Vitor Roque bags brace, Palmeiras cruise to Paulistão semis | OneFootball

The Palmeiras is in yet another semifinal of the Campeonato Paulista. The Verdão defeated Capivariano 4-0 on Saturday night (21st) at Arena Barueri in the state quarterfinals, securing a spot among the top four. Vitor Roque scored twice in the first half, and Andreas Pereira and Sosa scored in stoppage time to secure the team's goals.

Verdão still doesn't know who their opponent will be. Besides Abel Ferreira's team, São Paulo secured a spot in the semifinal by defeating Red Bull Bragantino. Portuguesa and Corinthians and Grêmio Novorizontino and Santos will decide the other two spots.

The two semifinals will take place next weekend, between February 30 and March 1.

See the match report

Spot confirmed in the first half

Palmeiras confirmed their favoritism and didn't face many scares against Capivariano. Abel Ferreira's team didn't take long to take the lead. Just 5 minutes in, Flaco López participated in the offensive play, the ball stayed alive in the area, and Vitor Roque appeared to finish with precision and open the scoring.

Even behind on the scoreboard, Capivariano didn't retreat. The interior team sought the attack and managed to balance part of the first half but without posing significant threats to Carlos Miguel's goal.

The difference was in efficiency and clarity of chances. At 35 minutes, Palmeiras scored again. After a pass exchange between Maurício and Piquerez, Vitor Roque received and struck first-time to score the second goal, extending the lead before the break.

The goal was a bucket of cold water for Capivariano, who didn't attack anymore after the goal. 2-0 at halftime.

Second half paced

The pace slowed as the rain intensified at Arena Barueri. With more ball possession and not suffering from Capivariano's attack, Palmeiras had the best chances. At 14 minutes, Allan received a pass, controlled it on his chest, dribbled two defenders, and shot across. The ball went close to the goal.

The best chance came at 21 minutes. After a corner kick from the right, Piquerez crossed, the ball deflected off Flaco López, and almost went in.

The second half also marked a debut for Palmeiras. The attacking midfielder Jhon Arias, recently announced by the club, took the field for the first time and was applauded by the fans. The Colombian will cost 25 million euros (R$ 154 million), to be paid over four years to Wolverhampton, England.

The new number 11 debuted well. In one of his first touches on the ball, he won a penalty. Andreas Pereira took it well and confirmed the rout at 46 minutes of the second half. Two minutes later, Sosa received from Felipe Anderson, dribbled the goalkeeper, and sealed the score. 4-0 final score.

And now?

Palmeiras reaches the semifinal of the Campeonato Paulista for the 13th consecutive time – it is the only club to have reached the penultimate phase every year since 2014 and the only one to compete in the last six finals. Verdão still doesn't know who their opponent will be, a situation that will be revealed on Sunday (22nd), after the quarterfinals conclude.

The two semifinals will take place next weekend, between February 30 and March 1. Before that, Palmeiras will play in the Brazilian Championship on Wednesday (25th) against Fluminense at Arena Barueri.

Match details

Palmeiras 4-0 Capivariano

Location: Arena Barueri, in Barueri (SP)Date and time: February 21, 2025, Saturday, 8:30 PM (Brasília time)Referee: Edina Alves BatistaAssistants: Alex Ang Ribeiro and Izabele de OliveiraVAR: Thiago Luis ScarascatiYellow cards: Marlon Freitas (PAL); Diogo Matheus and Carlos Eduardo (CAP) Goals: Vitor Roque (1-0, at 6/1T; and 2-0, at 36/2T); Andreas Pereira (3-0, at 46/2T); Sosa (4-0, at 48/2T).

PALMEIRAS: Carlos Miguel; Khellven, Gustavo Gómez, Murilo, and Piquerez; Marlon Freitas, Andreas Pereira, Mauricio (Felipe Anderson, at 41/2T) and Allan (Arias, at 32/2T); Flaco López (Lucas Evangelista, at 41/eT) and Vitor Roque (Sosa, at 32/2T). Coach: Abel Ferreira.

CAPIVARIANO: Guilherme Nogueira, Diogo Mateus (Ricardo Cerqueira, at halftime), Octávio, Wendel Lomar, and Lucas Dias; Bruno Silva, Thiaguinho (Balão, at 34/2T) and Ravanelli (Rodolfo, at 23/2T); Carlos Eduardo (Felipe Azevedo, at halftime), Baianinho (Matheus Guilherme, at 23/2T) and Vinicius Popó. Coach: Élio Sizenando.

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