Palmeiras once again delivered a lackluster performance in the Brazilian Championship. After falling behind 1-0 to Remo virtually from the opening play, the team managed to equalize but then resorted to launching cross after cross into the box, despite earning nearly 20 corners. Even though the referee made mistakes, the squad needed to show more quality on the pitch.
The coaching staff cannot rely on excuses: the heavy pitch did not significantly hinder ball movement, the team played on Tuesday and had two days off, there were no major absentees aside from Vitor Roque, and the Palmeiras supporters, despite being away, helped reduce the home advantage in Belém.
The draw reflects the same recurring issues the team has shown throughout the Brasileirão: they failed to capitalize on playing with a man advantage for much of the second half, dropped points against a struggling side, relied on crucial saves from Carlos Miguel, and once again had a goal ruled out by VAR in the dying moments.
This time, the ball struck Flaco López’s arm and fell to Fuchs, who scored what would have been the winner. Since Palmeiras immediately benefited from the touch, VAR intervened to disallow it. Debate will ensue over this incident, as the rule states that an unintentional handball assist does not necessarily have to be canceled.
In the final minutes, Palmeiras piled on attackers to try to create something. Bruno Fuchs was used as a right-sided crosser, with Gómez playing as a striker. This came after a team that was largely uninspired from the feet of players like Árias, Flaco, Andreas, Giay, and Jefté. The player who ran the most and deserves praise was Sosa, not only for the equalizing goal but also for providing depth beyond the constant long balls.