Ready for the World Cup: Flaco López fires Palmeiras past Flamengo | OneFootball

The striker scored in Verdao’s huge 3-0 win over Mengao away at the Maracanã. The São Paulo side is tightening its grip on the top spot in the Brasileirao.

José López scored again and dreams of the 2026 World Cup, with the final Argentina national team squad announcement just around the corner. El Flaco opened the scoring in Palmeiras’ big win, as they thrashed Flamengo 3-0 this Saturday in the most anticipated match of round 17 of the Brasileirao and strengthened their lead at the top, now with 38 points.

The much-anticipated clash lived up to the hype. Early in the match, Mengao, coached by Leonardo Jardim, took complete control, dominating possession and creating the clearest chances. However, the course of the match changed dramatically in the 20th minute when Colombian Jorge Carrascal raised his leg too high and struck defender Murilo Cerqueira in the face.

The São Paulo side took over and pinned the home team back. The pressure paid off before halftime with José Manuel “El Flaco” López, who opened the scoring after an assist from Allan; and it was Allan himself who doubled the lead in the second half after challenging Uruguay’s Guillermo Varela for the ball. Then, in stoppage time, a goal from Paulinho, who had come on in place of Allan, sealed the score at 3-0 for the visitors.

José López, who dreams of making Argentina’s final squad for the 2026 World Cup (especially after Joaquín Panichelli’s serious injury), has 8 goals and four assists in 23 matches so far this year. In the coming days, Lionel Scaloni will reveal the squad for the World Cup: El Flaco is hoping to hear his name.

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