Opinion – Juca Kfouri: And even Palmeiras lost

Behold, then the red-black man bit the green dog and became news.

There were 20 games that Palmeiras did not lose as a visitor in Libertadores, and Athletico Paranaense tried to assert the Arena da Baixada to break the series.

It must be said that he did it with justice because he played better while the game was 11 against 11 and because he took few risks during the almost half hour in which he was one less -thanks to the absurd expulsion of Hugo Moura, who, hit from behind, made the automatic gesture of picking up the ball with his hand on the ground and received the second yellow card.

That is, whoever received the unmarked foul was expelled.

Danilo’s absence damaged, and will again, damage the defensive system, which was left vulnerable while the Hurricane pressed. Gustavo Scarpa’s foul left the attack harmless, in a bad day for López.

Scarpa will be back on Tuesday (6), probably without Raphael Veiga, the least of the problems because Scarpa even grows up without his company, still without having recovered his shape.

A big problem will be facing Felipão’s back, who has been doing well in the duels with Abel Ferreira, as had happened, for the Brazilian Championship, in the green house, Atletica victory by 2 to 0.

Losing Palmeiras is news in Brazil and South America.

Losing with one more player, even more.

And it even gave reasons for Cuca, who owes an explanation to society, to fill himself with reason and, if he wants to, ask why the Palmeiras did not explore the sides, although they tried. He himself will answer: Atlético Mineiro also tried and failed when he was in the same situation, 11 against 10, against Palmeiras.

Is alviverde still the favorite to win the spot in the continental tournament final? Yes, continue.

But with questions that he wouldn’t have if he returned from Curitiba with the victory.

For example: how will it be this Saturday (10) in Bragança Paulista, 19h, against Bragantino, there are four games without a win?

Spare, don’t you spare? There is fat, but will the team lose and Flamengo beat Ceará, the next morning, at Maracanã, and the difference drops to four points in the Brazilian Championship?

All that is solid melts into air, as Marshall Berman (1940-2013), an American Marxist writer and philosopher has taught, and the praised emerald mental strength can go to space, the result of an eventual turn of the thread of the cast that hastened the beginning of the season because he had a World Cup to play.

Attention: no one here is detecting either a turning point or a psychological decline in Palmeiras.

The fact is that the average number of successful passes in alviverdes, from 83% in about 400 passes per game, dropped to 79% in the first leg of the semifinals, and discomfort was visible, even with 64% of ball possession and 14 shots. against 9.

In the defeat in the Brazilian Championship, in more than 550 passes, the accuracy was 84%, with a record of 35 shots, against 13 of Paraná, and 72% of ball possession.

Numbers are numbers and nothing more than numbers.

Abel Ferreira likes to say he doesn’t care about possession and cares about the finishes, while Felipão only values ​​the goals he doesn’t concede and the ones he scores.

It’s 3-0 for him on aggregate in different competitions.

Palmeirense’s belief, and that of the columnist, is that the ball will enter on Tuesday.