Dominant on the pitch and in the stands, Palmeiras upend Brazil rivals Botafogo for CWC quarters berth

PHILADELPHIA -- When the extremity yet came, aft 100 agelong minutes, it was worthy the wait.

Palmeiras substitute Paulinho stepped inside, into space, and stroked a debased changeable done the legs of a defender into the Botafogo net. As helium ran disconnected toward the country flag, helium gestured for calm. Behind the goal, thousands of Palmeiras fans -- who had ne'er stopped singing, each crippled -- ignored him, and celebrated wildly, a oversea of greenish and white.

The champion of Palmeiras vs. Botafogo wasn't connected the pitch; it was successful the stands. The prime of Palmeiras' 1-0 win successful the circular of 16 -- the archetypal of the FIFA Club World Cup knockout stage, the archetypal betwixt 2 teams from the aforesaid country, and the latest section successful Brazil's newest rivalry -- wasn't the highest. But the sound and colour brought by the fans to Lincoln Financial Field much than made up for it.

Palmeiras fans dominated successful numbers and volume, filling the basal down the extremity astatine the northbound extremity of the stadium. They held up a paper mosaic earlier kickoff, waving inflatable balloons successful the archetypal fractional and hundreds of green-and-white flags successful the second. In the 90th minute, with the crippled headed for other time, they unveiled a immense tifo, agelong green-and-white stripes stretching from the backmost of the stand, down to the field.

One chant -- 1 connection -- filled the air. "Palmeiras! Palmeiras! Palmeiras!" At the different extremity of the stadium, Botafogo's fans were outnumbered, but did their champion to compete, conscionable similar their team.

This is not a historical derby similar Palmeiras-Corinthians, oregon Botafogo-Flamengo. But successful the past fewer years, Palmeiras, from Sao Paulo, vs. Botafogo, from Rio de Janeiro, has go a conflict to beryllium the champion squad successful Brazil. The rivalry peaked successful 2023, erstwhile Palmeiras famously bushed Botafogo 4-3 -- Endrick, present of Real Madrid, scoring doubly to combat backmost from 3-0 down -- and went connected to triumph the league.

In 2024, Botafogo got their revenge, winning Brazil's Serie A and the Copa Libertadores, and eliminating Palmeiras on the way. And erstwhile these teams person met successful caller years, it has invariably been Botafogo who came retired connected top. Going into this crippled successful Philadelphia, Botafogo hadn't mislaid successful their past 5 meetings.

Here, Palmeiras were the better, much unsafe squad throughout, their onslaught led by 1 subordinate who is connected his mode to European football, Estêvão, and different who has already been and returned, Vitor Roque. In mean time, each the champion chances, without exception, fell to Palmeiras. In the ninth minute, Estêvão helped make their archetypal opportunity, the shot flashing crossed extremity and wide. Before halftime, midfielder Richard Ríos -- different subordinate getting attraction successful Europe -- saw his almighty changeable alert implicit the bar. After the break, Estêvão's curler was palmed distant by the goalkeeper. Vitor Roque had an overhead footwear blocked. Mauricio had a header tipped implicit the crossbar.

Whatever the stereotypes are astir Brazilian shot and joga bonito, Botafogo aren't it. Whether they were incapable oregon unwilling, they offered small going forward, with conscionable 4 shots -- 1 of them connected people -- and an xG of 0.13 successful the archetypal 90 minutes. If they were playing for other time, they got it, but it didn't bash them immoderate good. Palmeiras kept pushing, and Paulinho enactment Palmeiras ahead. Botafogo responded, creating chances precocious on, erstwhile their opponents were reduced to 10 men, but their lone sustained unit connected the Palmeiras extremity came excessively late.

At the last whistle, the Palmeiras squad ran crossed to observe with their supporters. They had been the game's existent stars. Brazilian fans person brought truthful overmuch to this tourney already, and Palmeiras' fans volition get the accidental to bash it each again, backmost astatine Lincoln Financial Field connected Friday, successful the quarterfinals.

"A fewer years agone we'd person paid to play successful this competition. And present present we are," Palmeiras manager Abel Ferreira said afterward. "If we win, great. And if we lose, astatine slightest we gave our all. And that's what we did today. The players had truthful overmuch vigor connected the pitch, and I person nary words to picture our fans. They're perfectly extraordinary, and I'm definite they felt represented by the team."