Palmeiras vence outra fora de casa e garante vantagem na Copa do Brasil

O melhor visitante do país venceu mais uma fora de casa. Nesta quarta-feira, o Palmeiras bateu América-MG por 2 a 1 no estádio Independência, pelo jogo de ida das oitavas de final da Copa do Brasil. No torneio nacional, o gol fora de casa não vale como desempate, mas os tentos de Borja e Keno dão a vantagem do empate ao Verdão na partida de volta (23), no Allianz Parque.

Esta foi a 12ª vitória do time de Roger Machado em 15 jogos como visitante no ano. O aproveitamento fora de casa é de espantosos 84,4% e o único revés ocorreu justamente contra o Corinthians, adversário do próximo domingo, às 16h (de Brasília), na Arena rival.

O primeiro tempo no Independência esteve longe de ser chato, mas foi ruim tecnicamente. As duas equipes criaram oportunidades muito graças a fragilidade defensiva dos dois lados, e perderam chances por erros nas finalizações.

O primeiro terço da etapa inicial teve certo domínio palestrino, mas sem que isso se refletisse em chances de gol. A criação de jogadas alviverdes melhorou quando Dudu passou a fechar pelo meio nos momentos em que Lucas Lima, que voltou ao time titular, caía pelos lados.

Assim, com os visitantes vacilando na defesa e mostrando boa movimentação na frente, teve início a sequência de gols perdidos dos dois lados. Marcos Rocha quase fez contra, Serginho desperdiçou grande chance e Borja não conseguiu marcar em duas chances inacreditáveis.

Na terceira, porém, o colombiano guardou. Aos 37 minutos, Lucas Lima fez ótimo cruzamento, o goleiro João Ricardo saiu do gol, mas não cortou o lance, e Borja apenas escorou para as redes.

Na etapa final, logo de cara, o Palmeiras se salvou de levar o empate em milagre de Jailson. Depois, o Verdão passou a mostrar mais segurança defensiva e conseguiu ampliar com Keno, logo aos 11 minutos. Borja recebeu do camisa 11 em diagonal curta e devolveu para o companheiro tocar entre as pernas de João Ricardo.

O Verdão passou a controlar o jogo, poderia ter feito o terceiro, não fosse erro da arbitragem em marcar falta inexistente de Keno em Rafael Lima, mas em falha individual, viu o América-MG crescer no jogo.

Jailson bateu tiro de meta lateral para Antônio Carlos, que errou o domínio, tentou proteger e perdeu a bola para Aylon. O atacante invadiu a área livre e só rolou para Serginho mandar para as redes. O clima no Independência mudou completamente e o Coelho passou a pressionar, mas com as mudanças, o Palmeiras ganhou gás e manteve o triunfo.

FICHA TÉCNICA
AMÉRICA-MG 1 X 2 PALMEIRAS

Data: 9 de maio de 2018, quarta-feira
Local: Estádio Independência, em Belo Horizonte
Horário: 19h30 (de Brasília)
Árbitro: Braulio da Silva Machado
Assistentes: Kleber Lucio Gil (FIFA) e Neuza Ines Back (FIFA)
Público: 12.241 torcedores
Renda: R$ 132.987,00

Cartões amarelos: Rafael Lima e Leandro Donizete (AMÉRICA-MG)

GOLS
AMÉRICA-MG: Serginho, aos 27 minutos da etapa inicial
PALMEIRAS: Borja, aos 37 minutos do primeiro tempo; Keno, aos 11 minutos da etapa final

AMÉRICA-MG: João Ricardo; Norberto (Marquinhos), Messias, Rafael Lima e Giovanni; Leandro Donizete, Christian e Serginho; Luan (Ruy), Aderlan e Rafael Moura (Aylon)
Técnico: Enderson Moreira.

PALMEIRAS: Jailson; Marcos Rocha, Antônio Carlos, Edu Dracena e Diogo Barbosa; Felipe Melo (Thiago Santos), Bruno Henrique e Lucas Lima (Guerra); Dudu, Keno (Willian) e Borja
Técnico: Roger Machado

gazeta esportiva

BRAZIL: Copa do Brasil- finished

	DrawBRAZIL: Copa do Brasil
	19:30	Finished	America MG	1 - 2	Palmeiras	(0 - 1)
	19:30	Finished	Gremio	3 - 1	Goias	(1 - 0)
	21:45	Finished	Bahia	3 - 0	Vasco	(2 - 0)

ASEAN Zonal Semi-final - 1st Leg: Ceres Negros FC 4-2 Yangon United FC

Ceres were on top from the start and Manny Ott came close in the seventh minute when he curled a free-kick just wide from the edge of the penalty area.

Stephan Schrock could have opened the scoring just minutes later but shot over after being played through by Maranon, before Sekou Sylla fired wide down the other end midway through the half in a rare sight of goal for the visitors.

The hosts then took the lead in the 29th minute with a stunning effort from Spaniard Maranon, who raced on to a throughball from Manny Ott, looked up and lifted a delicate chip over the stranded goalkeeper Sann Sat Naing from the right side of the area.

Ceres went two up less than five minutes later when Mike Ott’s strike from distance was parried out by the Yangon custodian, only for midfielder Patrick Reichelt to be at the right place at the right time to finish from close in.

As half-time approached, Maranon tapped home his second from a yard out after Manny Ott’s corner from the right found its way to the forward at the back post.

Yangon threw themselves a lifeline when top scorer Sylla blasted into the roof of the net from 12 yards after being picked out by Kosuke Yamazaki 10 minutes after the restart.

