Abel backs Palmeiras comeback: "Get ready for a magical night" | OneFootball

Coach Abel Ferreira invited the Palmeiras fans to experience what he believes will be a “magical night” next Thursday. Verdão is fighting for its life in the Copa Libertadores and needs a historic comeback against LDU-EQU to reach the final of the continental tournament.

Palmeiras struggled with the altitude and suffered a tough blow in the first leg, losing 3-0 at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium in Quito (Ecuador). Now, the green team will need to secure a 4-0 victory to advance to the final in regular time.

“I knew perfectly well that it would be a very tough game [against Cruzeiro]. I tried to ‘trick’ the players and say it was all mental, but of course, it’s not. But now we have three days and as I said, 90 minutes is a long time. Thursday, prepare for a magical night. I call on our fans from the first to the last second, it’s been a long time since I’ve asked anything of them, not to stop singing and cheering for our team. We are the comeback team, the team of love. More than ever, we need your help. I believe, I have faith that something magical will happen on Thursday. Don’t ask how or when, but that’s what I believe,” the coach requested.

If Palmeiras manages a 3-0 victory, the tie in the aggregate score would lead to a penalty shootout to decide the finalist.

The winner of the match between Palmeiras and LDU will face, in the grand final, the winner of the clash between Racing-ARG and Flamengo. It’s worth noting that the Rio team, Flamengo, has a 1-0 advantage in the aggregate but will play the return match in Argentina.

“What defines me is not the results, but how we face them and what we do next, whether it’s a loss or a win. I achieve a victory and what do we do next? We can have great losses as it was, in an immaculate Libertadores as it was, and now we lost 3-0. What defines us is not the defeat, it’s what we do now, on Thursday. That’s what defines us. […] I have faith and believe that Thursday will be a magical night. And for that, we need the soul of our team, our fans. What I ask is that, from the first to the last second, you are with us. We will do everything to make this comeback possible and do what few believe,” said Abel.

Abel hopes for better refereeing

Abel Ferreira hopes that the match between LDU and Palmeiras this Thursday will have a good performance from the refereeing team. The coach recalled the 2023 semifinal against Boca Juniors and also criticized the performance of Rafael Rodrigo Klein, the referee of Verdão’s draw with Cruzeiro this Sunday.

“I hope [for better refereeing on Thursday]. Regardless of the final result, I just hope what happened here with Boca Juniors doesn’t happen, where the referee was calling even thoughts, the goalkeeper was lying on the ground. Whatever happens in the end. I always said this. Clean, as it was there. Game in progress, a foul is a foul, not letting the game be as broken as it was today [against Cruzeiro],” commented the Portuguese.

“Even thoughts the referee [Rafael Rodrigo Klein] called. Not having 45 minutes of effective time, what do you want me to say? To congratulate? There’s a lot to improve. I hope Thursday is a refereeing that doesn’t call even thoughts, because today they called everything, for both sides,” he added.

A familiar face in Brazilian football, Colombian Wilmar Roldán will referee the match, assisted by compatriots Jhon Gallego and David Fuentes. David Rodriguez, also from Colombia, will be in charge of the VAR.

Wilmar Roldán will referee Palmeiras vs. LDU this Thursday (Photo: Cesar Greco/Palmeiras)

Upcoming Palmeiras matches

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