Palmeiras draw with Junior after ‘lightning goal’ | OneFootball

Palmeiras return to São Paulo with one point in their luggage after their debut in the 2026 Copa Libertadores. Verdão were held to a 1-1 draw by Junior Barranquilla in Cartagena, Colombia, on Wednesday night (8). Ramon Sosa scored Palmeiras’ goal, as the team fought back after falling behind — Téo Gutiérrez converted a penalty for the hosts.

One mistake, one goal

The penalty conceded by Maurício on Rivas just six minutes in changed the course of the first half. Téo Gutiérrez took it with class, giving Carlos Miguel no chance, and put Junior ahead. 1-0

From the 10-minute mark on, the match became more balanced, with both teams enjoying good spells. The pitch, newly relaid, became an important factor: the softer grass made it harder to control the ball and string passes together. Palmeiras, less adapted to the conditions, had more trouble.

As a result, the match remained tight, with few clear-cut chances. Palmeiras’ best opportunity came in the 39th minute, when Arias started the move and found Marlon Freitas, who tried his luck from outside the box and forced a good save from Silveira. Earlier, in the 34th minute, Marlon had played Flaco López through inside the area, but the Argentine shot over the bar — the play, in any case, had already been ruled out for offside.

While Junior tried to impose themselves through physicality, Palmeiras relied on their technical quality, the team’s main strength. Even so, the score remained in favor of the home side until halftime: 1-0 at the break.

Palmeiras showed they were technically superior

Palmeiras came back from halftime with a more aggressive approach after Sosa and Khellven replaced Maurício and Artur. Just two minutes in, Marlon Freitas combined with Arias, who struck it hard. The ball took a deflection on the way and went just wide of Junior’s goal.

With the team more exposed, Junior tried to use Chará’s pace on the counterattack. Even so, it was Verdão who proved more efficient.

In the 10th minute, the equalizer came. After a ball played forward, Flaco López flicked it on with his head and sent Sosa through one-on-one with Silveira. The Paraguayan kept his composure, rounded the goalkeeper and made it all square: 1-1.

Palmeiras were the better side even after the goal. In the 21st minute, Khellven unleashed a powerful shot from outside the box. The ball skimmed the post of Silveira’s goal. Nine minutes later, Sosa, who had come on at halftime to change the game, was sent through at pace by Gustavo Gómez but was stopped while trying to control it — otherwise he would have been one-on-one with the keeper.

The match opened up in the final 15 minutes. Palmeiras had good chances in the 38th and 40th minutes, respectively. In the first, Khellven crossed and Murilo would have scored Palmeiras’ second if he had not been cut off at a crucial moment. The best chance fell to Felipe Anderson: the No. 7 dribbled, set himself, and curled an effort toward goal. The ball nearly flew into the top corner.

Junior responded. In the 41st minute, Canchimbo got in behind Giay and forced Carlos Miguel into the best save of the match. Final score: 1-1.

What now?

Palmeiras are back in action on Sunday (12) in the Brazilian Championship. Leading the national competition by five points, Verdão face Corinthians at Neo Química Arena at 7 p.m. (Brasília time).

In the Copa Libertadores, their next match is on Thursday (16), against Sporting Cristal-PER, at Allianz Parque.

Match details

Junior Barranquilla 1-1 Palmeiras

Venue: Jaime Morón León Stadium, Cartagena, ColombiaDate and time: April 8, 2025, Wednesday, 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time)Referee: Maximiliano Ramírez (ARG)Assistants: Juan Belatti (ARG) and José Savorani (ARG)VAR: Hernán Mastrangelo (ARG)Yellow cards: Kevin Pérez, Téo Gutiérrez and Paiva (JUN); Arthur (PAL) Goals: Téo Gutiérrez (1-0, 10' 1st half); Sosa (1-1, 11' 2nd half)

JUNIOR: Mauro Silveira; Jhomier Guerrero (Herrera, 44' 2nd half), Jermein Peña, Lucas Monzón and Yeison Suárez; Daniel Rivera, Juan David Ríos, Jesús Rivas (Canchimbo, 25' 2nd half), Kevin Pérez (Celis, 11' 2nd half) and Chará (Luis Muriel, 25' 2nd half); Téo Gutiérrez (Paiva, 11' 2nd half). Head coach: Alfredo Arias.

PALMEIRAS: Carlos Miguel, Giay, Gustavo Gómez, Murilo and Arthur (Khellven, halftime); Marlon Freitas and Andreas (Lucas Evangelista, 24' 2nd half); Arias, Allan (Felipe Anderson, 24' 2nd half), Maurício (Sosa, halftime) and Flaco López (Luighi, 38' 2nd half). Head coach: Abel Ferreira.

Palmeiras’ upcoming matches

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