Palmeiras trashed Independiende del Valle 5-0 and are on course to lift their second consecutive Libertadores title. Roni, with a man of the match performance, scored two goals and made one assist, with the trio of Luiz Adriano, Patrick de Paula and Danilo Barbosa also on the score sheet.
Palmeiras relied more on the laid-back approach, defending well and hitting their opponent on the counter.
It didn’t take long for them to open up the scoring as Raphael Veiga forced the ball off Pellerano and laid the ball into the path of Roni, who wasted no effort to put the hosts in the lead in the 11th minute.
The goal gave Verdão the edge, and more confidence to dominate the game. The second goal came shortly after, in the 20th minute, after another defensive mistake from the visitors, allowing Luiz Adriano to put his name on the score sheet.
With the two-goal advantage, Palmeiras eased up a little, allowing Independiende del Valle to take charge of the game. However, the visitors couldn’t take advantage and get a goal as they were sloppy in front of goal and couldn’t threaten their opponent.
Del Valle were better in the second half, but with all the possession they enjoyed, they had nothing to show for it. Verdão on the other hand, got their third goal, this time from Patrick de Paula who hit the rebound after the goalkeeper had previously saved his shot.
It became a fiesta after the third goal as nine minutes later, Roni got his second of the night and made it 4-0. Danilo Barbosa rounded it off in the 81st minutes to complete the rout and an emphatic win for Verdão.
Palmeiras will look to continue their impressive run of form when they face Inter de Limeira next Thursday for Paulistã. Next Sunday, they return to Libertadores action with a tip to face Santo André in Canindé.
