In many cases, it is often said that money does not guarantee success, but what is evident is that a large financial investment makes the task much easier. Botafogo came close to winning the Brasileirao title in 2023 and in 2024 it has become a powerful machine capable of fighting for the league championship and also for the Copa Libertadores, where it has eliminated Palmeiras with quality and suffering in equal parts.
It is not easy to beat Botafogo against a team led by Abel Ferreira, who is used to winning and being very reliable in big matches, in the way they did. Artur Jorge’s men arrived in Sao Paulo with a 2-1 win in the first leg and knew how to suffer and be decisive when the opportunity arose.
In the first half, Palmeiras did not create many clear chances, forcing Botafogo to defend very close to their goal in a siege that showed a certain lack of goalscoring. ‘Flaco’ López had the clearest shot with a frank header that went over the crossbar. Estêvão was the most outstanding player in his team with constant dribbling and appearances, but his skill was not enough.
After the break, Palmeiras stepped up with the introduction of Lázaro, and at Botafogo, Luiz Henrique came off with physical discomfort to make way for Matheus Martins. The youngster who arrived from Watford was once again decisive, just as he was in the derby against Flamengo on the last day of the Brasileirao. He started the action for the first goal, in which Savarino assisted Igor Jesús and an instant later added the assist to Savarino himself, also inspired in that part of the match.
When everything seemed lost, Palmeiras showed their pride as champions and dreamed of an impossible comeback. López scored the first goal for the team from a set piece taken by Menino and immediately afterwards Rony appeared to finish in the unmarked area. At that moment there were still five minutes of added time, to look for the goal that would force a penalty shoot-out. The old ghosts appeared in Botafogo and tragedy was brewing when Gómez equalised the tie for a few seconds… Until the VAR disallowed the Paraguayan’s goal due to a previous handball.
Botafogo has put together a team that is capable of dominating and also being lethal on the counterattack with enviable quality from the midfield forwards. From Almada to Savarino, through the verticality of Luiz Henrique and Matheus Martins. In addition, they made the right choice with the signing of Igor Jesus, rescued from football in the Emirates. The only doubt is whether their physical condition will allow them to maintain this level until the end of the year. In terms of quality and level of play, Botafogo is set to end a dream 2024.
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Changes
Matheus Martins (45′, Luiz Henrique), Lazarus (45′, Felipe Anderson), Tiquinho Soares (60′, Igor Jesus), Gabriel Boy (60′, Marcos Rocha), Rony (60′, Richard Rios), Hugo (60′, Cuiabá), Anibal Moreno (67′, Ze Rafael), Chee Chee (67′, Thiago Almada), Danilo Barbosa (73′, Gregore), Mauricio (86′, Raphael Veiga)
Goals
0-1, 55′: Igor Jesus0-2, 63′: Jefferson Savarino1-2, 85′: Jose Lopez2-2, 89′: Rony
Cards
Referee: Facundo Tello
VAR referee: Silvio Trucco, Hector Paletta
Alexander Barboza (34′,Yellow), Richard Rios (34′,Yellow), Gregore (47′,Yellow), John (80′,Yellow), Matthew Ponte (88′,Yellow), Danilo Pinheiro (99′,Yellow)
