After having fallen in the first leg by the minimum count, the palm trees He had a huge task in his fight to reach the three-time Copa Libertadores championship. And next to Athletico Paranaenseanimated one of the most exciting games of the season, where the two-time champion would say goodbye after drawing 2-2, but losing 2-3 on aggregate against a Furacao who managed to advance to the grand final.
The Verdao, which had Benjamin Kuscevic On the bench, he did not want to let go of the dream of making history by winning the continent’s top club title three times. And so he made it clear on the field, where they went out with everything to seek victory.
It was in just 3′ minutes of play that Palmeiras managed to take the lead. All thanks to a great play by Zé Rafael, who went down the flank and made a pass that Pedro Henrique managed to stop. However, the ball was left to Gustavo Scarpa, who settled down to face the goal and put in a tight shot to beat the goal.
The 1-0 motivated Verdao to go for an even bigger prize, generating several occasions to achieve it. However, towards the end of the first half they would suffer a situation that, in the long run, made it difficult for them to qualify for the Copa Libertadores final.
At 44′ Murilo Cerqueira went to fight for a ball in the middle of the field, but he kept his leg up and hit Vitor Roque’s leg. The referee only showed him yellow, but the images confirmed that he was much stronger than seen. The VAR called and the judge retracted, showing him the direct red card.
With a man down, Palmeiras had to move the pieces at half-time and sent Luan instead of Bruno Tabata. Athletico Paranaense didn’t want to miss out on the man down either and risked it, without Felipao Scolari on the bench, for offensive changes to go in search of the feat at Allianz Parque.
But when it seemed that the visit had everything served to go for the comeback, the blow of the Verdao arrived. A side from Marcos Rocha went straight to the area, where he found Gustavo Gómez’s head to comb the ball and put it inside the goal with a hat on goalkeeper Bento.
At Athletico Paranaense they reacted and sent Pablo to the pitch instead of Erick in the 63rd minute. And it would be a minute later that the replacement would be noticed, scoring the goal that left the game 2-1 and the aggregate score 2-2.
Fernandinho received a ball with his left foot and put in a remarkable pass into the area, which Vitinho caught before crossing into the area. Vitor Roque received from the right and punctured just enough so that Pablo was left alone in front of the goal to score.
Palmeiras had the winning goal in the 70’s with a tremendous shot by Gabriel Menino, but goalkeeper Bento would once again shine with a save to save the result. One that would have an agonizing and surprising definition.
When the 85th minute was played, David Terans, who played for Santiago Wanderers years ago, received a ball outside the area. Without hesitation, he settled in to take a shot, which ended up deflecting on Joaquín Piquerez and complicated Weverton. The 2-2 draw blew up the visit, which achieved a giant feat against the current two-time champion of the tournament.
Athletico Paranaense held on as best they could in the final minutes to achieve the miracle. After 5 minutes of added time, Furacao eliminated Palmeiras 2-3 on aggregate and settled in the great definition of the Copa Libertadores for the second time in its history, after 17 years.
Who does Athletico Paranaense play against in the 2022 Copa Libertadores final?
Athletico Paranaense qualified for the grand final of the Copa Libertadores 2022 and now awaits a rival. Furacao left Palmeiras behind, remaining one step away from the continental dream.
Flamengo and Vélez Sarsfield are the rivals in the other semifinal bracket. Mengao took a great advantage after winning 0-4 in the first leg in Argentina and now they will have to define everything at home this Wednesday from 8:30 p.m.
Athletico Paranaense manages to break the dominance of Palmeiras and advances to the final of the Copa Libertadores. The most important tournament at the club level will have a new champion, with two Chileans still in the running to lift the title.