Palmeiras hit by own goal, held by Cerro Porteño in Libertadores | OneFootball

Palmeiras return from Paraguay with one point in their luggage after a 1-1 draw against Cerro Porteño on Wednesday night (29) at Estadio General Pablo Rojas in Asunción (PAR), in the third round of the Libertadores group stage. Jhon Arias scored for Verdão, who conceded the equalizer after an unfortunate own goal by Carlos Miguel.

The result sees Palmeiras lose the top spot in Group F of the continental competition. The team is now second in Group F with five points — two draws and one win. The leader is Sporting Cristal with six. Cerro Porteño, with four, and Junior, with one, complete the group.

See the match report

A green first half

Palmeiras controlled the action from the start. In the 9th minute, the first shot came from Arthur, who tried his luck from distance.

Despite having more possession, Verdão created few chances. That changed after the hydration break in the 22nd minute. Abel asked for more intensity, and it worked. In the 27th, Flaco had the team’s first shot on target.

In the 28th, an unbelievable play. Andreas took a corner and the ball fell to Allan in the box, all alone, but he hit the crossbar.

In the 32nd, the pressure paid off. Palmeiras opened the scoring through a moment of individual brilliance from Allan, a product of the club’s Academy of Football. The midfielder beat his marker, combined with Marlon Freitas, and set up Arias with a precise pass inside the box. 1-0.

After that, Verdão played with composure in Asunción to see out the first half.

On the other side, Cerro Porteño were unable to get the ball to Vegetti effectively and ended the first half without a single shot on target.

They stopped playing

In the second half, Palmeiras stopped attacking and let Cerro Porteño grow into the game. In the 5th minute came the Paraguayan side’s best chance. Giay tried to clear with his heel, missed it, and nearly gifted the hosts a goal. The No. 4 recovered, and Torres’s shot was blocked.

Verdão were well organized defensively. Cerro had more possession, but could not break through the green wall at the back. Abel Ferreira’s team tried to respond on the counter through Sosa and Flaco López, but without success.

They were asking for it…

Cerro’s pressure paid off — with a bit of luck. In the 26th minute, the Paraguayan side’s equalizer came from an unfortunate play involving Carlos Miguel. Iturbe shot from distance, the ball deflected off Murilo and hit the post. To Palmeiras’ misfortune, it then rebounded off Carlos Miguel’s back. 1-1. Palmeiras tried to take the initiative again after conceding, but created very little. In a scrappy game with few chances, Cerro’s defense stood out.

The best opportunities came late on. In the 41st, Allan played it to Maurício, free, but he misplaced the pass for Flaco López. In the 43rd, Flaco López received the ball inside the box, but the goalkeeper came out well at the striker’s feet. In the final play, Murilo, unmarked, headed the ball. Arias produced an unbelievable point-blank save. Right after that, Maurício’s shot was blocked by the defense. 1-1 final score.

What now?

Palmeiras are second in Libertadores Group F after three rounds — the end of the first half of the group stage. Verdão have five points, with two draws and one win, behind Sporting Cristal, who have six. Cerro Porteño, with four, and Junior, with one, complete the group.

Palmeiras’ next Libertadores match is on Tuesday (5) against Sporting Cristal in Peru, in the fourth round. Before that, the team faces rivals Santos on Saturday (2) at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) in the Brazilian Championship.

Match details

Cerro Porteño 1-1 Palmeiras

Venue: Estadio General Pablo Rojas, in Asunción, ParaguayDate and time: April 29, 2025, Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time)Referee: Gustavo Tejera (URU) Assistants: Martin Soppi (URU) and Horacio Ferreiro (URU)VAR: Antonio Garcia (URU)Yellow cards: Iturbe (CCP); Allan (PAL)Goals: Jhon Arias (0-1, 33’ 1st half); Carlos Miguel, own goal (1-1, 26’ 2nd half).

CERRO PORTEÑO: Arias; Velázquez, Quintana (Melgarejo, 47’ 2nd half), Pérez and Chaparro; Morel, Wilder Viera (Klimowicz, at halftime), Fabrício Domínguez (Cesar Bobadilla, 47’ 2nd half) and Rodrigo Gomez (Iturbe, 22’ 2nd half); Jonatan Torres (Peralta, 31’ 2nd half) and Vegetti. Coach: Ariel Holan.

PALMEIRAS: Carlos Miguel; Giay (Khellven, 38’ 2nd half), Gustavo Gomez, Bruno Fuchs and Arthur (Jefté, 42’ 2nd half); Andreas Pereira, Marlon Freitas, Allan (Felipe Anderson, 42’ 2nd half) and Jhon Arias (Lucas Evangelista, 38’ 2nd half); Ramón Sosa (Maurício, 34’ 2nd half) and Flaco López. Coach: João Martins.

Palmeiras’ upcoming matches

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