Carlos Miguel shines for Palmeiras in a gloomy year-end | OneFootball

Palmeiras took advantage of Atlético-MG's defensive mistakes and defeated the Minas Gerais team 3-0 on Wednesday night (3rd) in Belo Horizonte, breaking a streak of five games without a win in the Brasileirão. Flaco López and Allan secured the victory with goals in the first half, and Luighi increased the tally in the final stage, but the standout of the match was goalkeeper Carlos Miguel.

The goalkeeper, by far the best on the field, and the Palmeiras players celebrated in a restrained manner because the victory meant little, as Flamengo defeated Ceará at Maracanã and confirmed their Brasileirão title with one round to spare.

Verdão started the game putting into practice everything that had been missing in the last five matches. Pressuring the opponent’s ball out, two mistakes by the Atlético defense led to the two Palmeiras goals in less than 20 minutes: Flaco López scored in the eighth minute, taking advantage of a mistake by Junior Alonso, and Allan in the 19th, after an error from Guilherme Arana.

Atlético, even at a disadvantage, only went on the attack after Palmeiras lost Piquerez, who was sent off for a sliding tackle. With ten men on the field, the team retreated and was pressed by Atlético, which turned Carlos Miguel into the best player on the pitch.

With at least five great saves, Carlos showed that he can (and should) be the natural replacement for Weverton, who will be available to Abel Ferreira again in 2026. At 27 years old, the goalkeeper is set to start next year as the first choice after a good run during Weverton’s injury, accelerating the passing of the torch in the Verdão goal.

In addition to his great saves, Atlético-MG hit the post three times and even found the net with Rony, but the goal was disallowed because VAR noticed the former Palmeiras striker’s arm on the ball after (yet another) save from Carlos Miguel.

Near the end of the match, Alviverde launched a counterattack and Luighi sealed the final score in Belo Horizonte: 3-0, though it did little to help.

What now?

The victory over Atlético-MG was not enough to keep Palmeiras in the title race, which went to Flamengo – the Rio team defeated Ceará at Maracanã and secured the championship with one round to spare, with 78 points against Verdão’s 73, with only three points left in play.

Verdão returns to the field next Sunday (7th), at 4pm (Brasília time), when they play their last match of the 2025 season, facing Ceará at Arena Castelão.

Upcoming Palmeiras matches

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