Palmeiras clinical, beat Ituano and reach Copinha quarter-finals | OneFootball

Palmeiras defeated Ituano 3-1 on the morning of this Saturday (17), at Arena Crefisa Barueri, in Barueri, in the round of 16 of the Copa São Paulo de Futebol Júnior and secured a spot among the top eight in the competition. Luis Saboia, Victor Gabriel, and Juliano scored the goals for Palmeiras – Matheus Rocha scored for the Itu team.

The Verdão will now face the winner of Ibrachina and Internacional, who will play later this Saturday in Mooca, east zone of São Paulo. The quarter-final match will take place on Monday (19), with the time and location yet to be determined by the FPF (Federação Paulista de Futebol).

Palmeiras has played six matches in the competition so far, with four wins and two draws, scoring 23 goals and conceding seven – the team's top scorers in the tournament are forwards Sorriso and Victor Gabriel, with five goals each.

Palmeiras U-20 Line-up: Aranha; Luis Saboia, Robson, Pimenta, and André Lucas; João Paulo and Coutinho; Antônio Marcos, Sorriso, Victor Gabriel, and Juan Gabriel. Coach: Lucas Andrade.

See the match report:

Lethal in the first half

Palmeiras started strong in Barueri. In the third minute, Luis Saboia took a long shot, forcing the goalkeeper to make a great save. Two minutes later, Sorriso tried his luck, and Gabriel Marques saved it.

The pressure paid off. At 9 minutes, Luis Saboia took another powerful shot and opened the scoring in Barueri. The number 2 picked up a loose ball at the edge of the area and struck hard. 1-0.

Verdão continued attacking, despite the lead and the heat. At 26 minutes, Saboia crossed perfectly for Victor Gabriel to head the ball dangerously. Eight minutes later, Victor Gabriel extended the lead. After a mistake in Ituano's ball clearance, the forward found himself face to face with Gabriel Marques and scored firmly. 2-0 in the first half.

Measured second half

The second half began with a blitz from Palmeiras in Ituano's area. At 8 minutes, almost the third goal: Sorriso took a free kick into the area, and after a deflection at the far post, Juan Gabriel's shot hit the post before going out.

At 11 minutes, almost a stunning goal by Juan Gabriel. The young striker flicked the ball over a defender and shot without letting it drop, but Gabriel Marques prevented the spectacular goal.

Ituano only had chances after 13 minutes of the second half. Stefanello took a free kick, forcing Aranha to get dirty. At 19 minutes, after a poor clearance by Aranha, a header from a free kick hit the post.

Itu's team's momentum was short-lived. At 26 minutes, Juliano had a chance to extend the lead, and in the next play, Sorriso scored after a loose ball in the area, but the referee called offside in the build-up. 3-0.

At 38 minutes, a rout. Juliano exchanged passes with Eduardo and finished inside the area – Ituano complained about the forward's offside position. At 40 minutes, almost the fourth, again with Juliano. He pressured Ituano's clearance, took the ball, invaded the area but was blocked.

Ituano attempted a last push and scored a consolation goal. First, a scare at 42 minutes. After a corner kick and a scramble in the area, Aranha made a reflex save, preventing the goal. At 50 minutes, the Itu team scored: Matheus Rocha took advantage of a loose ball in the area, also in a questionable position, and sent it to the net. 3-1 final score.

What's next?

Now, the opponent will be the winner of Ibrachina-SP and Internacional, who will face each other later this Saturday (17). The quarter-final match will be on Monday (19). The time and location will be confirmed later by the FPF.

The Academy's Creations are aiming for their third Copinha title. In 2022, Verdão won the tournament for the first time by thrashing Santos 4-0 in the final at Allianz Parque, with goals from Endrick, Giovani, and Gabriel Silva (twice). The following year, they claimed the championship again with a 2-1 victory over América-MG in the final at Canindé, with goals from Ruan Ribeiro and Patrick.

See Palmeiras' upcoming matches in the Copinha:

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