Palmeiras won 3-1 at home against Liverpool (Uruguay) to climb to the top of Group F in the Copa Libertadores. Jean Rosso had opened the scoring for the visitors, but the two-time Brasileirão champion turned it around thanks to the Argentinians Aníbal Moreno and José Manuel López, and the goal from Estevão Willian, which will go down in history.
It was the 66th minute when Raphael Veiga sent the ball into the area and the young player headed it into the back of the net for his first goal in Verdão’s first team. At 16 years and 353 days, he became the third youngest Brazilian scorer in the history of the Libertadores, behind Ângelo Gabriel (16 years and 106 days) and Endrick (16 years and 321 days).
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The goal also came in Messinho’s debut as a starter, nicknamed for his playing similarities with Lionel Messi. His performances in Palmeiras’ youth teams and in the Brazilian national team during the U-17 World Cup held at the end of last year in Indonesia have already put him on the radar of top European clubs such as FC Barcelona, Manchester United, City, Chelsea, and Paris Saint-Germain.
Beyond Estevão Willian’s performance, who has a €60 million release clause in his contract, the standout player was Raphael Veiga, the author of the three assists that allowed the São Paulo team to turn the score around.
In the first-half stoppage time, Aníbal Moreno, after a corner kick from Veiga, equalized the match, and in the 58th minute, it was Flaco López who scored the partial 2-1. In Liverpool, 20-year-old Luciano Rodríguez once again stood out, scoring the equalizer in his team’s debut in the Libertadores against Independiente del Valle (Ecuador).
Palmeiras now leads Group F with 4 points, the same as Independiente del Valle. Liverpool is third with 1 point, the same as the bottom-placed San Lorenzo (Argentina).
