Palmeiras and Flamengo settled for a 1-1 draw on Sunday afternoon at Allianz Parque. The result saw Atlético-MG remain leaders in the Brazilian Championship.
With a lot of absentees, mostly due to the Covid 19 outbreak, 20 players were not available including coach Domènec Torrent, Flamengo used the youngsters and trusted Arrascaeta and Pedro to produce good result away from home.
Patrick de Paula broke the deadlock for Verdão, and Pedro equalized taking the draw for his team.
In the first half, the match was well balance than what was expected. Flamengo dominated the midfield with Thiago Maia, Gerson and Arrascaeta. Flamengo had the best chances in the game: Pedro and Arrascaeta forced out two saves from Weverton. Palmeiras had only a chance in extra time that was goal threatening from a shot by Zé Rafael that Hugo saved.
In the second half, Palmeiras improved their game play creating more chances with the introduction of Raphael Veiga and Willian. They controlled the ball in the middle but only had a goal scoring chance from a long range shot from Patrick de Paula, whose shot was deflected in Thiago Maia and left goalkeeper Hugo without reaction. Flamengo, however, reacted soon after. The center forward tapped in a low cross to equal the score line.
Palmeiras will play Bolívar next Wednesday at 7:15 pm at Allianz Parque. Also on Wednesday, at 9:30 pm, Flamengo hosts Independiente Del Valle, in Maracanã. Both games are valid for the fifth round of the Copa Libertadores group stage.
