereeing, led by Wilton Pereira Sampaio.
Abel said that the team missed chances and saw Botafogo more effective. However, he pointed out an inconsistency in the refereeing, who sent off right-back Marcos Rocha 25 minutes into the second half.
“You saw the pressure they put on Rocha to be expelled because he put his hand in his face, didn’t you? You saw the elbow on Ron, why wasn’t it the same? If I’m telling a lie, correct me, why wasn’t it the same? Why didn’t the VAR, since they sent Rocha off, everything was fine, didn’t do the same thing when Rony got elbowed in the face, why didn’t they call it?”, he said at a press conference.
“We had our chances to score goals, and that’s football. When you have it and don’t do it, and the opponent goes there for the first time, because of two referee errors, which can happen, but the first corner isn’t a corner, and the second isn’t, correct me. And the rest is the story of the game, after the expulsion the opponent was better”, he added.
With the result, Botafogo surpassed, reaching the lead with 73 points. Verdão has 70, in second place.
Palmeiras will return to the field next Wednesday (4), at 9:30 pm. The team will visit Cruzeiro, at Mineirão, in Belo Horizonte, for the 37th and penultimate round of the Brasileirão.
