Abel Ferreira’s men face Fluminense and can still win the title if Botafogo loses to São Paulo
Only victory mattered to the this Wednesday (4) to keep the dream of a third Brazilian championship alive. And she came at lights out, with the boy who scored a beautiful free kick, sealing the victory in Alviverde by 2-1 and keeping the dispute open with one round remaining. In the last round, Abel Ferreira’s men face Fluminense and can still win the title if Botafogo loses to São Paulo. Cássio was the main protagonist of the first half. The Cruzeiro goalkeeper made crucial saves to bring the score to zero. The celestial team had great difficulties in attacking, while Palmeiras took control of the duel again. However, the visitors couldn’t find ways to find the net.
Alviverde’s performance was much better than that of , but efficiency once again became the Achilles’ heel of Abel’s men without discrediting the great participation of the celestial goalkeeper. Palmeiras returned to the complementary stage with a careless attitude. It didn’t take long for Cruzeiro to notice their rival’s dejected expression to take advantage of a mistake made by Moreno in an offensive build-up and mount a fatal counterattack. Matheus Pereira received a pass from Marlon and made the first pass, with no defense for Weverton, in the seventh minute. With the adverse score, Abel made three substitutions. The Portuguese removed Giay, Moreno and Felipe Anderson and added Mayke, Menino and Mauricio. The change took effect.
Palmeiras went on the attack in a move led by Richard Ríos and, in his first opportunity, Mauricio hit a shot at the edge of the area and equalized the score, at 15. Palmeiras continued to be better in the match. Some good moments were produced by the attack. The finishing, however, remained the biggest problem. Estêvão wasted a goal that a player of his caliber should not miss. The boy’s potential, however, is inexhaustible. In the 44th minute, he took responsibility for himself, took a free kick with precision and turned the game around for the Alviverde team.
*With information from Estadão Conteúdo
Published by Sarah Paula
