Palmeiras lost 1-0 to Cerro Porteño on Wednesday night. The goal came at the beginning of the second half and ended Copa Libertadores’s chance of early qualification to the round of 16. The team now needs to win in the last round to guarantee their place.
The match took place on Allianz Parque. Verdão dominated possession of the ball for long periods, but showed little inspiration in finishing. Cerro Porteño knew how to defend itself and explored a quick counterattack.
Dominância without effectiveness marked the first half
Palmeiras started pushing. The full-backs opened the field and the midfield sought central spaces. Arias, Emiliano Martínez and Allan arrived with danger, but without finishing with quality.
Flaco López had the clearest chance. Ele received it from Murilo and kicked it into the corner. The goalkeeper deflected slightly and the ball hit the post. Verdão finished the initial stage with ample possession, but zero goals.
Cerro Porteño performed well. Close marking limited the actions of the Alviverde attack. The visitors played little, but showed danger in transitions.
Gol in counterattack defines the score in the 48th minute
Logo at the beginning of the final stage, Palmeiras scored the goal. Pablo Vegetti took advantage of space and finished from outside the area. Carlos Miguel couldn’t help it. 1-0 changed the course of the match.
- Palmeiras reached 13 submissions in the game
- Nenhuma of them entered
- Cerro Porteño only had four submissions
- One of them resulted in a goal
- Posse’s Verdão ball went above 70% at various times
The alviverde team felt the blow. Erros pass numbers increased. The fans expressed dissatisfaction with cries of nostalgia for the times when the team played with more desire.
Abel Ferreira seeks reaction with substitutions
Coach Abel Ferreira changed the team. Ele placed pieces to give width and try to open the Paraguayan defense. The pace, however, remained slow.
Arias hit the crossbar in one of the attempts. Flaco López headed against the crossbar with another clear opportunity. The goal didn’t come. Palmeiras ended without breaking the bank.
Abel Ferreira acknowledged the difficulties after the final whistle. Ele highlighted that the team played a bad and uninspired game. The coach also commented on the pressure from the fans.
Histórico at home on Libertadores is broken
The defeat interrupted a run of 29 games without losing at home in the competition. The last defeat was in 2021, still in the group stage. Desde then had 19 wins and nine draws.
Palmeiras reached the match with eight points. Cerro Porteño went to ten and took the lead from Grupo F. Sporting Cristal has six points and occupies third place.
Classificação depends on the last round on Allianz Parque
Verdão faces Sporting Cristal on Thursday next week. Victory is mandatory to advance to the round of 16. Empate or defeat could complicate the situation depending on the other results.
Antes In addition, the team faces Flamengo in Maracanã for Brasileirão. The commitment is worth maintaining leadership in the national competition.
Palmeiras needs to regain efficiency. High possession wasn’t enough tonight. The fans expect a positive response in the upcoming matches.