Palmeiras slump in second half, down to 9th after losing Brasileirão lead | OneFootball

Palmeiras are going through a very different situation from the one they showed in the first half of the Brazilian Championship. After finishing the first half of the competition with the best campaign in their history in the round-robin era, Verdão have dropped off in the second half and now sit only 9th in the second-half standings.

The drop in performance added a new chapter this Sunday (6). At Nilton Santos Stadium, Palmeiras were held to a 0-0 draw by Botafogo, recorded their second consecutive draw in the Brasileirão, and lost the lead after spending 19 rounds in first place. Flamengo, who beat Remo 1-0, moved to the top with 54 points, compared to 53 for Abel Ferreira’s side.

From best campaign in history to 9th in the second half

The contrast between the two halves stands out. Palmeiras finished the first 19 matches with 44 points and a 77% success rate, securing the symbolic first-half title.

In the second half, however, the team have not managed to maintain the same consistency. In the specific standings for the second half of the championship, Verdão are in 9th place with nine points, behind teams such as Cruzeiro, Flamengo, Bahia, Fluminense, Athletico-PR, Santos, Atlético-MG, and Coritiba.

Cruzeiro lead the second half, while Flamengo are in second place. Raposa have 15 points in that stretch, compared to 14 for Rubro-Negro.

The difference in performance also shows in the recent results. After starting the second half with a 3-1 win over Coritiba, Palmeiras suffered defeats to Atlético-MG and Fluminense and also dropped points against Internacional, Mirassol, and now Botafogo.

Lead lost after 19 rounds

The draw in Rio de Janeiro ended Palmeiras’ long spell at the top of the league table. The team had occupied first place since the seventh round and even opened up a lead over their rivals during the first half.

Now the situation has changed. Flamengo have overtaken Verdão and taken over the lead, while Palmeiras need to rediscover the form they showed in the first 19 matches to pull ahead again in the title race.

The draw against Botafogo also extended the run of slip-ups: two consecutive draws, against Mirassol and Botafogo, at a crucial stage of the competition.

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