Palmeiras thrashed 3-0 by LDU, struggle in Libertadores semi-final | OneFootball

Palmeiras found themselves in trouble in the Libertadores after a 3-0 defeat to LDU in the first leg of the semifinal. With this result, Verdão saw their unbeaten run in the competition come to an end and now face an uphill battle for a spot in the final. Villamíl (twice) and Alzugaray, from the penalty spot, scored the goals for the home side in a match played at Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado in Quito, Ecuador.

Situation of the tie

With the defeat, Palmeiras saw their chances of reaching the Libertadores final become more distant. Now, Verdão needs a 4-0 win to advance without the need for penalties. The second leg will take place next Thursday at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) at Allianz Parque in São Paulo (SP).

The winner of this bracket will face, in the final, the winner of Flamengo vs Racing. Rubro-Negro won the first match and takes the advantage into the second leg, which will be played next Wednesday in Argentina.

📋 Match Summary

🔴🔵🟡 LDU X PALMEIRAS 🟢⚪ 🏆 Competition: Libertadores (Semifinal, first leg) 🏟️ Venue: Estadio Rodrigo Paz Delgado, Quito (ECU) 📅 Date: October 23, 2025 (Thursday) ⏰ Time: 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) 🟨 Yellow cards: Gruezo, Brayan Ramírez, Mina, and Quiñonez (LDU); Flaco López (Palmeiras) 🟥 Red cards: Bryan Ramírez (LDU)

Refereeing

Referee: Facundo Tello (ARG) Assistants: Juan Belatti (ARG) and Gabriel Chade (ARG) VAR: Hector Paletta (ARG)

Goals

⚽ Villamíl, 16′ 1st half (LDU) ⚽ Alzugaray, 26′ 1st half (LDU) ⚽ Villamíl, 46′ 1st half (LDU)

🔴🔵🟡 LDU Alexander Domínguez; Mina (Cuero), Adé, and Quiñonez; Quintero, Villamil, Gruezo, Minda, and Ramírez; Medina (Estrada) and Alzugaray (Pastrán). Coach: Tiago Nunes

🟢⚪ Palmeiras Carlos Miguel; Khellven (Giay), Gustavo Gómez, Murilo, and Piquerez; Emiliano Martínez (Allan), Andreas Pereira, Felipe Anderson (Jefté), and Raphael Veiga (Ramón Sosa); Flaco López and Vitor Roque (Bruno Rodrigues). Coach: Abel Ferreira

How was the match?

LDU starts strong and scores 3-0 in the 1st half

LDU dominated Palmeiras in the first half. Just five minutes in, Villamíl appeared unmarked in the box and forced Carlos Miguel to make the first save of the game. Shortly after, the Palmeiras goalkeeper parried a long-range shot from Quiñonez. Following the corner, Quintero headed dangerously wide. At the 9-minute mark, Carlos Miguel appeared again, saving another shot from Quiñonez from outside the box.

LDU's pressure paid off and the home side opened the scoring at 16 minutes. Quiñonez broke quickly down the left, Khellven deflected but couldn't keep up. Villamíl received the ball alone in the box, controlled it, and fired a powerful shot. Palmeiras tried to respond with Felipe Anderson and Raphael Veiga, who both had attempts but missed the target.

The match got worse for Palmeiras at 24 minutes, when the referee awarded a penalty to LDU. Quiñonez shot from the edge of the box and the ball struck Andreas Pereira's arm. From the spot, Alzugaray found the net to make it 2-0. At 41 minutes, Vitor Roque missed a great chance to pull one back. The number 9 received a good pass from Veiga, went one-on-one with Domínguez, but shot straight at the goalkeeper.

LDU struck again in stoppage time to extend their lead. Ramírez was played in down the right, dribbled past Murilo, and found Villamíl unmarked in the box. The midfielder struck first time, the ball deflected off Khellven, leaving Carlos Miguel with no chance: LDU 3-0 Palmeiras.

Palmeiras tries to react, but LDU holds firm

Right at the start of the second half, Palmeiras had a chance to reduce the deficit. Felipe Anderson crossed into the box, Flaco López tried, the defense failed to clear, and the Argentine shot again, but straight at the goalkeeper. Shortly after, Vitor Roque was set up by Flaco, but Domínguez got there first to make the save. At 17 minutes, Quintero tried from distance and Carlos Miguel dived to make the save.

Palmeiras tried to react with some changes, but struggled to threaten LDU's goal. At 31 minutes, Allan made a good run down the right, entered the box, and shot across goal. The ball deflected and went wide. Soon after, Vitor Roque headed over the bar. Shortly after, Sosa received a long ball from Piquerez, broke into the box, shot from close range, and saw Domínguez make a great save.

In stoppage time, LDU launched a good counterattack, Estrada was going one-on-one with Carlos Miguel, but Andreas Pereira tackled him before the striker could shoot. At 50 minutes, the referee sent off Bryan Ramírez for a harsh challenge on Giay's ankle after a VAR review. Before the final whistle, Flaco López headed just over the bar, causing a scare.

Upcoming matches

LDU

Palmeiras x LDU Competition: Libertadores (Semifinal, second leg) Venue: Allianz Parque, São Paulo (SP) Date: October 30, 2025 (Thursday) Time: 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time)

Palmeiras

Palmeiras x Cruzeiro Competition: Campeonato Brasileiro (30th round) Venue: Allianz Parque, São Paulo (SP) Date: October 26, 2025 (Sunday) Time: 8:30 p.m. (Brasília time)

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