Analysis: Palmeiras put on their best display of 2026 in thrashing Vitória | OneFootball

The Palmeiras secured their first victory in the Brazilian Championship this Wednesday (4) by defeating Vitória 5-1 at Arena Barueri, in the second round of the competition. With ease, Abel Ferreira's team showed that it is indeed possible to play better football than what has been presented on most occasions at the start of 2026.

From the first minute, Palmeiras pressured Vitória. As soon as they lost the ball, the São Paulo team quickly regained possession. In this context, the team had ten shots in the first half and ended with a partial result of 3-0.

The best chances, however, came from set pieces – something Palmeiras has also been struggling with at the start of the season, whether offensively or defensively. At 25 minutes, Andreas took a corner, and Murilo rose well to head strongly and score again after almost nine months.

Additionally, Murilo reached Cléber in the 5th position among the top scoring defenders in Palmeiras' history, both now with 21 goals.

Again from a set piece, at 28 minutes, the defenders' scoring instinct appeared once more. Murilo deflected, and the ball fell to Gómez, who, with a touch, lobbed Gabriel.

But perhaps the great synthesis of the game was the third goal by Maurício. Ball at the feet, quick passes, and position changes. Palmeiras not only played their best game so far but also scored their most beautiful and well-crafted goal of 2026.

In the last move of the first half, Andreas and Piquerez exchanged passes more than once until the Uruguayan found Maurício unmarked in the area.

The team remained on the attack even with the advantage

Another highlight of the Palmeiras team was maintaining pressure even with the lead established in the first half. If the team had ten shots in the first half, there were seven more in the final 45 minutes.

Jair Ventura even tried to return from the break with changes in Vitória, and the team had more possession, but they did not pose a threat to Palmeiras. Except for the chance with Dudu, at 11 minutes, who scored.

Even with the boost from the goal, Vitória could not mount a significant comeback. Meanwhile, Palmeiras kept attacking. Shortly after conceding, the team extended their lead with a beautiful individual play by Allan.

Palmeiras even reached the fifth goal. Ramón Sosa struck from outside the area and benefited from a deflection to score the fifth.

And now?

Palmeiras returns to the field next Sunday (8) at 8:30 PM (Brasília time), facing Corinthians in a Paulista Championship match at Neo Química Arena.

In the Brasileirão, Verdão returns next Thursday (12) at 9:30 PM (Brasília time) against Internacional.

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