Palmeiras competes in three competitions simultaneously at this time of the season and is favorite for the title in all three . However, in such an exhausting year and with a heavy marathon of games, the oscillation phases always appear, as now , in which the team won only one of the last four games. More than that, it came out behind in the scoring in five of the last six matches played.
Running after the result seems to have become a routine for Verdão. In the current series, the only confrontation in which the team managed to open the scoring was against Cerro Porteño, for the round of 16 of the Libertadores, when they won 3-0 in Asunción and sent a spot in the next phase of the continental competition.
Apart from this exception, the games against Atlético-GO, São Paulo (twice), Avaí and Athletico-PR were for palmeirense to watch the opponent celebrate first, which is not common for such a winning team, which has known only five defeats in 2022
Against Atlético-GO, a spectacular comeback in seven minutes changed the score from 1 to 0 against, to 4 to 1 in favor, having finished 4 to 2. On the other hand, against São Paulo, for the Brasileirão, a turn in stoppage time with two goals in six minutes. After these feats, there was the impression that Palmeiras would be able to turn any adverse score.
However, the next three games showed otherwise. Against São Paulo, for the round of 16 of the Copa do Brasil, he again came out behind, but he couldn’t even draw, losing 1-0. Then, against Avaí, he came out behind, drew, turned, but gave up the tie in 2 to 2. Finally, last Saturday, he not only came out behind, but also took the 2 to 0 and didn’t even manage to score a simple goal of honor.
This fluctuating streak meant that a team that had lost only three times a year lost twice in the last four games within a span of about ten days. The only victory in the last five matches was precisely against Cerro Porteño, when they managed to open the scoring. It is clear that, in this phase of wear and tear, it is better to avoid having to chase the result, it will not always work.
Check out the last six games of Palmeiras in the season:
Palmeiras 4 x 2 Atlético-GO – Brasileirão (back and turn)
São Paulo 1 x 2 Palmeiras – Brasileirão (back and turn)
São Paulo 1 x 0 Palmeiras – Copa do Brasil (came out behind and didn’t turn)
Avaí 2 x 2 Palmeiras – Brasileirão (came out behind, turned and gave the tie)
Cerro Porteño 0 x 3 Palmeiras – Libertadores (opened the scoreboard and won)
Palmeiras 0 x 2 Athletico-PR – Brasileirão (left behind and did not turn)