Palmeiras lift 27th Paulista title after beating Grêmio Novorizontino | OneFootball

Palmeiras is the champion of the 2026 Campeonato Paulista. Under heavy rain at the Jorge Ismael de Biasi Stadium in Novo Horizonte, the Verdão defeated Grêmio Novorizontino 2-1 on Sunday night (8) and claimed the state title. Murilo and Vitor Roque scored for the Palmeiras side, while Matheus Bianqui netted the lone goal for the team from the interior.

In the first leg in Barueri, Palmeiras had won 1-0 – the aggregate score, therefore, was 3-1. Flaco López scored the Palmeiras goal in the first match, held on Wednesday (4) at Arena Crefisa Barueri, in Barueri.

Palmeiras now has its 27th Campeonato Paulista title. This is also the club’s 12th official title since 2020, considering state, national, and international trophies.

See the full match report:

Heavy rain and little football

Under the rain and with the pitch full of puddles, Palmeiras and Novorizontino struggled to keep the ball on the ground in Novo Horizonte. Even with the heavy field, the first half was marked by a lot of duels and some dangerous moments.

Palmeiras took the lead early. In the fifth minute, Andreas Pereira took a free kick into the box. Gustavo Gómez went up for the header, but the ball deflected off the defense and fell to Marlon Freitas. The midfielder shot hard and hit the post. On the rebound, Murilo appeared well positioned and finished with his thigh to open the scoring. 1-0.

The home team responded by betting on crosses into the box. In the 24th minute, Vinicius Paiva crossed and the Palmeiras defense couldn't clear. Carlos Miguel tried to hold on, but let the ball slip under his body. Alert to the play, Matheus Bianqui took advantage of the goalkeeper’s mistake and pushed it into the net, leveling the score. 1-1.

Driven by the need for victory, Novorizontino began to press more as the first half progressed. The team from the interior had more shots (7 to 4), but couldn’t turn their superiority into clear chances to take the lead before halftime. 1-1 at halftime.

Tense match

With less rain after the break, the second half saw more play in Novo Horizonte. Even so, the match was marked by many fouls, complaints, and yellow cards.

In the fifth minute, Palmeiras threatened. Flaco López played Vitor Roque through, who entered the area, got past Dantas and even dribbled Oyama. But at the moment of the finish, he was dispossessed. The Palmeiras players appealed for a penalty, but the referee let play continue.

With more possession, Verdão began to control the match. Even without creating many clear chances, the team started to spend more time in the attacking third, while Novorizontino struggled to respond. The most dangerous chance in this period came with Arias, who forced Jordi to make a good save.

Title goal, Tigre’s goal

The goal that paved the way for the title came in the 17th minute. Carlos Miguel took a free kick from his own half with a long kick forward. Flaco López flicked it on with his head and Jordi came out poorly. The Novorizontino goalkeeper couldn’t hold the ball and ended up colliding with John Arias. On the rebound, Vitor Roque appeared unmarked and slotted it into the net, scoring Palmeiras’ second. 2-1.

The temperature of the game remained high. In the 22nd minute, the Palmeiras bench protested heavily over an incident involving Andreas Pereira and Robson. Players and staff called for a red card for the Novorizontino player, alleging a stamp, but the refereeing team did not heed the requests.

In the following minutes, the match remained scrappy with few clear chances. Vitor Roque still tried to launch some quick attacks, but failed to create much danger with his finishing.

From the 35th minute on, Novorizontino threw everyone forward in search of a final push. The home team needed a goal to take the decision to penalties.

Palmeiras, in turn, dropped back and defended with all players in their own half – Sosa even found the net in the 46th minute, but the assistant flagged for offside. 2-1 at the final whistle.

What now?

Palmeiras returns to the field next Thursday (13th) against Vasco, away from home, in the Brazilian Championship. Abel Ferreira’s team leads the competition, with ten points from four matches.

Match details

Grêmio Novorizontino 1-2 Palmeiras

Venue: Jorge Ismael de Biasi, Novo Horizonte (SP) Date and time: March 8, 2025, Sunday, 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time)Referee: Flávio Rodrigues de Souza (SPAssistants: Neuza Inês Back (SP) and Alex Ang Ribeiro (SP)VAR: José Cláudio Rocha Filho (SP)Yellow cards: Rômulo, Alvariño and Enderson Moreira (coach) (NOV); Flaco López, Gustavo Gómez and Abel Ferreira (coach) (PAL)Goals: Murilo (0-1, 6’ 1st half); M. Bianqui (1-1, 26’ 1st half); Vitor Roque (1-2, 17’ 2nd half).

GRÊMIO NOVORIZONTINO: Jordi; Alvariño (Alemão, 31’ 2nd half), Dantas, Patrick and Mayk; Luís Oyama (Juninho, 42’ 2nd half), Léo Naldi and Rômulo (Titi Ortíz, 35’ 2nd half); Matheus Bianqui (Nicolas Careca, 31’ 2nd half), Vinicius Paiva (Tavinho, 35’ 2nd half) and Robson. Coach: Enderson Moreira

PALMEIRAS: Carlos Miguel; Khellven, Gustavo Gómez, Murilo and Piquerez; Marlon Freitas, Andreas Pereira (Lucas Evangelista, 34’ 2nd half), Mauricio (Felipe Anderson, 20’ 2nd half) and Arias (Allan, 34’ 2nd half); Flaco López (Emi Martinez, 38’ 2nd half) and Vitor Roque (Sosa, 38’ 2nd half). Coach: Abel Ferreira.

Palmeiras’ upcoming matches

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