Analysis: Palmeiras put in a night to forget as LDU end unbeaten run | OneFootball

Palmeiras experienced a night to forget this Thursday (23) as they saw LDU break a historic unbeaten streak and lose 3-0 to their opponent. In addition, their chances of reaching the Libertadores final became much more distant.

Taking into account only away matches outside Brazil, Palmeiras had carried a 12-game unbeaten run. That streak—ten wins and two draws since the defeat to Bolívar in 2023—has now come to an end.

More than just breaking the record, the result made the continuation of the streak much more difficult. With this outcome, Verdão now needs to win by four goals in the return leg at Allianz Parque to qualify for the final. A win by three goals would take the decision to penalties.

This was Palmeiras' first defeat in the current edition of the Libertadores. Previously, the club had achieved nine wins in ten matches played.

A Game That Didn’t Click

Palmeiras started the match switched off, not seeming to grasp the importance of the clash, against an opponent returning to a semifinal after 16 years and with much more hunger than Verdão. The team in green got their strategy wrong from the start, overdoing the running and wearing themselves out physically, consequently giving chances to the opponent, who forced Carlos Miguel to make great saves before the 10-minute mark.

LDU found their way down the left side of the attack (behind Khellven) and repeated the same play several times until it finally worked. In a run down the left, the cross came into the middle of the area and Villamil made no mistake in the 16th minute. At 24 minutes, things got worse: Andreas Pereira handled the ball inside the box and the referee awarded a penalty. Alzugaray struck firmly and extended the lead. 2-0.

At the end of the first half, Palmeiras found their way back into the match and managed to create some danger for the Ecuadorian defense, but saw LDU score again, with Villamil.

In the second half, Abel changed things up and brought on Giay and Sosa for Khellven and Veiga. The team improved, but not enough, overusing aerial balls. Even so, the team had some good chances towards the end of the match. In the 38th minute, Sosa received a long pass and, face-to-face with Domínguez, forced the goalkeeper to make a great save.

The second leg between Palmeiras and LDU will take place next Thursday (30) at 9:30 pm (Brasília time) at Allianz Parque.

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