Palmeiras dominate Choque-Rei at home, reach Paulista final | OneFootball

Palmeiras made their home advantage count in the semifinal of the Paulista Championship and defeated São Paulo 2-1 last Sunday night. With the victory, Verdão reached 858 days without losing to their rival and also secured their seventh consecutive State final, the sixth under coach Abel Ferreira.

Palmeiras opens the score early and avoids euphoria

Boosted by the support of over 29,000 people at Arena Crefisa Barueri, Palmeiras quickly managed to open the score by pressing São Paulo’s ball exit, an aspect that has been decisive for Alviverde this season. By working the ball from foot to foot, Verdão scored in the seventh minute, with Mauricio.

The play, however, deserved mention from the start and featured Murilo’s effort in dispossessing Luciano and Marlon Freitas’s good vision, who found a great pass to Flaco López. The Argentine then opened up to Vitor Roque on the left. The number 9 crossed twice into the box and, on the second attempt, left it at Mauricio’s feet, who found the back of the net.

Palmeiras dominance and Tricolor complaints

With the lead on the scoreboard, Palmeiras was able to play more calmly, but even so, they stayed focused on the game. There were moments when the team could have extended the lead earlier, but ended up making the wrong decision, such as in a play at the end of the first half when Piquerez shot across goal instead of passing to Allan, who was arriving free and in front of Rafael’s goal.

Palmeiras managed to control São Paulo for almost the entire match. Tricolor gave little trouble to Carlos Miguel’s defense and mainly relied on shots from outside the box. In a cross attempt in the second half, Tricolor complained that the ball hit Gómez’s arm, but the referee let play continue. Then, in the 11th minute, Verdão made life easier for themselves and extended the lead.

Vitor Roque was fouled and started the play that led to the goal. Andreas Pereira took a low free kick, opening up to Piquerez on the left. The Uruguayan went to the byline and crossed into the box. São Paulo’s defense hesitated and the ball fell to Flaco López, who made no mistake.

São Paulo pulls one back, but Palmeiras controls

The match seemed under control until the 23rd minute, when São Paulo pulled one back. Marlon Freitas challenged Bobadilla for the ball, who fell in the box and the referee awarded a penalty. Calleri converted from the spot and put Tricolor back in the game. Abel Ferreira refreshed the team with changes up front and Verdão gained the energy to hold off their rival, who did not have any clear chances.

Unbeaten run maintained and focus on the final

Palmeiras once again showed their ability to decide matches and, above all, their strength at home, even though they were away from Allianz Parque. Making Arena Crefisa Barueri their home, they had the fans as their 12th man and maintained their unbeaten record at the venue and against Tricolor, who have not beaten Palmeiras in 11 matches: the longest unbeaten run in the history of the Choque-Rei.

With morale and confidence high, Palmeiras are already preparing to face Novorizontino in the home-and-away finals of the Paulistão and are looking to win a title after going trophyless last season. The last trophy lifted by Verdão was the 2024 State Championship.

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