With the unbeaten streak now increased to 19 games (14 victories and 5 draws), Palmeiras equal Corinthians’ record of last season under the current Brasileirão format.
With every man at Felipão’s disposal, the line-up was composed of Weverton; Mayke, Luan, Gustavo Gómez and Diogo Barbosa; Thiago Santos, Bruno Henrique and Lucas Lima (Felipe Melo); Willian (Scarpa), Dudu (Jean) and Borja.
As of kick-off, it became clear Fluminense were not going to make things difficult for Palmeiras: the technical superiority on our side allowed for patience and ball control in search of opportunities to score – the task hampered by the terrible pitch conditions, result of a sequence of concerts at the Allianz Parque.
The opener came late in the first half: in the 41st minute, Diogo Barbosa advanced and crossed the ball low into the box, it deflected off a defender, then Willan, before offering itself to Borja who made no mistake.
Fluminense tried to exercise some pressure early in the second half, but all attempts were blocked by Palmeiras defensive line. Soon, the Verdão retook control of the game and Weverton’s goal was not threatened once. Dudu was amazingly good throughout the game and deserves a special mentioning.
Despite the superiority, it was just in the last ten minutes that Palmeiras put final numbers to the game. In the 83rd, Felipe Melo scored the second through a marvellous volley, he had just came on as a substitute a couple of minutes earlier. The third came in a set piece in the 89th minute: Gustavo Scarpa crossed it and Luan headed with little angel from the far post.
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Palmeiras’ performance was unquestionable and the victory takes the team to 70 points. Depending on the results of Flamengo and Inter, at the end of the round, the gap to the runners-up could increase to eight points.
Despite all the negative reactions from the press about Felipão’s style of play, Palmeiras are the leader with the best attack and the best defence of the competition. In the worst scenario, Palmeiras are two wins and a draw from lifting the trophy. The last four games are against opponents that are in the bottom part of the tables.
On Sunday, Palmeiras travel to take on Paraná, the worst team of the Brazilian Championship anno 2018. The already relegated team transferred the game from Curitiba to Londrina, a city famous for its abundance of palmeirenses. Playing “at home”, again Felipão will have every man at his disposal, except for Moisés, who suffered a minor injury to his ankle against Atlético last Sunday.
Scoppia che la vittoria è nostra!
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by Augusto Anteghini Oazi
ANYTHING PALMEIRAS 