Palmeiras edge Novorizontino, narrow lead raises doubts | OneFootball

Palmeiras defeated Novorizontino 1-0 in the first leg of the Paulista Championship final, held at Arena Barueri, but left the field with the feeling that they could have built a bigger advantage. The only goal of the match was scored by Flaco López, while Carlos Miguel shone by saving a penalty in the first half.

The only goal of the match came at the 26th minute of the first half. Sosa, who started in place of the injured Vitor Roque, provided the assist for Flaco López to finish with power and beat goalkeeper Jordi.

Game volume and missed chances

As expected, Palmeiras took control of the action for most of the match. The team led by Abel Ferreira had more possession, created more chances, and pushed their opponent into their defensive half.

Novorizontino opted for a more cautious strategy and managed to defend well at various moments, forcing the Verdão to frequently resort to long balls to try to break through the defense.

The best chance to extend the lead came with Allan, who found himself free inside the box but hit the post.

Penalty saved

The match became tense after two mistakes by Palmeiras in playing out from the back. In one of these errors, Andreas Pereira lost possession and the play ended with a penalty committed by Gustavo Gómez.

Robson took the penalty, but was stopped by Carlos Miguel. The goalkeeper stayed in the middle of the goal and prevented the equalizer still in the first half.

VAR and frustration

Early in the second half, Palmeiras scored again with Gustavo Gómez. However, the goal was disallowed after a VAR review, which found the Paraguayan defender to be marginally offside.

The review took several minutes and caused frustration among players and fans present at the stadium.

Despite pressing until the end, Verdão could not extend their lead. The result keeps Palmeiras ahead, but leaves the decision completely open for the second leg in Novo Horizonte.

What now?

The second leg takes place at 8:30 pm (Brasília time) this Sunday (8th), at Jorge Ismael de Biase Stadium in Novo Horizonte. Novorizontino has the best record and will play the decisive match at home.

Palmeiras will be champions with a draw in the second leg. Novorizontino will take it to penalties with a one-goal win, or will win the title if they win by two or more goals.

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