Palmeiras beat Sporting Cristal to go top of Libertadores group | OneFootball

Palmeiras beat Sporting Cristal 2-0 in Peru and took the lead in their group in the Conmebol Libertadores. Flaco López and Ramón Sosa scored Palmeiras’ goals in the match.

The highlight was Verdão’s first clean sheet in the 2026 Libertadores, all but securing a place in the round of 16 of the continental competition.

Palmeiras started poorly, but gradually grew into the match and opened the scoring in the first half. See the match report:

First half

In the fourth minute, Sporting Cristal threatened after a cross from the right. The ball stayed loose in the box, but Murilo cleared it. The Peruvian side kept up the pressure in the following minutes.

In the seventh minute, Palmeiras responded with a good move by Alan. Number 40 crossed into the box, but it was blocked by the opposition. In the 11th minute, another good play from the Academy graduate. Ramón Sosa found the youngster in the area, he turned and was stopped as he tried to shoot.

In the 14th minute, the Peruvian side came forward again. A cross was sent into the box and Marlon Freitas cut it out to rescue Palmeiras. Verdão struggled to impose themselves against Sporting Cristal and made an uninspired start.

In the 27th minute, a huge chance for Palmeiras. Alan tried from distance, the ball fell to Arthur, who unleashed a rocket and forced a great save from the opposing goalkeeper. In the 30th, Andreas took a free kick and the ball fell to Marlon Freitas, who fired over the bar.

In the 31st, Palmeiras scored! Jhon Arias sent in a perfect cross into the box and Flaco López scored a brilliant goal in Peru. In the 38th, Flaco lost the ball in midfield and Sporting Cristal struck from distance, dangerously close to Carlos Miguel’s goal.

A string of missed chances! In the 37th, Jhon Arias received a beautiful pass from Flaco López, the Colombian beat the Peruvian defense and squandered a huge chance. Right after that, Marlon found number 11, whose next shot was also saved.

In the 43rd, Alan played in Marlon Freitas, who finished without causing much danger to Sporting Cristal’s goal.

Second half

Just four minutes into the second half: Palmeiras scored! Verdão doubled the lead through Ramón Sosa, who took advantage of a cross from Flaco López that was deflected by the Sporting Cristal defense.

In the 55th, Alan made a great run down the right and crossed for Ramón Sosa, who was closed down and shot wide. After that, Sporting Cristal balanced the game, and Verdão slowed the tempo.

Verdão managed the result well without suffering from the Peruvian team’s attacks. Late on, Sporting Cristal sent in a dangerous cross, Carlos Miguel made a brilliant save and, on the rebound, Lucas Evangelista cleared it off the line.

In the 89th minute, Carlos Miguel saved Palmeiras! After another cross, Sporting Cristal threatened again and the Palmeiras goalkeeper kept Verdão safe. Offside was then given.

What now?

Leaders of both their group and the Brasileirão, Palmeiras return to action next Sunday (10) at 4:00 p.m. (Brasília time) in Pará. Verdão will look to get back to winning ways in the national competition after drawing with Santos at Nubank Parque.

Match details

Venue: Alejandro Villanueva Stadium, Lima (PER)Date: 05/05/2026, TuesdayKickoff: 7:00 p.m. (Brasília time)Referee: Dario Herrera (ARG)Assistant referees: Andan Belatti (ARG) and Maximiliano Del Yesso (ARG)VAR: Hernan Mastrangelo (ARG)

Yellow cards: Ávila, Távara (SPO); Gustavo Gómez, Giay (PAL)Goals: Flaco López (0-1, 31' 1st half) and Ramón Sosa (0-2, 4' 2nd half)

Sporting Cristal: Diego Enríquez; Leandro Sosa (Wisdom), Miguel Araujo, Rafael Lutiger and Cristiano da Silva; Santiago González (Juan González), Martín Távara (Cabellos), Yoshimar Yotún and Maxloren Castro; Luis Iberico (Gabriel) and Irven Ávila (Felipe Vizeu)Coach: Zé Ricardo

Palmeiras: Carlos Miguel; Giay, Gómez, Murilo and Arthur (Jefté); Marlon Freitas, Andreas Pereira (Martínez), Allan and Sosa (Felipe Anderson); Arias (Lucas Evangelista) and López (Paulinho)Coach: Abel Ferreira

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