Palmeiras lose steam under pressure, still dream of Copa comeback | OneFootball

By Victória Romanelli

Palmeiras returned from Ecuador to Brazil with a 3-0 defeat to LDU in the semifinal of the Libertadores. Now, to keep dreaming of a fourth championship, they will have to stage a historic comeback against their rival. On Thursday night, at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium, Verdão was unrecognizable and ended up being crushed by the Ecuadorian team.

Read more: All the news about Palmeiras

The defeat put an end to Palmeiras' unbeaten run in the continental competition. Additionally, it ended their streak of 30 games without losing as visitors to foreign clubs.

How did Palmeiras arrive to face LDU?

Coach Abel Ferreira made three changes to the starting lineup compared to the team that played over the weekend in the Brazilian Championship. Murilo, Emiliano Martínez, and Raphael Veiga started in place of Bruno Fuchs, Aníbal Moreno, and Mauricio. The other eight players remained the same.

However, whatever the strategy was, it didn't work for Palmeiras. LDU started pressing from the first minutes, and Abel's "new" pieces didn't respond well. The midfield didn't connect, the defense was exposed, and the attack was practically apathetic.

LDU played as they wanted in the first half. Carlos Miguel had already made at least three saves by the 16th minute when Villamil opened the scoring. He appeared free in the area, received from Quiñonez, and shot into the net. Ten minutes later, Alzugaray added another from a penalty. Finally, at 45 minutes, Villamil was free again and scored the third, which deflected off Khellven.

“Aníbal was on the bench but injured. Veiga's mission was specific: to block number 33 (Quiñonez) and close as a third midfielder when the ball was on the opposite side. Emiliano's mission was to follow the midfielder who scored two goals (Villamil). As for choosing Murilo, I understood it was a more physical duel game, and he has that capability. Therefore, these were three normal substitutions considering our strategy,” explained Abel.

At halftime, Abel replaced Khellven and Veiga with Giay and Sosa. Later in the game, he brought on Allan, Jefté, and Bruno Rodrigues in place of Emiliano Martínez, Felipe Anderson, and Vitor Roque.

Palmeiras tried to react but lacked enough energy

Palmeiras played a generally poor game and lacked enough energy at altitude to react. After a first half to forget, they showed some signs of life in the second half with the substitutions. Even though they struggled to create, they still posed some danger to LDU's goal. Vitor Roque, Flaco López, and Sosa had chances face-to-face but missed.

“Despite not playing well, we had a Roque in front of the goalkeeper, a shot from Veiga inside the area, a play from López in the second half that hit the goalkeeper's chest. Another from Ramón that the goalkeeper saved and the last one from Flaco. Not playing well, at least from these five opportunities, for those who want to be ahead, you have to score one or two. As I said, it's a game where we were far below what we know, can, and are able to do,” analyzed Abel.

It wasn't for lack of warning…

Palmeiras knew what awaited them at the altitude. Abel Ferreira revealed that the players were warned about the strength of the Ecuadorian team at home and their campaign in the Libertadores, eliminating other Brazilian teams like Botafogo and São Paulo.

“I warned my team. LDU finished first in Flamengo's group, eliminated Botafogo, São Paulo. It wasn't for lack of warning,” revealed Abel.

They will need a comeback to continue

Once again, Palmeiras will have to show their strength to be the comeback team and overturn the significant 3-0 scoreline. To advance without penalties, they need to win by a four-goal difference. Alternatively, they must win by at least three to decide the spot in penalties.

The tone after the 90 minutes within Palmeiras is one of confidence in the comeback. Piquerez, Giay, and Andreas Pereira spoke about it as they left the field. In the post-match press conference, Abel Ferreira reinforced this sentiment.

“We have a big disadvantage. But, 90 minutes at Allianz Parque is a long time,” emphasized Abel.

The return match takes place next Thursday, October 30, at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), at Allianz Parque in São Paulo.

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