Palmeiras will go head-to-head with fellow Brazilian side Botafogo in the Round of 16 at the FIFA Club World Cup after staging a remarkable comeback to draw 2-2 with Inter Miami at Hard Rock Stadium, having initially trailed by two goals.
Both teams were aware that a draw would secure their places in the knockout phase, which accounted for a rather tentative start to the match, especially in the first 15 minutes.
During that initial period, there was just a single chance created, with Gustavo Gomez heading a corner straight into the arms of Miami’s goalkeeper, Oscar Ustari.
However, Palmeiras quickly encountered a setback.
Things took a turn for the worse when centre-back Murilo Cerqueira suffered a hamstring injury while attempting to catch up with the speedy Tadeo Allende, allowing Miami to take an early lead at 1-0.
From there, Abel Ferreira’s squad pushed hard in search of an equaliser.
With increasing urgency, the crowd breathed a collective sigh of relief when Facundo Torres’ shot narrowly missed the target.
As the first half unfolded, there were more close calls for Lionel Messi and his teammates.
Firstly, an expert goalline clearance from Maximiliano Falcon denied Richard Rios’ header from finding the net, with Brazilian appeals for a penalty dismissed by referee Szymon Marciniak, despite Noah Allen seemingly tripping a Palmeiras midfielder.
Palmeiras maintained their hopes of progressing, and in the 53rd minute, they were given reason to relax.
On this occasion, Allende missed a brilliant set-up from Suarez as he put his effort wide. However, Suarez found the target in spectacular style in the 65th minute, smashing the ball past Weverton after dazzling Bruno Fuchs with an incredible display of skill.
Despite their progress being threatened as second-half substitutes Allan and Paulinho linked up brilliantly, allowing Paulinho to score with a clever shot from within the box.
In a thrilling finale, Miami was left reeling as Mauricio netted with a stunning strike that soared past Ustari.
The dramatic final minutes saw Palmeiras finish top of Group A, remaining unbeaten throughout their three matches (W1, D2).
On the other hand, Miami will join Ferreira’s squad in the quarter-finals, but they face the daunting challenge of matching up against Paris Saint-Germain, the champions of both Group B and the UEFA Champions League.
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Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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