Andreas Pereira faces Flamengo for first time since Libertadores error | OneFootball

Today at Palmeiras, Andreas Pereira will face his former club after returning to Brazilian football. The midfielder will meet Flamengo for the first time this Sunday, at 4 p.m. (Brasília time), at Maracanã Stadium, for the 29th round of the Brazilian Championship.

Andreas Pereira’s time at Flamengo started well but ended in a tragic way. The player made a serious mistake in the 2021 Libertadores final, which handed the title precisely to Palmeiras. Because of this, he became heavily marked by Flamengo’s fans.

Andreas’s mistake marked Palmeiras’s third Libertadores title

Palmeiras and Flamengo faced each other in the 2021 Libertadores final, held at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo (Uruguay). Andreas Pereira started the match as a starter for the Rio team. Verdão opened the scoring early, and Rubro-Negro equalized in the second half.

The decision, therefore, went to extra time. That’s when everything happened. Andreas Pereira was practically the last man in defense and, when he received the pass from David Luiz, he miscontrolled and let the ball slip, even if just a little. Deyverson pressured his rival and stole the ball, going one-on-one with Diego Alves and scoring the goal that secured Palmeiras’s third championship.

Deyverson scored the title-winning goal for Palmeiras after Andreas Pereira’s mistake (Photo: EITAN ABRAMOVICH / AFP)

Flamengo’s fans, of course, did not forgive Andreas’s mistake, and he received a lot of criticism after the episode. In a social media post made a day after the error, the player apologized to the fans and wrote the following: “I promise, I will win you back!” However, in July 2022, he left the club.

Andreas’s post, in fact, is filled with recent comments. Some Flamengo fans called him “Judas” after the news that the midfielder would strengthen Palmeiras. Meanwhile, Verdão’s fans also made their presence felt in the post, with comments like: “Thanks for the third title, now let’s go for the fourth,” referencing the player’s mistake in the Libertadores.

Andreas says the mistake is “in the past”

Almost four years after the mistake in the Libertadores final, Andreas Pereira returned to Brazilian football, this time to strengthen Palmeiras, Flamengo’s direct rival in recent years. Presented as the club’s new signing in September, he recalled the episode.

According to the midfielder, the mistake in the Libertadores final is “in the past”. The midfielder’s goal at Palmeiras is to start over and pursue new titles.

“I think what happened is in the past. I arrived here and I want to write my story starting with the next game. I want to have a beautiful story and many titles. For me, that’s the most important thing, and I hope to stay here as long as possible,” said the midfielder, who signed a contract until the end of 2028, during his presentation press conference.

Andreas Pereira already has experience in classics between Flamengo and Palmeiras, but this will be the first time he will defend Verdão’s colors. Wearing the green shirt, the midfielder has two goals and one assist in nine matches.

Decision atmosphere: the situation of the clash

Palmeiras is the leader of the Brazilian Championship, alone, with 61 points. The team coached by Abel Ferreira won its last two matches, including a postponed fixture, and took the lead from Flamengo. Rubro-Negro is the runner-up, with 58 points.

The match is being treated as an “early final” of the Brasileirão. However, Verdão is guaranteed to stay in the lead for at least one more round. If they lose, the São Paulo team remains on top because they have two more wins than the Rio team. If they win, they increase their lead at the top.

Upcoming Palmeiras matches

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