Marlon Freitas settles it, Palmeiras beat Grêmio and stay top | OneFootball

Palmeiras beat Grêmio 2-1 on Thursday night (02) at Arena Barueri, as the Brazilian Championship resumed after the FIFA international break. Marlon Freitas scored both goals for Palmeiras, while Carlos Vinicius pulled one back.

With the result, Verdão remains alone at the top of the Brasileirão table. Abel Ferreira’s team has 22 points from nine matches, compared to Fluminense’s 19 and Bahia’s 17 – Palmeiras’ next opponent.

Green dominance

Palmeiras were the better side in the first half and fully deserved their lead before the break. With more attacking play and a stronger presence in the final third, Verdão created the best chances, although the goal only came late in the opening half.

In the 14th minute, Arias had the first big chance, but was denied by Weverton. Flaco, Allan and Arias again, after a great move by Jéfte, also had chances, but none really troubled the defense.

Grêmio tried to respond on the counterattack, but posed little threat. Their only more dangerous effort came from a long-range shot by Carlos Vinícius, which did not require a major save from Carlos Miguel.

As a team, Palmeiras performed well in the opening half, with Arias, Allan and Flaco López standing out for their involvement in attacking moves.

The strong performance was rewarded in the 44th minute. Andreas Pereira delivered a precise free kick onto the head of Marlon Freitas, who powered it into the back of the net to score his first goal in the green-and-white shirt. 1-0 at halftime.

A tough game, but Marlon Freitas shines

Grêmio came back for the second half with three changes and improved. Belgian winger Amuzu, one of the new faces after the break, threatened just two minutes in, but was stopped by Carlos Miguel.

Five minutes later, the pressure Grêmio had been building paid off. Carlos Vinícius received a long ball, brought it down, beat Bruno Fuchs and Murilo, and unleashed a rocket to level the match. 1-1.

Even after the equalizer, Grêmio remained the better team. Although Palmeiras had more possession, the side from Rio Grande do Sul looked dangerous through the pace of Amuzu, Gabriel Mec and Enamorado. In the 19th minute, Amuzu received the ball on a Grêmio counterattack, cut onto his right foot and fired hard toward Carlos Miguel’s right corner. The Palmeiras goalkeeper stretched to make a great save and push it out for a corner.

Verdão responded in the 24th minute, when Maurício drove forward and hit a powerful long-range shot – the ball went very close to Weverton’s left post.

In the 27th minute came Palmeiras’ second. After a cross from Felipe Anderson, the defense failed to clear properly and Marlon Freitas struck it first time with power. Palmeiras back in front in Barueri. 2-1.

In the final 15 minutes, Palmeiras focused on keeping more possession and allowed very little space for Grêmio’s quick players to break away. With few clear scoring chances for either side late on, the team secured three more points in the battle for the top of the Brasileirão. 2-1 the final score.

What now?

With the result, Palmeiras remains alone at the top of the Brasileirão table. Abel Ferreira’s team has 22 points from nine matches, compared to Fluminense’s 19 and Bahia’s 17 – Palmeiras’ next opponent.

On Sunday (05), Palmeiras travels to Salvador to face Bahia in a match valid for the 10th round of the Brazilian Championship. Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. Brasília time.

Match details

Palmeiras 2-1 Grêmio

Venue: Arena Barueri, Barueri-SPDate and time: April 2, 2025, Thursday, 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time)Referee: Bruno Arleu de Araújo (RJ) Assistant referees: Rodrigo Figueiredo Henrique Corrêa (RJ) and Thiago Henrique Neto Corrêa Farinha (RJ) VAR: Caio Max Augusto Vieira (GO)Yellow cards: Pedro Gabriel (GRE) Goals: Marlon Freitas (1-0, 44' 1st half and 2-1, 27' 2nd half); Carlos Vinicius (1-1, 9' 2nd half).

PALMEIRAS: Carlos Miguel, Giay, Bruno Fuchs, Murilo, Jefté (Arthur, 22' 2nd half), Marlon Freitas and Andreas; Arias (Khellven, 38' 2nd half), Allan (Lucas Evangelista, 38' 2nd half), Maurício (Felipe Anderson, 26' 2nd half) and Flaco López (Sosa, 26' 2nd half). Head coach: Abel Ferreira.

GRÊMIO: Weverton; Pavon, Gustavo Martins, Viery and Pedro Gabriel; Noriega (Dodi, halftime), Nardoni (Bernardo Zortea, 33' 2nd half) and Monsalve (Gabriel Mec, halftime); Enamorado (Braithwaite, 30' 2nd half) and Tetê (Amuzu, halftime); Carlos Vinicius. Head coach: Luis Castro.

Palmeiras’ upcoming matches

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