Palmeiras Secures Quarterfinal Spot in Club World Cup After Hard-Fought Win Over Botafogo
Brazilian side Palmeiras booked their place in the quarterfinals of the FIFA Club World Cup after a tough and thrilling 1-0 victory over domestic rivals Botafogo. The match took place on Saturday evening at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, USA, as part of the Round of 16.
Although the game ended goalless in regular time, both teams displayed intensity and determination from the outset, each aiming to progress further in the tournament. Palmeiras began the match with early attacking pressure and came close to scoring in the 10th minute, when Vitor Roque unleashed a powerful low shot from inside the box that narrowly missed the right post.
Palmeiras maintained their attacking momentum late into the first half. In stoppage time, Richard Ríos fired a rocket from outside the area in the 45+5 minute, but Botafogo goalkeeper John Victor made a fingertip save, pushing the ball out for a corner.
The second half continued in the same fashion, with Palmeiras dominating offensively. Young talent Estêvão Willian—recently signed by Chelsea—found the back of the net with a stunning left-footed strike from distance in the 50th minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
With the deadlock unbroken, the match headed into extra time. It was substitute Paulinho who finally made the difference in the 100th minute, dribbling past defenders and slotting a low shot that slipped under a Botafogo defender and nestled into the bottom right corner.
Despite going down to ten men after captain Gustavo Gómez received a second yellow card and was sent off in the 116th minute, Palmeiras managed to hold onto their lead until the final whistle. They now await the winner of the clash between Portugal's Benfica and England's Chelsea in a highly anticipated quarterfinal showdown.