Palmeiras advance to quarters in feisty contest but at what cost?

Palmeiras became the first team through to the FIFA Cup World Cup quarter-finals after beating their Brazilian rivals Botafogo 1-0 after extra time.

After drawing four of their last five meetings, this was expected to be another close affair and that's how it played out, as both sides failed to break the deadlock in Philadelphia, resulting in an extra 30 minutes.

A full blooded first half was full of endeavour, commitment and hard challenges, with the first booking coming after just three minutes, but yielded no goals.

 

Palmeiras dominated the second period, with the Chelsea bound Estêvão forcing two strong saves from Botafogo's goalkeeper John early on.

Player of the match John pulled off a number of strong saves in the second half to keep his side in it, but could do nothing about Paulinho's deflected curling effort 10 minutes into extra time.  

Botafogo finally sprang into life in the final 15 minutes and showed some attacking intent, but could not find the equaliser despite their opponents going down to 10 men for the final five minutes, as Palmeiras deservedly went through.

Palmeiras vs Botafogo match highlights

 

 

Feisty contest could cost Palmeiras

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This all Brazilian affair was played like a derby - full blooded, many hard challenges, plenty of fouls and LOTS of bookings.

In total the game saw 12 yellow cards and a red issued across the 120 minutes, although it wasn't ever a truly nasty game.

However, despite advancing, this encounter could still have a big negative affect on Palmeiras in their quarter-final.

Captain Gustavo Gomez was already set to miss the next knockout game after receiving his second yellow card of the tournament in the first half.

But he then doubled down in the closing minutes of extra time, picking up a second yellow in the contest to see red. He will be a relieved man that his side saw out the final five minutes without him.

Joaquín Piquerez was also booked for a second time in the competition, meaning he too will miss the quarter-final against either Chelsea or Benfica.

Both will be huge misses.

Still waiting for Estêvão to explode into life

Carl Recine - FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images

Palmeiras often looked to their 18-year-old superstar Estêvão to spark them into life, but despite glimpses of his ability he failed to deliver on the big stage again.

Starting on the left, time and again the Chelsea-bound youngster looked dangerous with the ball at feet.

But after creating numerous spaces with his trickery, he failed to deliver with his final product in the first half, and was soon moved over to the right.

He returned to the left at the start of the second period and looked dangerous again, forcing two early saves from Botafogo keeper John. He quickly became the best player on the pitch and looked the most likely to create an opening goal.

 

 

So, it was somewhat surprising he was subbed off after 62 minutes and Palmeiras lost their attacking intent when he exited.

Maybe too much expectation was placed on Estêvão coming to this competition, but this was a reminder that the youngster has a lot to learn and will need time to adjust to Premier League life before we see the full potential and magic that Chelsea have invested their £60mllion in. 

However, could a potential quarter-final against the club he will be joining at the end of the Club World Cup provide the inspiration he needs to finally show the world his very best form?

Brazilian fans the star of the show again

Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images

It is a shame we have lost a Brazilian team here and another set of South American fans. They have brought the colour, atmosphere and fun to the Club World Cup in the USA, where attendances have been questioned.

Again in Philadelphia it was the fans who were the main talking point, with both Palmeiras and Botafogo talking over the city and making it a celebration of football.

That included the Palmeiras fans taking over the 'Rocky steps' and embracing the spirit of the movie icon.

 

Their team has the eye of the tiger, battling bravely and showing they aren't afraid to do it the hard way to earn their first win in six attempts over Botafogo.

Hopefully FIFA will be inspired by the display of these wonderful fans and look to hold the next Club World Cup in a South American country - that would be an incredible sight to behold and a true festival of football, away from the cynical eyes of Europe.

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