Abel hails Palmeiras win at River, warns: 90 minutes left | OneFootball

Palmeiras will carry an advantage in their luggage on the trip from Buenos Aires to São Paulo. This Wednesday, Verdão defeated River Plate 2-1 at the Mâs Monumental Stadium, taking the lead for a spot in the Libertadores semifinals. Coach Abel Ferreira particularly highlighted his team's first-half performance at the rival's home, but noted that there are still 90 minutes left in the contest.

"I think we have worked a lot over the past 15 days, preparing the players for this game. It was a pity that Andreas went to the National Team, but it's part of it, he trained little with us. Given the possibilities, we knew our opponent could play in a 3-5-2, which is a system I like a lot. I find it very offensive. That's how our opponent started. I think we had a very good first half, in ball possession, opportunities, hitting the post," evaluated the coach.

Andreas Pereira, newly arrived at the club, started among the starters for the first time. The number 8 already responded well and assisted Gustavo Gómez's goal five minutes into the first half. Still in the first half, the number 8 took a dangerous free kick and almost provided another assist for Evangelista, who hit the post. Vitor Roque scored Verdão's second goal at 40 minutes into the first half.

"We started very well. We deservedly reached a 2-0 advantage. In the second half, the opponent returned to play in a 4-4-2. We lost a midfield connection on the right side. Our opponent created superiority, and we had to suffer a little, defend a bit lower. Football has these things. It wasn't due to the shots or opportunities the opponent created. We had to defend a little more, which is normal. Playing against River at their home, a full stadium. A result we came looking for. Getting a good result here to then try to finish at our home was our goal," he stated.

With the lead on the scoreboard, Palmeiras began to manage the game but ended up suffering a bit in the second half. Martínez Quarta reduced the deficit for the Argentinians at 39 minutes into the final stage, with a deflection off Emiliano Martínez. In the last minutes, Borja almost equalized.

Another 90 minutes ahead

Palmeiras will face River Plate again next Wednesday. The match is scheduled for 9:30 PM (Brasília time) at Allianz Parque in São Paulo. Abel Ferreira's team can play for a draw to advance to the semifinals.

"Of course, it's an important victory, but it doesn't go beyond being a good result here. Now we will have the second part at our home. Despite reshaping the squad since the beginning of the year, with players arriving, we have been fighting for the top positions in the competitions. It was like that in the Paulistão, in the World Cup. We have performed well in the Libertadores. It seems easy, we have to acculturate these players to the demands of playing at Palmeiras, a club where we know patience is short. We are working very well. Sixteen players left and seventeen came in," declared Abel.

"Since I became a coach, this team has always fought to win in every game and every competition, knowing we won't always win, but we always fight to win, as we did today. Our purpose was to come here, to a difficult stadium, against a very qualified opponent, a spectacular stadium, with the crowd cheering from start to finish. We also played against the crowd, but we also heard those in green, which is good to give us strength. And now there are 90 more minutes at our home," he concluded.

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