Palmeiras 1×1 Corinthians: Ronaldo saves Corinthians in the 92nd minute.

In his second game with Corinthians shirt, Ronaldo scored his first goal after more than one year without playing football and saved Corinthians of the fifth defeat in a row against Palmeiras in the last minute of game:

[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=V1pfpf8O5_I]

The result didn’t change the table: Palmeiras still first, 3 points ahead of Corinthians with one game less than the rival.

Tactical Analysis

Both managers decided to close their defenses, and entered with a 3-4-1-2 formation.

Palmeiras:

Bruno;
Danilo, Maurício Ramos e Marcão;
F. Capixaba, Pierre, Sandro Silva e Armero;
Cleiton Xavier;
Diego Souza e Keirrison.

Corinthians:

Felipe;
William, Chicão e Escudero;
Fabinho, Christian, Elias e André Santos;
Douglas;
Jorge Henrique e Souza.

The difference of the formations is that Corinthians, when attacking, changed to a 4-5-1:

Felipe;
Fabinho, William, Chicão e Escudero;
Christian e Elias
Jorge Henrique, Douglas and André Santos
Souza.

But that didn’t happened very well: since André Santos have to defend in the second line, he didn’t have time to go to the attack as fast as he needed to be in the front line. That made Corinthians plays the beginning of the game only by the right wing with Jorge Henrique, which was good until Palmeiras defender Marcão got booked; Luxemburgo than changed Jorge Henrique’s marker to Danilo and the Corinthians’ player was not able to play as freely as he was doing in the beginning of the match.
By the fact that André Santos couldn’t make to the left wing in time, Souza moved that area several times, which made Corinthians have no center forward, against the three Palmeiras’ center defenders.

In the other side of the pitch, Keirrison was very distance from the others players. Cleiton Xavier wasn’t making a good game, and Diego Souza came several times to the midfield to create the plays, leaving Keirrison alone in the attack.

Both managers ordered his defensive midfielders to man-mark the adversary playmaker: Cristian marked Cleiton Xavier and Pierre marked Douglas. Since both teams had three defenders and another defensive midfielders, the game in the first half was slow – the heat of 36ºC (96,8ºF) help to slow down the players.

In the second half things changed, specially because Palmeiras’ scored with Diego Souza, after a great pass of Keirrison and a horrible mistake of Corinthians’ goalkeeper Felipe.

(Felipe catching butterflies while Diego Souza runs to score)

Both managers responded to the goals: Luxemburgo changed Diego Souza with Willians, to make the attack fast for counter-attacks, and Mano Menezes changed Souza and Escudero for Dentinho and Ronaldo, changing the team formation to a 4-3-3:

Felipe
Alessandro*, William, Chicão e André Santos;
Christian e Elias;
Douglas;
Jorge Henrique, Ronaldo e Dentinho.

*came in place of Fabinho.

Even with three strikers, Corinthians didn’t have many chances to score during the second half. Only Ronaldo threatened Palmeiras, first with a superb kick that came out of the box and hit the bar, after with a good play by the left side and the cross to Andre Santos heading, for a great save of Bruno.

Palmeiras had a few chances to end the game, always in plays by the left side with Cleiton Xavier and Armero, which Keirrisson wasn’t able to score.

In the injury time, Palmeiras defense wasn’t able to clean the ball from the right defensive side, and Marcão kick the ball to corner. Douglas takes it and Ronaldo, in the opposite post, scores to tie-up the game.

(that gate literally came to the ground after almost all Corinthians’ team and fans climbed it)

Veredict:

By the football played, the tie was a fair result. The first half was slow, with not many opportunities, and the game just changed by the mistake of Corinthians’ goalkeeper and Palmeiras’ goal. I know this is obvious, what I’m saying is that the game would probably end up with a clean score if wasn’t for that.

After the goal, both teams played very similar, and Palmeiras, even with chances, didn’t finish the game. Lost two points by losing this opportunities.

Ronaldo’s goal is having a huge repercussion by the media. I’m a big fan o Ronaldo, just like any other Brazilian, and, even he playing for Corinthians, I wish him the best he can get. But it seems that he made the winning goal (even he said that he was happy to score the winning goal, and then corrected himself). Of course he saved the team from the defeat, and everybody knows that he is special player, but I thing the goal is being overrated (as everything Ronaldo does, actually – and at least is a good thing).