Analysis: ‘In drab game, Felipe Anderson is Palmeiras’ bright spot’ | OneFootball

Palmeiras lost 3-2 to Fortaleza at Arena Pantanal, with goals from Flaco López and Murilo, but advanced in the Copa do Brasil thanks to their 3-0 win in the first leg at Nubank Parque. Alviverde return to the quarterfinals of the national competition after three years.

Comfortable with the result

Already virtually qualified even before the opening whistle, Palmeiras took the field in a festive atmosphere to face Fortaleza at Arena Pantanal. Their performance, however, was far from ideal. Abel Ferreira’s team came up against a Fortaleza side willing to play and chasing an unlikely comeback until the very end.

Verdão had several moments of defensive lapse, and the second goal by the team from Ceará summed that up well. Murilo nearly scored an own goal and, from the rebound, Fortaleza found the net.

The main positive news of the night was Felipe Anderson’s performance. In addition to providing the assist for Flaco López’s goal, the midfielder had a strong match, with bursts forward, intensity and, at last, showing a little of what Palmeiras fans had always hoped to see since his arrival.

The negative point was Vitor Roque. Back in the starting lineup after recovering from injury, the striker failed to deliver the expected performance and was substituted in the second half, making way for Ramón Sosa, who is currently in better form and is establishing himself as a starter.

Draw at the CBF

The quarterfinal matchups will be decided by draw next Tuesday (11) at 11 a.m. (Brasília time) at the CBF headquarters in Rio de Janeiro. In addition to Palmeiras, Santos, Atlético-MG, Cruzeiro, Grêmio and Vasco have qualified. This Thursday (6), the other two spots will be decided in the matchups between Corinthians x Internacional and Vitória x Athletico-PR.

Next matches:

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