Against nine men, Palmeiras thrash Vitória and go clear in Brasileirão | OneFootball

Palmeiras thrashed Vitória 4-0 at Barradão and opened an eight-point lead over Flamengo, who drew 1-1 with Internacional, at the top of the Brazilian Championship. The goals were scored by Mauricio, Fabiano (own goal), Jhon Arias, and Ramón Sosa from a free kick.

Red cards

The first half was marked by the VAR’s correct intervention in two red cards shown to Vitória’s center-backs. Cacá struck Arias’s left leg with the sole of his boot, and at the time of the play, referee Alex Gomes Stefano, from Rio de Janeiro, did not even call a foul. After being called by the video assistant referee, he showed a red card in the 37th minute.

After the sending-off, Luan Cândido made a gesture suggesting the referee was robbing Vitória. VAR stepped in again, recommended a second red card, and Alex followed the advice in the 40th minute.

Before the two interventions, in the 27th minute, the home side complained about an incident involving Mauricio and Cacá. In a challenge for the ball, the Palmeiras player caught the defender on the chin with his elbow and was shown a yellow card. VAR did not intervene and upheld the decision of the Rio-based referee.

Stoppage-time goals

With a two-man advantage, Palmeiras took the lead still in the first half. Mauricio received a fine pass from Arias and opened the scoring in the 46th minute. Five minutes later, Ramón Sosa hit a low cross-shot from the right and got some help from Fabiano, who turned it into his own net while trying to clear it.

More Verdão in the second half

Verdão came back with changes for the second half: Flaco López, Emiliano Martínez, and Khellven replaced Gustavo Gómez, Marlons Freitas, and Mauricio, respectively. Even with the numerical advantage on the field, Palmeiras still allowed the Bahia side some chances, and Carlos Miguel made a fine save from a long-range effort.

The third goal came through Jhon Arias. After a pass from Piquerez, he turned past the defender and shot. Lucas Arcanjo got a touch on the ball but could not prevent Palmeiras’s third goal in the 25th minute. In the 39th, Ramón Sosa made it four with a superb free kick.

Palmeiras’s next matches

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