It was more of a result than was advertised. Palmeiras went to Belo Horizonte tonight certain that a draw in the final round would be enough to become Brazilian league champions for the second year in a row, but knowing that defeat would also be enough: it was necessary for one of the… It’s all about winning just to be equal on points with the team of Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira, as if they won with overwhelming numbers to overcome the goal difference scored by Palmeiras. But Atletico Mineiro and Flamengo lost in their matches against Bahia (4-1) and Sao Paulo (1-0), while Palmeiras settled for a draw with Cruzeiro (1-1).
The path Palmeiras took to reach this title was less than expected. Abel Ferreira’s side came 14 points off the pace but were the main beneficiaries of Botafogo’s extraordinary collapse, which went from being isolated leader and would-be champions to falling disastrously to fifth place, seeing Luis Castro flee to victory under Cristiano Ronaldo when the club was still On the rise, with Bruno Lage lost in three months and ending up under caretaker supervision and with club owner John Textor claiming the team was robbed by referees and opponents to justify the results crisis.
It was difficult for Textor and Carioca to take it, especially the 4-3 defeat against Palmeiras, in particular, but the dramatic transformation of the goalscorer in that match had a name, the same name that shone in the final phase of the Palmeiras match. Season: Indrek, the 17-year-old diamond who has already bought a plane ticket to Madrid, where he will join Real Madrid in July. Currently, he holds two records stolen from Neymar: he is the youngest ever Brazilian champion and the youngest to reach 10 goals in the top flight of Brazilian football. Endrik scored Palmeiras’ goal this evening in Belo Horizonte.
However, there was more than Indrik to Palmeiras’ return to the title. There was Abel Ferreira and his usual recipe, which has been reaffirmed in recent weeks: a strong defense and a very effective attack given the opportunities available. There was luck for some and bad luck for others.
What will happen from now on is anyone’s guess. Abel Ferreira finished his third year in São Paulo as a two-time champion winning nine titles (one title shy of Oswaldo Brandao’s club record), including two Copa Libertadores titles. But the Portuguese did not hide his fatigue and dissatisfaction with various aspects of Brazilian football, and publicly criticized the intense match schedule, the quality of the refereeing and the aggressiveness of the press and commentators, whose attacks sometimes carried xenophobic content.
He has another year left on his contract with Palmeiras, but there will be another year worth of millions of dollars waiting for him at Qatar’s Al Sadd. The swap may be financially beneficial but sportingly questionable: the emirate club, although good domestically, has only just reached the qualifying rounds of the AFC Champions League. Without explicitly referring to this or any other hypothesis, Appel raised suspense, which may dissipate in the coming days, once the tournament ends.
Santos drops to Group B and Atletico loses second place
In other accounts from the last round, Gremio Porto Alegrense was able to finish the Brazilian league in second place, by defeating Fluminense, the Libertadores champion, with a score of 3-2. Atletico, Flamengo and Botafogo (who lost 3-1 to Internacional in Porto Alegre) finished the tournament with defeats and, respectively, in the top five. Botafogo ended up without direct access to the Libertadores group stage.
In the doomed tournament, the historic Santos lost 2-1 to Fortaleza and was relegated to the second division with Goias, Curitiba and América. Vasco da Gama, who defeated Red Bull Bragantino 2-1 at home, and Bahia, who beat Atletico Mineiro 4-1 in the biggest upset of the last round, were saved.
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