Analysis: Individual errors cost Palmeiras dearly again in the Brasileirão | OneFootball

Without beating Flamengo at the Maracanã since 2015, Palmeiras added another frustrating chapter in a 3–1 defeat to the Rio side this Sunday (19). Once again, “almost” permeated the storyline of a match that at one point filled fans with hope for a possible comeback and a reaction that would have put Verdão six points ahead of their rival in the Brasileirão table.

But basing the assessment solely on the partial control of the first 30 minutes of play to evaluate yet another winless clash against the main contenders would be, at the very least, imprudent.

And, once again, what determined the result itself were individual errors. All three of the opponent’s goals came from defensive mistakes—some grotesque—that proved very costly.

Even playing at the Maracanã, Palmeiras adopted a proactive stance and took the reins from the opening minutes, pressing the opponent’s buildup and exploiting aerial plays. But it was Flamengo who struck first on the afternoon’s first individual error: Bruno Fuchs.

Pedro turned on Bruno Fuchs’s mark and set Arrascaeta up one-on-one with debutant Carlos Miguel, who could do nothing to prevent the rubro-negro goal in the 9th minute.

Verdão kept up the pressure despite the goal and capitalized on a moment when the rival was disoriented by defender Léo Ortiz’s injury, equalizing with Vitor Roque’s header in the 24th minute.

At the end of the first half, Fuchs’s second mistake. The number 4 clipped Pedro inside the box, and referee Wilton Pereira Sampaio awarded a penalty. Palmeiras protested a possible foul by the striker on the defender moments earlier—and also by Danilo on Vitor Roque—but the penalty was confirmed, and Jorginho sent Carlos Miguel the wrong way to put Flamengo back in front.

Palmeiras were punished by yet another individual error, this time by Aníbal Moreno, who dozed off and was dispossessed by Pedro near the area. The center-forward scored the third and sealed the match still in the first half.

In the second half, Verdão kept the ball but threatened little. The theme of the half was passing errors—many—which stifled buildup, and despite Gustavo Gómez’s goal in the 48th minute of the second half, they posed little threat to the opponent, even while playing well, as they watched the Rio side be efficient and make (almost) no mistakes.

What now?

With the result, Verdão and Flamengo are level in the Brasileirão standings, both with 61 points from 28 matches. The Palestra side remains top on tiebreakers—19 wins to 18.

The Palestra team returns to the Brasileirão next Sunday (26) at 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time) against Cruzeiro at Allianz Parque. The Minas Gerais side is third, five points behind Palmeiras, but with one more match played—28 to 29.

Before that, the team plays the first leg of the Libertadores semifinal against LDU on Thursday (23) at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time), away in Quito, Ecuador.

Palmeiras’ upcoming matches

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