Botafogo seals the most important victory in the final stretch of the Championship by beating Palmeiras

The match valid for the 36th round of the Brazilian Championship, played at Allianz Parque this Tuesday (26) was brought forward, and was the most important for the top two in the table. Tied in number of points, but with Alviverde ahead in goal difference, Glorioso did their homework and won 3-1 at their rivals' home. The goals were scored by Gregore, Savarino and Adryelson, while Richard Ríos scored, in stoppage time, for Palmeiras. The difference between both teams was once again three points, with two matches remaining until the end of the tournament.

Pressure from Palmeiras, but the goal was black and white

Palmeiras entered the field willing to maintain their lead and one minute into the game, midfielder Richard Ríos showed that the home team would spare no effort to open the scoring. They just forgot to tell goalkeeper John, who had no trouble saving the first ball of the game. In the 8th minute, Raphael Veiga shot in the middle of the goal, but the ball ended up in the hands of the black and white archer again. Striker Rony also tried in the next minute, but it seemed that the Alviverde aim was out of adjustment.

10 minutes into the game, Botafogo suffered its first loss. Bastos signaled that he felt pain in his thigh and Artur Jorge replaced Adryelson. In the 17th minute, Almada took a corner, which went past Gregore, but the ball was deflected by the Palmeiras defense. After a new charge, this time taken by Alex Telles, Almada wasted no time and at the right time, passed the ball to Gregore, who sent it into the back of the net, opening the score for Botafogo, in the 18th minute.

In the 21st minute, Palmeiras almost equalized, but with an own goal from Adryelson. The action was only prevented because John took the ball away in time. Seeing a possible opening, the home team once again attacked the black and white defense, and a ball hit the post, sent by Rony, almost equalized the score.

Unavailable until then, the alviverde midfielder Estevão tried to score his goal in the 29th minute, but John made a good save. On the other side, Luiz Henrique also tried to leave his mark, but the good Palmeiras defense did not allow him to increase the score. In the 37th minute, black and white striker Igor Jesus came close, but an offside in the play did not validate the move that almost ended in a goal for Botafogo.

Before the final whistle of the first stage, Almada and Savarino tried to shake the net, as well as Marcos Rocha, from Palmeiras, who had the Botafoguense archer as a wall to prevent the net from shaking.

_{Richard Ríos scored for Palmeiras in stoppage time (Photo: reproduction/Instagram/@richardrios.m)}

Second half of the white-and-white party

With the small advantage acquired in the first half, Botafogo came back more relaxed, which made Palmeiras want to turn the game around at all costs. In the 12th minute, John received a yellow card after a save from Flaco López, but ended up hitting Rony. 25 minutes into the match, Palmeiras full-back Marcos Rocha was sent off after a thorough VAR analysis, as referee Wilton Sampaio had previously issued a yellow card.

The absence of an important player in the Alviverde team was felt on the field, and in the 27th minute, Botafogo's second goal came, scored by Savarino. A minute later, Almada almost increased the score, but Weverton prevented it. In the 37th minute, Junior Santos made a rehearsed play with Eduardo, but the midfielder was unable to finish correctly.

Near the final minutes, Adryelson sealed the black and white victory with his goal, in the 43rd minute, with a move that came after a corner kick from Savarino. Out of control on the field, Palmeiras received another yellow card, this time with full-back Mayke. In stoppage time, Richard Ríos managed to reduce the score, and after a free kick and a free ball, he sent it into the back of goalkeeper John's net. The goal was reviewed by VAR, which found no offside and validated it.

The defeat at home returned Palmeiras to second place, and widened the gap to leader Botafogo, who once again had a three-point difference. With two rounds left until the end of the Championship, the next matches will be essential to determine the 2024 champion.

Featured photo: Players celebrate the triumph over Palmeiras (Reproduction/Instagram/@Botafogo/Vítor Silva/BFR)