In a Brazilian showdown in Philadelphia, Palmeiras defeated Botafogo and advanced to the Quarterfinals in the FIFA Club World Cup
- Mario Amaya
- Jun 30
- 5 min read
Updated: 5 days ago
The round of 16 of the FIFA Club World Cup kicked off on Saturday in Philadelphia with an all-Brazilian affair between the last two winners of the Brazilian league, Palmeiras and Botafogo, to determine the first quarterfinalist of the FIFA World Cup.
In a game that needed over 120 minutes of soccer to determine a winner, it would be Palmeiras that would come out victorious as they earned a 1-0 victory against the reigning Copa Libertadores champions and secured a place in the quarterfinals of the tournament at Lincoln Financial Field Saturday afternoon.
"A few years ago, we'd have paid to play in this competition. And now here we are," Palmeira's coach Abel Ferreira said afterward. "If we win, great. And if we lose, at least we gave our all. And that's what we did today. The players had so much energy on the pitch, and I have no words to describe our fans. They're absolutely extraordinary, and I'm sure they felt represented by the team."
A little bit of history between both clubs coming into this
Entering the match, both clubs were riding high from having very solid showings throughout the group stages. Palmeiras finished first in Group A thanks in part to a convincing 2-0 victory against Al Ahly of Egypt and draws against FC Porto of Portugal, and came back from behind a 2-2 draw against MLS Inter Miami that secured first place in the group.
While Botafogo, which finished in 2nd place in Group B, secured a 2-1 victory against MLS side Seattle Sounders and a historic 1-0 victory against the reigning Champions League winner Paris St. Germain (PSG).
Both teams have won the last two Brazilian league titles, with Palmeiras in 2023. One of the marquee victories on the route to their title was a 4-3 victory against Botafogo. Botafogo had a 3-0 lead at one point; however, Palmeiras was able to come back and beat Botafogo, thanks in part to a brace from current Real Madrid player Endrick. Palmeiras would win the league with 70 points, six ahead of Botafogo, who would finish in sixth place that season.
Botafogo would win the league for the first time since 1995 last season, winning the league by six points over Palmeiras, who finished in second place. Botafogo would eliminate Palmeiras in the round of 16 with a 4-3 aggregate score on their way to winning the Copa Libertadores title in Buenos Aires, defeating Atlético Mineiro in the final.
Palmeiras Fans brought the atmosphere
One of the biggest takeaways from this tournament so far has been the passion that supporters have shown for their clubs throughout the tournament. This has been especially true for supporters of South American clubs who have shown up in numbers to support their clubs in the Club World Cup and have produced some of the wildest scenes and most vibrant atmosphere in the tournament.
With more than 33,000 in attendance inside Lincoln Financial Field to witness the game on Saturday afternoon, it brought a party fever of a big tournament, along with all the atmosphere of an important game that had a lot on the line.
The majority of the fans who came to watch the game were all draped in green and supporting El Verdão, or what is translated as "The Big Green” in Portuguese, as Palmeiras' commonly known in Brazil. Covering the north end of the stadium, they greeted their team with inflatable balloons, green and white stripes that went up and down the stands, green and white flags, and a huge tifo, setting the mood along with their fans chanting "Palmeiras! Palmeiras! Palmeiras!" or chants of Porco, the team’s other nickname that translates to Pig in Portuguese. While Botafogo fans who were in the minority on the other end tried their best to keep up with their counterparts but couldn’t compete with the swaths of green jerseys in the stands.
“Today, it was evident that there was an absurd difference between the Palmeiras and Botafogo fans.” Said Palmeiras left-back Joaquín Piquerez, “This isn't just a recent development, but also in the group stage, where they were superior in every match. The support is truly appreciated; it's vital for us. This victory is also dedicated to them for always coming to support us.”
Palmeiras found the breakthrough in the first half of overtime
With the score tied at nil-nil at the start of overtime, they were looking to spark some offense to break the deadlock, and Palmeiras would do just that. It was the 100th minute of the first half of extra time. After winning a free kick in the middle of the field, after a short free kick, the ball fell to Ríos, who passed the ball to the wing to Paulinho, who took the ball towards the box, and cut into the box, beating the mark of a Botafogo defender. The former Bayern Leverkusen man shot the ball after cutting inside the box, angling the ball in the lower left corner of John’s and netting what proved to be the game winner, sending the Palmeiras faithful into a frenzy behind the goal.
The Game
In a physical affair, both teams held each other in the middle of the field, where play got a little intense and where both teams' intensity would land them in foul trouble and the cards came out early as two pillars of Botafogo’s defense Alexander Barbosa and Alex Telles and Palmeiras captain Gustavo Gómez would see a yellow cards in the first half of play.
However, towards the end of the first half, Palmeiras was closest to breaking the deadlock when young winger Estêvão tried to get past the mark of Vitinho, but he couldn’t get past the Botafogo defender, who stripped the ball away from the 18-year-old. But the ball fell to the feet of Piquerez, who played the ball across to Richard Ríos. The Colombian international lined up a shot from the top of the box and whipped the ball towards goal; however, Botafogo’s goalkeeper John got a hand to the ball and sent the ball over the bar and out for a corner kick.
“I think the physical aspect was where we felt better than our opponent, always winning in that aspect,” said Palmeira's midfielder Emiliano Martinez. He also said this about staying in Philadelphia to play their next match. “It's good for us to have the next game here to get some rest for our legs.”
Estêvão would have the first big opportunity to open up the scoring at the start of the second half, but John dove to stop the ball from going into the back of the net.
In the 72nd minute, Palmeiras had an opportunity to open up the scoring when second-half substitute Luighi sent a cross inside the box that found Maurício inside the box. The midfielder got his head to it and directed the ball towards goal, but John parried the ball over the box for a corner.
In the 96th minute of overtime, Ríos tried another shot from distance from the same spot at the top of the box where he had tried to open up the scoring at the end of the first half, but John was able to make a diving save to send the ball out for another Palmeiras corner.
Botafogo would try to create some goal-scoring opportunities, but could not get past Palmeira's goalkeeper Weverton, even having a man advantage after Palmeiras went down to 10 men after Gómez was shown a second yellow card.
Palmeiras will now face Chelsea in the quarterfinals after the English side defeated Benfica 4-1 in a game that also needed extra time.
The game will take place at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA, on July 4th.
