With Abel Ferreira back to the bench of alternates, after fulfilling punishment, Palmeiras went through a ‘suspicious’, but took the best over the Fluminense, in the tie for big penalties, and reserved a place in the final of the Liberators Cup, where he will face the Estudiantes... or Flamengo, Leonardo Jardim.
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22/10/2026
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O Palmeiras stamped, in the early hours of Wednesday to Thursday, the clearance for the long-awaited final of the Libertador Cup, by taking the best over the Fluminense, in the tie-breaker for major penalties, after winning the game of the first hand of the ‘middles’, in Maracanã, by 1-2, and lost the second one, in Nubank Park, by 0-1.
In what was a high-intensity clash, the Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira (who returned to the bench of alternates, after having fulfilled punishment) had the elimination ‘in hand’... until 82 minutes, when the ‘all in’ carried out by the opponent, Marcão, ended up bearing fruit.
Just entered the place of Agustín Canobbio, Wesley Nathan, a player of only 18 years old, left the ball on Hercules' feet, who, with a half-distance shot, placed the bottom of the nets in Carlos Miguel's custody, thus equalizing the elimination, and pushing it, first, for extension, and then for the ‘teem strip’.
There, Mauricio, Gustavo Gómez, Ramón Sosa, Joaquín Piquerez and Marlon Freitas shot to count, from the mark of the 11 meters to the Green. Thiago Silva (former FC Porto player), Hercules and Guilherme Arana did the same for Flu, but on the fourth attempt, Carlos Miguel made a ‘hero’ and diverted the shot from Nonanto.
Abel Ferreira versus Leonardo Jardim?
Abel Ferreira cements, in this way, the status of Palmeiras as a Brazilian club with more presence in the finals of the Libertadors Cup of history. After the accounts, there are eight (two more than São Paulo), four of which are under the command of the Portuguese coach. Of these, two ended in victory in 2020 and 2021.
The Penafidelense leaves, now, in search of the third, knowing beforehand that, in the long awaited final (which will take place on November 28, in the Estadio Centenario, in Montevideo, Uruguay) will have ahead the Estudiantes... or Flamengo, eternal rival of the São Paulos, whose helmsman is also the Portuguese Leonardo Jardim.
The first hand match, held at the Jorge Luis Hirschi Stadium in La Plata, culminated in a tie to ‘zeros’, leaving everything open for the second, which has initial whistle already scheduled for 01h30 (hour of Continental Portugal) of this Friday, at ‘eternal’ Maracanã, in Rio de Janeiro.
“ You make it a point to remember that I am not good enough”
At the press conference that followed the final whistle, Abel Ferreira did not resist ‘punch the gallons’: “The truth is, I’ve been trying to beat my own records, and you [journalists] make a point of remembering that I’m not good enough. I'm always looking for my best version. We want to win.”.
“It’s a completely different group, much younger than two years ago. Our athletes are ready. We have normalized something that is very difficult, which is to reach the final of the Liberator Cup (...). I thought after winning the first one, I'd be happier, and it's exactly the opposite. It is all heavier and heavier, as if it had an obligation to win”, he concluded.