The first leg of the Paulista Championship final between Palmeiras and São Paulo at the Allianz Parque ended in a goalless draw on Thursday.
The game was a highlight of good performances from both team goalkeepers, as Weverton and Tiago Volpi both registered great saves to keep the ball from getting into the back of the net.
Palmeiras went for the laid-back approach in the match and waited for the counter attack, while São Paulo pressed high up the pitch in other to break the opponent’s tight defence.
Verdão in the opening six minutes got an opportunity to open up the scoring, when Ron found Victor Luis with a cross, but Daniel Alves was well aware and was able to clear out the danger.
In the 14th minute, São Paulo also had a chance of their own, when Benítez took a powerful shot from outside the penalty area. This time, Weverton showed his quality and clear the ball out of danger.
Palmeiras and São Paulo had several other chances to strike first in the first half, but both goalkeepers were on par to keep the score line 0-0 at half time. The second half started as the first with little changes. Tricolor had to make an early change, bringing in Igor Gomes for Benítez, which was their second early substitution in the game.
São Paulo were the better side after the break, they created more than Verdão and had several opportunities to get the advantage in the first leg, but with the heroics of Weverton, it was impossible.
The second leg on Sunday will be an intriguing contest. If another draw were to occur, the winner of the game will be decided through a penalty shootout.
