Old nemesis shines, Palmeiras thrashed by Novorizontino | OneFootball

Palmeiras was defeated by Grêmio Novorizontino 4-0 on Tuesday night (20th) and lost their unbeaten streak in the Campeonato Paulista, breaking a sequence of three consecutive victories.

The first three goals for Novorizontino were scored by a former nemesis of Verdão, the forward Robson. In 2020, the forward scored two goals in Palmeiras' defeat that led to the dismissal of Vanderlei Luxemburgo - 3-1 to Coritiba, at Allianz Parque. The fourth goal, which sealed the defeat, was by Hélio Borges, who was trained in the youth categories of the Palmeiras team.

Abel Ferreira's team concludes the first half of the initial phase of the Paulistão with nine points, in third position. Novorizontino is second, also with nine.

See how the game went:

Punished by mistakes

The beginning of the match had few clear goal chances and football below expectations. Both teams showed a lot of midfield battles soaked by the rain, with an excess of fouls and difficulties breaking through well-positioned defenses.

When the game opened up, Novorizontino was better – and much better. At 19 minutes, Maykon took a tight corner kick into the small area, and Robson appeared free to head the ball and open the scoring: 1-0.

Palmeiras responded and began to create their main opportunities from the 34th minute. First, with a pass from Flaco López that almost ended in an own goal by Dantas. Three minutes later, Flaco himself acted as a pivot, Khellven crossed into the area, and Riquelme headed for a great save by goalkeeper Jordi.

At 41, Novorizontino extended the lead. Mayk advanced unmarked on the left, crossed perfectly, and Robson appeared again to complete and make it 2-0 at halftime.

It turned into a rout

Palmeiras returned in the second half at a slow pace. Without aggression, the team exchanged passes at the beginning of regulation time but couldn't break through the opponent's defense.

At 12 minutes, however, it was a celebration for the interior: Marcelo Lomba made a ball exit to Luighi on the left side of the field, the forward controlled the ball but got tangled up and handed the ball to Novorizontino, with Robson, to extend the score: 3-0.

At 26, already shaken on the field, the fourth goal came. Benedetti made a mistake, Léo Naldi crossed, and Hélio Borges finished strongly to make the fourth. 4-0. Two minutes later, one of Palmeiras' few chances came with Luighi, who wasted it.

At 36, almost the fifth. Maykon took a long free kick, and Luís Oyama deflected it, the ball grazed the crossbar. At 40, Palmeiras made their last attempt with Gustavo Gómez, who became a forward at the end of the match. 4-0 final score.

And now?

Abel Ferreira's team concludes the first half of the initial phase of the Paulistão with nine points, in third position. Novorizontino is second, also with nine, but ahead due to goal difference: -1 against +5. The leader is Red Bull Bragantino, also with nine, goal difference +9, and one game less.

Palmeiras returns to the field on Saturday (24th), when they face São Paulo at 18:30 (Brasília time), at Arena Barueri, for the fifth round of the initial phase of the Campeonato Paulista.

Match Details

Grêmio Novorizontino 4-0 Palmeiras

Location: Jorge Ismael de Biazi, in Novo Horizonte-SPDate and time: January 20, 2025, Tuesday, 8 PM (Brasília time)Referee: Fabiano Monteiro dos Santos (SP)Assistants:  Daniel Paulo Ziolli (SP) and Bruno Silva de Jesus (SP)VAR:  Adriano de Assis Miranda (SP)Yellow cards: Robson, Mayk, Alvarino, and Patrick (NOV); Khellven (PAL)Goals: Robson (1-0, at 20/1st half); Robson (2-0, at 43/1st half); Robson (3-0, at 12/2nd half); Hélio Borges (4-0, at 26/2nd half)

GRÊMIO NOVORIZONTINO: Jordi; Alvariño, Dantas, Patrick, and Mayk; Luís Oyama (Jean Irmer, at 40/2nd half), Léo Naldi, and Juninho (Matheus Bianqui, at 28/2nd half); Tavinho (Hélio Borges, at halftime), Robson (Nicolas Careca, at 35/2nd half), and Maykon Jesus (Diego Galo, at 40/2nd half). Coach: Enderson Moreira.

PALMEIRAS:  Marcelo Lomba; Khellven, Gustavo Gómez, Murilo (Benedetti, at halftime), and Piquerez; Emiliano Martínez (Marlon Freitas, at 15/2nd half), Larson (Luis Pacheco, at 32/2nd half), and Raphael Veiga (Bruno Rodrigues, at 15/2nd half); Allan, Riquelme Filipi (Luighi, at 15/2nd half), and Flaco López. Coach: Abel Ferreira.

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