In the first confrontation between Athletico Paranaense and Palmeiras for the semifinal of the Copa Libertadores, the team from Curitiba won this Tuesday (30) by 1-0 and went ahead in the dispute for a place in the decision.
With the score built at home, where the team led by Luiz Felipe Scolari had to play with one less in almost half of the second half, Athletico will have the advantage of playing for a draw in the return clash, in São Paulo, on Tuesday thursday (6).
Alex Santana scored the only goal of the duel at the Arena da Baixada, in the 22nd minute, ending Palmeiras’ long unbeaten run in the competition. Since April 2019, when they were surpassed by San Lorenzo, from Argentina, by 1-0, the alviverde team did not lose as a visitor.
They went 20 games without losing, with 14 wins and six draws. The team also had commitments in neutral fields, precisely the 2021 and 2020 finals, both won by the club.
This time, however, in addition to the good game played by Athletico, Abel Ferreira’s team failed to finish off the good chances it created, especially with José Lopez, and also left spaces in the defense that are not usually allowed to opponents.
Not even when they started to play with one more, the Paulistas could reach the tie.
Athletico started to play with one less from the 24th minute of the final stage, when Hugo Moura received the second yellow card. In the throw, the midfielder fell on the lawn after a tackle and, waiting for a foul, deflected the ball with his hand before the referee signaled.
Right after the red for the midfielder, Felipão was very nervous on the edge of the field and, by the way he complained to the referee, he was also sent off, at 26.
Without its coach and at a numerical disadvantage, the team from Paraná was left to close behind to hold on to the advantage it had built.
This Wednesday (31), in Argentina, Flamengo will have the first confrontation with Vélez Sarsfield in the fight for the second place in the Libertadores final. The game will be at 21:30 (BrasÃlia time), at the José Amalfitani stadium, in Buenos Aires. The return match is scheduled for September 7, at Maracanã.
The tournament will be decided on October 29, in the city of Guayaquil, Ecuador, at the Monumental Isidro Romero Carbo stadium.
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