Coach praises Palmeiras after Copinha win: "We showed grit" | OneFootball

Palmeiras kicked off their participation in the Women’s Copinha with authority. On Wednesday afternoon, at CERET, Verdão thrashed UDA-AL 6-1 and began their campaign at the top of Group D, confirming their status as favorites. Hugo Macedo, coach of the São Paulo team, emphasized that the performance was no surprise internally.

“It was a good debut, it fully met expectations. They delivered performance, grit, and courage—just what we always ask for to represent Palmeiras,” said Hugo to Gazeta Esportiva, pleased with the group’s mature attitude.

The dominant performance gives the club confidence for the rest of the group stage. The coach made a point of stressing that their preparation pace does not depend on the opponent. “It doesn’t affect us at all. We prepare with the same respect for every team. We know the importance of the game, but the respect must be the same,” he pointed out.

The next match will be against Grêmio, on Saturday, at 5:00 PM (Brasília time). For Hugo, the order of the games might even offer a technical advantage: observing their next opponent up close. “The difference is that Grêmio will play Botafogo now, so we’ll be able to watch them closely. That’s the advantage: we’ll have more reliable material to study them,” he explained.

In addition to the good start, the coach acknowledged that the squad arrives at the Copinha at a higher level than last year. Confident but cautious, he believes that the lessons learned have created a more solid group. “If we compare to last year, we are definitely better prepared to win the title. It’s a more robust squad, better prepared, more coherent, and with greater understanding among the players.”

Palmeiras returns to the field on Saturday and could secure early qualification. Meanwhile, UDA-AL will try to bounce back against Botafogo, at 8:00 PM, also at CERET.

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