· 2 min readIn this Palmeiras vs Internacional match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
There was clear favouritism towards Palmeiras, as there almost always is in the Brasileirão, but the context called for caution. Internacional were going through an interesting spell, more comfortable without the ball, more reactive, and that had already shown some positive signs. On the other side, a Palmeiras side at the top of the table, competent but not always brilliant. It was the typical game where the result could hide more than it showed.
The first half confirmed exactly that strange balance. Palmeiras had more of the ball, more attacking presence, but were almost always far from genuinely threatening. They circulated, tried things, moved the pieces around, but lacked a clear reference up front. Everything was very mobile, but not very purposeful. And when the ball reached the box, there was nobody there to finish it.
Internacional played the game they wanted. They dropped deep, organised themselves in a back five, sometimes becoming a 5-4-1 or even a 5-2-3, and waited. When they came forward, they tried to be direct and quick, but without much inspiration either. Still, they had one of the few moments of real danger in the first half, when Allan Patrick received facing goal and played it to Bernabéi. The shot was very poor, but the move showed the idea: few touches, try to surprise.
For Palmeiras, the clearest chance came through Arias. Cross, header, the ball falls back to him, he controls and shoots, but Guillermo Maripán gets in the way. If it gets through, it is a goal. It was one of the rare moments when the move actually had some continuity inside the box. Other than that, plenty of volume, little definition.
There was also one detail that started to matter: the refereeing. Davi de Oliveira Lacerda let the game flow too much, avoided obvious bookings and talked excessively. That breaks the rhythm, takes away intensity and gradually creates a certain nervousness around the game.
In the second half, the script did not change much, but Palmeiras tried to accelerate. They came out more aggressive, pushed their lines higher and increased the pressure. But they kept running into the same problem: crosses with nobody to meet them. The ball reached the box and there was no one there. They lacked presence and someone to attack the right space.
The change came in the 57th minute, with the introduction of Vitor Roque and Flaco López. Finally, there were clear references up front. The idea made sense, but the execution continued to fail. Palmeiras had even more possession, reaching high numbers, but still could not turn that into real danger.
And when they had the chance, they wasted it. In the 80th minute, the ball fell to Vitor Roque, very close to goal. He just had to hit it with power, it did not even need to be perfect. The shot was weak, almost without conviction. Even if there was some doubt over an offside, the finish cannot be like that.
Internacional, meanwhile, stayed faithful to their plan until the end. They defended with plenty of players, slowed the game down whenever they could and never showed any urgency. For them, the draw was gold. And it almost became even better: deep into stoppage time, with Palmeiras’ goalkeeper out of his goal, they had a clear opportunity, but took too long and the shot was eventually blocked.
Overall, 0-0 is a fair result, because neither team played well offensively and it was an ugly game, objectively speaking.
Post-match
A draw that means different things to both sides. For Internacional, it is a huge result, especially because of the way it was achieved.
For Palmeiras, it feels like a missed opportunity. They dominated, had the ball, but were predictable and ineffective. And that, over the course of a long league season, can start to cost them.
