Called-up stars take centre stage and lead Palmeiras after the World Cup | OneFootball

The World Cup battle seems to have boosted the Palmeiras players who represented their national teams. Since the season resumed, Verdão have played four matches and seen players who took part in the international tournament take on a decisive role in Abel Ferreira’s team, especially Maurício, Jhon Arias, and Ramón Sosa.

Goals from the World Cup trio

This Sunday (2), Palmeiras confirmed their good form by beating Fortaleza 3-0 at Nubank Parque in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16. The return leg will be played on Wednesday (5) at Arena Pantanal, after the Ceará club negotiated the home-field rights.

Among the standouts in this stretch is Maurício. The midfielder is enjoying his best run of the season and has found the net four times in the four matches played since the World Cup break, becoming one of the team’s main attacking references.

Jhon Arias has also been living up to expectations. Signed to raise the level of the attack, the Colombian has been decisive with goals and assists. He scored against Fortaleza and, in the loss to Atlético-MG, was directly involved in Palmeiras’ only goal by setting up Felipe Anderson.

Ramón Sosa completes the trio currently in great form. The Paraguayan has earned more space in the starting lineup thanks to his ability to attack space, provide depth, and constantly take part in attacking moves. In addition to his strong performances, he has also contributed with goals and has established himself as one of the main weapons in Palmeiras’ attack.

In defense, Gustavo Gómez remains the technical leader of the back line. The team captain, the center-back has maintained the consistency that has made him one of the squad’s main references in recent seasons. The Paraguayan was unavailable this Sunday (2).

Flaco scores again

Another player who returned in strong form was Flaco López. The striker played a positive role during the World Cup, even without featuring in every match for his national team, and resumed the season while keeping up that good momentum. Against Fortaleza, he got on the scoresheet again and strengthened the competition for a place leading the attack.

The performances of the international players have strengthened the team at the start of the second half of the season and, today, Arias, Maurício, and Sosa appear as Abel Ferreira’s main attacking stars. The tendency, however, is for competition to increase in the coming weeks.

With Paulinho regaining fitness, Vitor Roque gradually returning from injury, and Flaco López in form again, the coach will have more options to build the team. The battle for places promises to be one of Palmeiras’ main traits for the rest of the season, but at the moment, it is precisely the players who returned from the World Cup who are driving Verdão on the pitch.

Upcoming matches

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