Palmeiras bid farewell to Endrick on Thursday night with a goalless draw against San Lorenzo, at Allianz Parque, in the last round of the Conmebol Libertadores group stage.
Verdão, who had already qualified for the knockout stage as group leader, missed the chance to finish with the best overall campaign. The point earned in São Paulo qualified San Lorenzo for the round of 16.
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Palmeiras 0 x 0 San Lorenzo
- The match marked Endrick’s farewell from Palmeiras. The striker will serve the Brazilian National Team in the Copa América and then present himself to Real Madrid;
- With the draw, Palmeiras lost the chance to have the best campaign in the Libertadores group stage, which would have guaranteed they play the entire knockout stage at home, up to the final;
- Now, Palmeiras turns its attention to the Brazilian Championship.
Palmeiras x San Lorenzo: Highlights
All the expectation created by the pre-game atmosphere with Endrick’s farewell and the lineup with Luis Guilherme and Estêvão did not materialize in the weak first half at Allianz Parque.
Palmeiras had about 70% ball possession throughout, but created very little danger.
San Lorenzo had a good opportunity on the counter-attack after a mistake by Aníbal Moreno, in which Remedi wasted the chance. Gustavo Gómez even scored, but was offside after a free kick from Raphael Veiga.
Second half
Against an opponent who played for a point to confirm qualification, Palmeiras showed difficulty in creating chances. Without offensive power to put pressure, Verdão sought changes with the entries of Rony, López and later Rômulo.
In practice, the home team had one chance on the left, in a low cross that ended with a shot from Estêvão and a save from Altamirano. Murilo also missed a good opportunity with a header. On the counter-attack, the Argentinians almost scored with Cuello.
Goodbye, Endrick!
Negotiated with Real Madrid, Endrick played his last match in Palmeiras’ shirt on Thursday. Fielded as a starter, the 17-year-old striker cried with the tribute paid by the fans present at Allianz Parque, who put together a mosaic with the message: “Goodbye.”
Summoned to play the Copa América, the young man will then report to Real Madrid after the games with the Brazilian national team. He leaves the club with 82 games (55 as a starter), 21 goals, three assists, five titles and several records.
Endrick’s farewell dominated social media, with fans expressing their gratitude and wishing success to the young talent at Real Madrid. The team’s performance was also criticized for the lack of offensive punch, something that coach Abel Ferreira will have to adjust before the Libertadores knockout stage.
Remembering Zagallo
Sambafoot Series launched a new documentary about the football legend Zagallo. Known as ‘Velho Lobo‘ and as superstitious as it gets, Zagallo helped shape what Brazilian football is nowadays — as a player and as a coach.
Watch the full series, available on Sambafoot’s Youtube channel.
