The palm trees won this Tuesday by 1-3 in his visit to Athletico Paranaense with goals from Paraguayan Gustavo Gomes, midfielder Gustavo Scarpa and promising youngster Endrick, and practically guaranteed the title of the Brazilian Championship with four games remaining in the tournament.
The green team from Sao Paulo can be crowned champion of the League on Wednesday in case Internacional and Corinthians, the only ones with a mathematical chance of snatching the title, suffer some setbacks, even draws, in their matches for the thirty-fourth day.
Tuesday’s victory at Paranaense’s home, which reserved its starters for Saturday’s game in which Flamengo, also Brazilian, will be measured for the title of the Copa Libertadores in Guayaquil, allowed Palmeiras to add 74 points and open a distance of thirteen integers over Internacional, their main threat, when twelve points remain in dispute.
But Internacional will host Ceará on Wednesday for matchday 34 and, with a possible victory, can reduce the leader’s advantage to 10 points.
Corinthians, fourth in the standings with 57 points and 17 units behind the leader, can also maintain a mathematical chance of catching Palmeiras if they get two victories in the games they have pending: this Wednesday against Fluminense and next Saturday against Goiás.
The two victories would allow Corinthians to reduce the distance that separates them from Palmeiras to eleven points with four games remaining in the League.
The leader of the League achieved an important comeback in his visit to Paranaense after, even dominating the game, he allowed defender Matheus Felipe to open the scoring for Curitiba in the first half.
The green team from Sao Paulo only managed to equalize in the 13th minute of the second half thanks to a goal by Gustavo Scarpa, their main player of the season.
Palmeiras increased his dominance and his pressure from the 16th minute after the expulsion of the Argentine Tomás Cuello that left Paranaense with one player less for the rest of the game.
At 24 the youthful Endrick, one of the main promises of Brazilian football todayput Palmeiras ahead by completing an assist from Rony with his head, a goal that, at 16, made him the youngest player to score among the team’s professionals. The footballer is on the radar of Real Madrid and FC Barcelona. Paraguayan Gómez completed the scoring also with a header and after a corner kick taken by Scarpa.
Sterile triumph of Flamengo, second
In the other game on Tuesday, Flamengo, who also reserved part of their starters for the Libertadores final on Saturday, beat Santos 3-2 at the Maracaná in Rio de Janeiro with goals from Uruguayan Giorgian de Arrascaeta, the youthful Pedro and the veteran Marinho. The Argentine Gabriel Carabajal and Alex discounted for Santos.
The victory allowed Flamengo to move up to second place in the Brazilian Championship standings, but, 13 points behind Palmeiras, they no longer have a mathematical chance of winning the title.
Four days before the final of the Libertadores, Flamengo bids farewell to Brazil with an important victory and with their starters fit and oxygenated, and Paranaense with a defeat that leaves them in sixth place in the standings, 23 points behind the leader.
The two Brazilian rivals in the final of the Libertadores plan to travel to the city of Guayaquil on Wednesday, where they will define the successor of Palmeiras, champion of the last two editions of the continental tournament.
read also
