Abel: Santos were better, blames Palmeiras loss on few options | OneFootball

The Palmeiras was defeated by Santos 1-0 on Saturday night at Vila Belmiro, losing the leadership of the Brazilian Championship. After the match, coach Abel Ferreira analyzed the team's performance and highlighted that the opponent was superior in the first half. The Portuguese coach also linked the result to the squad's limitations in making substitutions in the second half.

According to Abel, Palmeiras entered the field seeking victory but failed to impose themselves in the first 45 minutes: “We didn't come looking for a draw, we came to win the game, but the truth is that, in my opinion, in the first half Santos had more possession, created more danger. I think today, in terms of passing, the engine of our midfield didn't work as we wanted. The percentage in which we managed to have the ball and connect the game was 50% success and 50% error.”

With the result, Palmeiras saw Flamengo take the lead by thrashing Sport 5-1 earlier. The Alviverde is now in second place, with 68 points, three less than the Rubro-Negro.

The coach acknowledged that the rival was superior before the break, although he mentioned the opportunities created by Palmeiras despite decisive errors: “In the first half, yes, I think Santos was better, having only one opportunity. In the second, we made the adjustments we had to make and it's true that Santos scored at the end, but I remember clear chances of ours: Luigi's ball at the start, Flaco's alone to finish, Maurício's, who gets pushed and can't hit, and another transition from Luigi that we could have finished.”

For Abel, the physical decline of key players weighed in at the end. The coach emphasized the lack of alternatives to replace important players in the midfield: “To be very honest, our number 5 and our number 8 ran out of steam in the second half. We couldn't refresh these two players because we didn't have an option for 5 or 8. Veiga and Aníbal had to play until the end, when, halfway through the second half, it was clear that Aníbal was completely exhausted, couldn't connect passes, couldn't mark.”

Despite the greater balance in the second half, Palmeiras was ultimately defeated at the end. Abel acknowledged the rival's merit: “It was a shame we conceded the goal at the end. Congratulations to Santos, who was more effective.”

Verdão returns to the field next Wednesday at 7:30 PM (Brasília time), when they host Vitória at Allianz Parque for the 34th round of the Brazilian Championship.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.