Abel: Vitor Roque benched, Palmeiras reach first final goal | OneFootball

The Palmeiras defeated Novorizontino 1-0 on Wednesday night in the first leg of the Paulista Championship final, a match where Abel Ferreira had to leave forward Vitor Roque on the bench. The coach explained what motivated the change in the attack and saw the team's first objective achieved with the victory at Arena Crefisa Barueri.

“The two best teams reached the final. The two difficulties were anticipated. The first: the opponent's organized form, and the second, one less day of recovery. We would feel it in the second half. These were the two main difficulties. Our opponent organized very well, transitioned when they had to, but we did well not to concede transitions, where they are very strong,” evaluated Abel.

“We were also defensively strong on set pieces. We entered strong and dynamic, scored the goal, had one off the post from Allan and another from Murilo, who missed the header in the area. In the second half, apart from that disallowed goal and Khellven's play that finishes inside the area, the opponent managed to block us. Our first objective was to gain an advantage here. We will go to the opponent's home, which has already shown quality and is deservedly in the final. It's always difficult and nothing we weren't expecting,” he continued.

Why was Vitor Roque on the bench?

The surprise in the lineup was the absence of Vitor Roque among the starters. The decision was due to the knocks the player received in the match against São Paulo in the semifinal. He underwent intensive treatment in recent days, but the staff decided to preserve him initially. Vitor Roque was brought on at 24 minutes into the second half.

Abel Ferreira attributed the player's fatigue also to the short recovery time between matches.

“You saw the last game like I did, saw how Vitor Roque left. The difference is between two and three days of recovery. With such little recovery time, it's always difficult. It seems like an excuse, but there's no way. It's like beating a dead horse. It's different, I've been saying this for five years and will keep saying it. It's something we have to think about. It's not my role, but it should be. If he didn't play, it's because there was something preventing him from playing,” he explained.

Abel approves performance and trusts in strength away from home

Palmeiras opened the scoring at 34 minutes of the first half, with Flaco López, and had another goal disallowed in the final stage. Still in the first half, Carlos Miguel saved a penalty and prevented Verdão from conceding an equalizer. The team now plays for a draw away from home.

“We anticipated the difficulties beforehand. I think we, even knowing them, created them. We had one off the post, another with Murilo. We had the opportunity to score another goal, but we couldn't. We know the opponent's strength at home, but we also know Palmeiras' strength as visitors,” he concluded.

Match situation

With this result, Verdão plays for a draw in the return match, which takes place on Sunday, starting at 8:30 PM (Brasília time), at Estádio Jorge Ismael de Biasi, in Novo Horizonte (SP).

Any draw or new victory for Palmeiras secures the title for Abel Ferreira's team. Meanwhile, in case of a Novorizontino victory by one goal, the decision goes to penalties. To claim the trophy, Tigre do Vale needs at least a 2-0 win.

Details of the return match

Match: Novorizontino vs. Palmeiras Competition: Paulista Championship (Final, return match) Date and time: March 8, 2026 (Sunday), at 8:30 PM (Brasília time) Location: Estádio Dr. Jorge Ismael de Biasi, in Novo Horizonte (SP)

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