Palmeiras lost another home game in the Campeonato Paulista this time to Mirassol. The 2-1 defeat puts Verdão in a difficult situation, leaving them at risk of being out of the eliminatory phase.
With a Libertadores fixture in sight, Palmeiras fielded a rotated team and only a string of their usual starting XI.
Mirassol put in a beautiful performance and went two goals up early on in the game. Fabricio Daniel opened up the scoring in the 29th minute, before Diego Goncalves made it two three minutes after the break.
The visitors were in control until Neto received his second yellow card and was sent off in the 60th, giving Palmeiras some sort of man advantage, with 30 minutes left to play.
However, Verdão were not in on it and couldn’t make use of the advantage given to them. They only got a goal back late in the game after Gabriel Menino missed a penalty in the 81st minutes. Substitute Newton Williams then scored in the final minute of the game, to spare his side’s blushes.
Mirassol almost extended their advantage through Pedro Lucas but Weverton was the only player turned on for the home side in the game.
Palmeiras will have to be at their best if they want to make it through, as they sit five points behind qualification spot. For their next outing, they will return to the field on Tuesday, to face Independiente del Valle for Libertadores da América. They will then return back on Friday to face Inter de Limeira for a fight to qualify for the next round in the Campeonato Paulista.
