Palmeiras beat Olimpia and keep perfect record in the Under-20 Libertadores | OneFootball

Palmeiras defeated Olimpia-PAR 1-0 on Wednesday night (11), in a match valid for the second round of the group stage of the U-20 Libertadores. The match was held at the Rodrigo Paz Delgado Stadium in Quito, Ecuador. The winning goal for the green and white team was scored by Erick Belé, from a penalty kick after a controversial call.

The highlight of the match, however, was the goalkeeper Kauan Lima, who made a series of saves that helped secure the victory for Palmeiras at the altitude of Quito, Ecuador.

With the win, Palmeiras maintains a 100% success rate in the continental competition and leads Group B with six points. Olimpia is in second place with three points. Sporting Cristal and Universidad Católica complete the group. The leaders of each group and the best second-placed team in the overall standings advance to the semifinals.

Palmeiras U-20: Kauan Lima; Luis Saboia (Antônio Marcos), Koné, Benedetti, and André Lucas (Pimenta); João Paulo, Coutinho, and Erick Belé (Ruan Yago); Heittor (Juliano), Victor Gabriel (Eduardo), and Riquelme Fillipi. Coach: Lucas Andrade.

The Match

The match started with both sides being quite cautious. In the opening minutes, Palmeiras and Olimpia prioritized marking and passing in midfield, trying to find spaces. Although both teams became more offensive, the match remained highly contested with few clear goal opportunities.

In the second half, the game gained a bit more intensity, especially with Palmeiras taking the offensive initiative. The decisive moment came at the 30-minute mark when the referee awarded a controversial penalty after a challenge between Mélida and Juliano in the area. Erick Belé took the penalty and scored. 1-0.

In the final minutes, the match became more open. Palmeiras found spaces to counterattack and had opportunities to extend the lead but failed to convert. Meanwhile, Olimpia pressed for an equalizer, and goalkeeper Kauan Lima made two important saves to secure the green and white victory.

What's Next?

The third and final round of Group B will be played on Saturday (14). Palmeiras will face Sporting Cristal at 6:30 PM (Brasília time) at the Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa. Later at the same venue, at 9:30 PM (Brasília time), Olimpia will face Universidad de Quito.

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