Palmeiras beats Bolívar and secures leadership in the Libertadores group stage
With goals from Murilo and Facundo Torres, Verdão remains undefeated, with 100% and goes to 15 points in the first phase; Bolivian team has no chance of going to the knockout stage
Palmeiras is the overall leader!
It took just 11 minutes for Palmeiras to secure a 2-0 victory over Bolívar at Allianz Parque. Light, fast and with goals from Murilo and Facundo Torres, Verdão maintains its unbeaten record with 100% success in five games, is the dominant team in the Libertadores and guarantees the overall lead in the first phase with one round to spare.
How it looks
Palmeiras has 15 points in five games and confirms its overall lead in the group stage, even before the final round. Bolívar, with three points, no longer has a chance of making it to the knockout stages. All that’s left is to try to get third in the group to make it to the South American.
Upcoming games
In the Libertadores, Palmeiras will close the group stage by hosting Sporting Cristal at 9:30 pm on May 28 at Allianz Parque. Bolívar will host Cerro Porteño. Before that, Verdão will play three more games: Bragantino on the 18th in the Brazilian Championship, Ceará on the 22nd in the Copa do Brasil and Flamengo on the 25th in the Série A.
First half
It took just five minutes for Palmeiras, with a fast and carefree team, to open the scoring at Allianz Parque. A perfect cross from Piquerez was completed by Murilo, who made it 1-0 on his return to the starting line-up, sharing the defense with Bruno Fuchs. Shortly after, at 11 minutes, it was Felipe Anderson and Maurício’s turn to create the goal for Facundo Torres to score for 2-0.
Palmeiras, with the advantage on the scoreboard, slowed down and dropped their lines, taking risks with passes, infiltrations and counterattacks. Only then did Bolívar manage to take risks, but still without any major dangers. The best chance came from a cross into the area that needed Weverton and Ríos to clear, but it came to nothing. Therefore, halting Verdão’s partial victory in the first half.
Second half
Without making any changes for the second half, Palmeiras bombarded Bolívar with attempts by Ríos, Felipe Anderson, Maurício and Piquerez in the first few minutes. At 16, Facundo Torres still found the net, but didn’t celebrate much… it was disallowed for offside. At 29, Bolívar experienced the same story. Dorny Romero deflected the ball into the net, went off to celebrate and was frustrated: also disallowed for offside.
The match continued until the 59th minute due to VAR stoppages, with the Bolivian rival practically inoperative. It was all Palmeiras, with shots from Flaco – more than once -, Mayke, Luighi, but all wide or on goalkeeper Cordano. Without any further changes, the game ended with a 2-0 victory for Verdão.
