Cerro Porteño 'shrinks' pitch for Palmeiras Libertadores clash 👀 | OneFootball

Palmeiras encountered an unusual obstacle even before the ball started rolling in Paraguay for the third round of Group F of the Libertadores.

According to UOL, Cerro Porteño, the home side, decided to alter the dimensions of the pitch at La Nueva Olla stadium, reducing it to the minimum allowed by FIFA for international competitions.

The report found that the field was adjusted to 64 meters wide, exactly the minimum limit set by FIFA rules, which determine that pitches for official tournaments must be between 64 and 75 meters wide, with the length ranging from 100 to 110 meters.

For comparison, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) recommends the standard dimensions of 105 meters in length by 68 meters in width for Série A and Série B of the Brasileirão.

The change was a clear and specific strategy by the Paraguayan side for this Wednesday's match (29), with the aim of reducing space and slowing down the Brazilian team's attacks down the flanks.

Before the round began, Palmeiras were second in the group with four points, just one more than Cerro Porteño themselves.

Asked about the situation, Conmebol said that La Nueva Olla’s new dimensions are fully within the parameters required by the rules and that, therefore, there is no room or basis for complaints from the Brazilian club.

Abel is upset!

The strategy had the desired effect for the home side.

Fielding an alternative lineup, Palmeiras struggled with the lack of space to shoot, and the match ended in a draw.

In the press conference after the final whistle, coach Abel Ferreira did not hide his frustration with the Paraguayan "trick" of reducing the field’s width by four meters.

Although he adopted a cautious tone to avoid further punishment from Conmebol, the Portuguese manager described the situation as "sad."

"I had never seen anything like this in my life, the first time. I have many years in football, and it’s the first time I’ve seen this. But you have to ask Conmebol. Do you know what century we are in? I have nothing more to tell you. [...] It’s very sad, but I’m not the one in charge, I’m not the one who organizes it, and I have to be very careful about what I say. You know I was almost penalized by Conmebol for saying what you heard, so I have to be very careful," Abel vented.

Despite his open criticism of the reduced pitch, the Palmeiras boss took responsibility for the slip-up away from home.

"What was missing, in my opinion, was scoring the goal. We had enough chances, even with a short field, a very narrow field, with little space, with a lot of man-marking. [...] Today we couldn’t win, and the responsibility is mine. My job is to train my players," he added.

With the draw, Palmeiras lost the lead in Group F of the Libertadores. The team returns to the field next Saturday, when they face Santos at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) in the Brazilian Championship.

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

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