Palmeiras carry commanding lead over Santos as Abel era shows rarity of heavy defeats | OneFootball

Palmeiras take a 3-0 first leg lead over Santos into tonight’s 2026 Copa do Brasil quarter-final return, meaning they can lose by up to two and still reach the semi-finals.

Under Abel Ferreira, Palmeiras have lost by three or more only five times in 446 matches. The 2026 setback, a 4-0 loss to Novorizontino on 20 January, is the only scoreline that would eliminate them outright.

The other heavy reverses were 3-0 defeats to Internacional in the 2022 Brasileiro, Flamengo in 2023, Fortaleza in 2024, and LDU in the 2025 Libertadores, a margin that would take this tie to penalties.

The mood after the first leg was calm but realistic. Giay said the tie is only halfway and that scoring three and winning at home met their objective. Abel argued they must be more clinical, noting Santos have the benefit of the return at Vila Belmiro and that Palmeiras need to close the job there.

This season Palmeiras are unbeaten in eight state derbies, six wins and two draws, including a draw with Santos in the first round of the Brasileiro. Across the past 20 meetings between the clubs, Palmeiras have lost only three times.

Santos’ record in similar scenarios is poor. The last time they lost a first leg by three and still advanced was in 1995 against Fluminense in the Brasileiro, when they won the return 5-2.

Kick-off is at 21:30 Brasília time at Vila Belmiro, with broadcast on Globo, Premiere and sportv.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”