Palmeiras need inspiration to turn Libertadores tie around | OneFootball

By Thais Bueno

The performance of Palmeiras in the goalless draw against Cruzeiro on Sunday at Allianz Parque was far from exciting for the fans ahead of Thursday's decision, disappointing even the most hopeful. The Alviverde did not give a great response after the recent defeats and will certainly need much greater inspiration if they want to turn things around against LDU in the Copa Libertadores.

Coach Abel Ferreira surprised everyone by fielding the best team Palmeiras has. There was doubt whether the coach would rest players for the Libertadores decision on Thursday, but Verdão entered with full strength, with only three changes: Bruno Fuchs improvised as the first midfielder, Jefté replacing the suspended Piquerez, and Mauricio in Veiga's place.

The initial game that unfolded between the teams showed a very strong balance. Palmeiras had a moment of pressure in the first few minutes, but Cruzeiro quickly matched the pace and started to step more into the attack field, forcing the Alviverde defense to organize. The passing exchange of the Minas Gerais team was engaging, and Verdão ended up committing some dangerous fouls at the edge of the area.

The Palmeiras team struggled with Cruzeiro's pressure when playing out from the back and couldn't build any well-worked plays. After 15 minutes, the VAR called Rafael Rodrigo Klein to check a possible red card for Gustavo Gómez. The referee only gave a yellow, but from that moment, the game became more foul-ridden, with tempers flaring on both sides.

Palmeiras found it very difficult to get their main attackers into the game, largely due to Cruzeiro's strong marking, which boxed in Vitor Roque, Flaco López, and Mauricio. Verdão tried its main escapes on the left side, with Jefté and Felipe Anderson, but without much success. The right side, in turn, seemed to have more space, to be better exploited by Khellven and Mauricio.

The main weapon of Palmeiras, the long balls, did not work. On the other hand, the Alviverde defense suffered little. Overall, the first half was far below expectations, with very few opportunities created and a very contested and foul-heavy game. The defenses, very well positioned, prevailed.

Second Half

Palmeiras returned with a bit more aggressiveness for the second half after Sosa replaced Felipe Anderson. Verdão even came close at five minutes with a cross from Jefté, but Vitor Roque headed over the crossbar. The duel became more lively and gained the expected excitement, with both teams creating some goal chances.

Alviverde even managed to open the scoring at Allianz Parque, but the goal was disallowed. Mauricio crossed to the far post, and Flaco headed for a save by Cássio. However, the Cruzeiro goalkeeper did not hold on, and Sosa forced the contact, pushing the ball into the net. Referee Rafael Rodrigo Klein understood there was a foul in the play and disallowed the goal.

Around the 17th minute, Abel Ferreira took out the attacking duo Flaco and Vitor Roque, which caught attention. Allan came in for the number 9 and ended up generating a red card for Cruzeiro: he sprinted from the defense field, dribbled two, and was stopped with a foul by Fabrício Bruno, who already had a yellow and was sent off. With that, Verdão had one more player for about 20, 25 minutes.

With one more player, Palmeiras had more ball possession and spent a lot of time in the offensive field, but couldn't turn that volume into clear goal opportunities. Verdão left much to be desired in this regard, which could be an additional concern for the decision against LDU on Thursday. In injury time, the team was still saved by Carlos Miguel, who performed a miracle on a point-blank shot by Kaio Jorge.

In short, it was not a good performance by Palmeiras, which needs to improve – a lot – if they want to seek the historic qualification against LDU. Coach Abel Ferreira and the players have already shown confidence in the comeback, but they will need to find solutions to the problems presented in the draw against Cruzeiro.

The Alviverde squad seemed to already have their minds on the decision, which is natural. Although not known as the "comeback team" for nothing, Verdão will need to enter extremely alert and focused. Will and determination will not be a problem for the team, which has already promised to leave everything on the field. It remains to be seen now if the team will be able to overcome the obstacles to reach the Libertadores final.

Standings Situation

The draw wasn't a big deal for either team. Palmeiras reached the third consecutive game without a win and opened only a one-point lead over Flamengo, who lost in the round. Despite this, Verdão remained at the top, with 62 points.

Palmeiras' Upcoming Matches

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