The atmosphere in Sao Paulo was special to approach the second leg of the semifinals between Palmeiras and Athletico Paranaense. With the need for Verdao to turn the tie around, something that has not been common since it arrived Abel Ferreira to the bench, the greatest dominator of the Copa Libertadores approached his match with the casualties of Raphael Veiga and Danilobut with the union of the team with the fans.
With a start in which the public sang the name of Abel Ferreira in unison, everything led to hope that Palmeiras’ exit to the field of play would not be hesitant. They quickly made it clear, and without giving Paranaense time to blink Gustavo Scarpa scored the first goal of the match in the 3rd minute. A move down the left and a poor clearance from Peter Henrique They left a free ball inside the area so that the ’14’ of Verdao equalized the tie.
New scenario on the field of play and equality on the scoreboard. With a Paranaense who was nervous and did not have the experienced Felipe Scolari on the bench (sent off in the first leg) to calm the tension, Palmeiras was feeding on the fear of his rival to surpass them in intensity and reach Bento’s goal time after time. Only the calm of the visiting goalkeeper and the ineffectiveness of the locals meant that the score did not move.
Rony, Dudu, Scarpa…everyone was overtaking the rival defenders, who could barely keep the ball to slow down the pace of the game and thus equalize forces. The superiority of Palmeiras was very notorious, and in the face of the good possessions of Abel Ferreira’s men, a good defense was also imposed on Vitinha and the jewel Vitor Roque, who could barely get rid of his rivals to intervene. Even in the aerial game Verdao imposed its rules. Everything was going well until, before the break, a late entry by Murilo made the local defender see a red card (after Ostojich reviewed it). New scenario for the second part, and a new game for both teams.
The second 45 ‘were dressed in epic on the green of Sao Paulo. Palmeiras took the caste of champion despite being with a minor footballer, and looking for the goal that would turn the scoreboard around, they found a rehearsed throw-in move in which Gustavo Gómez prevailed at the near post and beat Bento. With everything in their favor and 2-0, Abel Ferreira’s team would take shelter in their field to wait for the counterattack to settle things, however, Athletico Paranaense did not leave his last word.
When ideas flowed less in Felipe Scolari’s but more they tried to push, a great pass from Fernandinho to Vitinho made him look for the opposite stick to Vitor Roque, who with a pass behind left Pablo a sung goal, who just entered scored the goal that reduced the score and returned to send the semi-final to penalties. With the accumulated fatigue and fatigue in Palmeiras more present, the confrontation was coming to an end and it seemed that the maximum penalty would be the one that would resolve the tie. Nevertheless, in a shot from outside the area, the revulsive David Terans made it 2-2 that unleashed madness and made Athletico Paranaense dream.
Palmeiras kept trying with greatness, but with only a few minutes left, their legs and head hurt, Abel Ferreira’s men were unable to score one more goal to extend the match. Athletico Paranaense returned with Felipe Scolari to a Copa Libertadores final 17 years later, defeating the Portuguese coach’s Verdao, who lost for the first time in a tie for the top South American competition.
Changes
Luan Garcia (45′, Tabata), David Terans (45′, Alex Santana), Romulus (45′, Agustin Canobbio), Pedrinho (45′, Abner), Pablo (62′, Erick), Mayke (78′, Marcos Rocha), Wesley (78′, Ron), Eduard Atuesta (86′, Gabriel Menino), Miguel Merentiel (86′, Joaquin Piquerez), Matheus Fernandes (89′, Vitor Roque)
goals
1-0, 2′: Gustavo Scarpa2-0, 54′: Gustavo Gomez2-1, 63′: Teixeira2-2, 84′: Miguel Terans
cards
Referee: Esteban Ostojich
VAR Referee: Nicolás Gallo Barragán, Victor Hugo Carrillo
Alex Santana (26′, Yellow) Gabriel Menino (39′, Yellow) Agustin Canobbio (41′, Yellow) Murilo Cerqueira (47′,Roja) Pedrinho (66′, Yellow) Thiago Heleno (80′, Yellow) Weverton (93′, Yellow)