Flamengo and Palmeiras they couldn’t get out of a sour Wednesday goalless draw in an anticipated match of the fourth day of the Brazilian Championship, disputed in Rio de Janeiro and which also involved a duel between the Portuguese coaches Paulo Sousa and Abel Ferreira. Considered the greatest rivalry in Brazilian football today, Cariocas and São Paulo players staged a duel of giants in a packed Maracana stadium, in their first attack after the historic final of the Copa de Libertadores last November, which crowned the Verdiblanco team three-time champion of the tournament continental.
Under a climate of revenge, but which ended with a bittersweet taste, both teams showed all their power on the pitch, in a fairly balanced event compatible with the level of two of the main clubs on the continent, despite the absolute absence of goals . The commitment also meant the first confrontation of the careers of the Portuguese compatriots Abel Ferreira and Paulo Sousa, at the head of the teams from São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, respectively, and who seek to break the hegemony of Atlético Mineiro in the League with the help of the Portuguese soccer school.
With fast plays and intense marks, both Flamengo and Palmeiras had endless possibilities to open the scoring, but they erred in the details and, despite the ‘beautiful game’, the goals were lacking. Uruguayan Giorgian De Arrascaeta, one of the key figures in Rio’s cast, wasted two great opportunities, while goalkeeper Hugo performed a miracle by preventing a goal from São Paulo midfielder Danilo in the last minute of the first half with a save from pure reflection.
In the second half, the first minutes were for Flamengo, who managed to maintain a strong rhythm and create several chances despite the heavy casualties they suffered for the match, which included names like Rodrigo Caio, Bruno Henrique and Gustavo Henrique, among others. But Palmeiras did not take long to react and managed to neutralize the rubro-negro power, which made it difficult for both sides to finish and culminated in a result that left a wave of frustration among the almost 70,000 people who attended the stadium.
With the result, Flamengo missed out on the opportunity to assume the lead in Brazil with a one-game lead and is, for now, third-placed with five points, while Palmeiras remained in fifteenth place with two.