But Ceres responded strongly as brothers Mike and Manny Ott both had efforts saved before defender Manuel Herrera headed in Manny Ott’s corner from the left just after the hour.

Sylla then scored his second of the night when he powered home from six yards after a goalmouth scramble with seven minutes remaining to keep Yangon in the tie.

Maranon almost claimed his hat-trick soon after, only to see his chip pushed on to the crossbar by Sann Sat Naing, but the Filipino side will take a two-goal advantage to Myanmar for the second leg next week.

ASIA: AFC Cup - Play Offs- finished

	DrawASIA: AFC Cup - Play Offs
	08:30	Finished	Ceres (Phl)	4 - 2	Yangon United (Bur)	(3 - 0)

Round of 16 -1st Leg: Ulsan Hyundai FC 1-0 Suwon Samsung Bluewings

Both teams struggled to create chances in the opening stages as several fouls broke up the play.

In the 20th minute, Ulsan’s Mislav Orsic sent in a fizzing free-kick from distance that bounced awkwardly but Shin Hwa-yong did well to hold the ball.

Suwon responded with a long-range shot from Lee Ki-je but it lacked the power to trouble Oh Seong-hoon.

Waguininho headed Yeom Ki-hun’s cross just wide for the visitors in the 35th minute with what was the best effort of a cagey opening half.

Waguininho was denied by a vital defensive block when he threatened from close range a minute into the second half.

Yohei Toyoda then fired a low shot just wide from the edge of the area as the home side hit back.

The hosts began to take the upper hand and in the 63rd minute, Orsic’s curling shot from 20 yards out skimmed the top of the crossbar.

And Ulsan took the lead four minutes later when Orsic’s through ball found Kim In-sung, and the midfielder finished neatly past Shin Hwa-yong with the outside of his right foot.

Dejan Damjanovic fired in a powerful volley that forced Oh Seong-hoon into a save as the visitors responded.

Kim Gun-hee then came close but saw his low shot from 20 yards pushed wide by the Ulsan keeper.

But Suwon could not find an equaliser, leaving Ulsan with a slender advantage going into the second leg next Wednesday.

Round of 16 -1st Leg: Kashima Antlers 3-1 Shanghai SIPG FC

The hosts almost stunned Shanghai in the second minute as Yasushi Endo’s cross from the left crashed off the post. 

Oscar came close for the visitors in the ninth minute but Kwoun Sun-tae pulled off an excellent save from his close-range shot.

Ryota Nagaki’s 25-yard strike was tipped over by Yan Junling as Kashima hit back in an action-packed opening. 

Kashima snatched the lead in the 43rd minute when Nagaki’s corner was glanced into the corner by Gen Shoji’s header. Yan Junling clawed the ball out but it may have already crossed the line before Yuma Suzuki smashed home the rebound.

It took four minutes of the second half for Kashima to add a second. Shanghai defenders failed to deal with Endo's corner from the right, and the ball broke to Daigo Nishi, who prodded home from close range. 

Kashima began to sit on their two-goal lead and conceded more possession.

And Wu Lei almost capitalised on a defensive blunder in the 69th minute. A botched clearance fell into his path and he fired a powerful low shot against the post.

The visitors forced a series of corners and Kwoun Sun-tae tipped Elkeson’s header over the bar to preserve his side’s lead. 

But the home side grabbed their third against the run of play in the 75th minute. Shanghai defender Yu Hai headed Koki Anzai’s cross into his own net under pressure from Suzuki.

Just two minutes later, Elkeson pulled one back from close range after a defensive scramble. 

Shanghai pressed for a second in the closing stages but Kashima held on to take a two-goal advantage into the second leg in China next Wednesday.

ASIA: AFC Champions League - Play Offs-finished

	DrawASIA: AFC Champions League - Play Offs
	07:00	Finished	Kashima (Jpn)	3 - 1	Shanghai SIPG (Chn)
	08:00	Finished	Ulsan Hyundai (Kor)	1 - 0	Suwon Bluewings (Kor)

Los Angeles Football Club 2, Minnesota United FC 0 | 2018 MLS Match Recap

LAFC continued their undefeated start to life at Banc of California Stadium on Wednesday, comfortably defeating Minnesota United 2-0 via goals from Eduard Atuesta and Mark-Anthony Kaye, the first career MLS tallies for both. 

Traveling halfway across the continent in midweek with few strikers at their disposal, MNUFC struggled to hold the ball or create sustained attacking pressure, with LAFC bossing the midfield and topping most statistical categories.

Atuesta opened the scoring with a deflected finish after receiving a low cross from Diego Rossi, and Kaye doubled the lead a few minutes later with a close-range volley after Latif Blessingoutjumped Francisco Calvo to flick on a deflected ball in the Loons penalty box.

Goals

• 31' – LAFC – Eduard Atuesta | WATCH
• 37' – LAFC – Mark-Anthony Kaye | WATCH

Three Things

• THE BIG PICTURE: LAFC continue to vacuum up points and build momentum, suggesting that they could be legit postseason contenders in their inaugural season, while Minnesota look shorthanded and below par in several areas.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Blessing's impressive leap to beat Calvo, the Loons' captain, bagged him an assist, gave the home side all the cushion they needed and underlined their superiority on this occasion.
• MAN OF THE MATCH: Mark-Anthony Kaye has made a very impressive transition from USL to MLS this season, patrolling LAFC's central midfield with authority, and vs. MNUFC he marked another solid outing with his first MLS goal.

Next Up

• LAFC: Sunday, May 13 vs. NYCFC (8:30 pm ET | FS1 - Full TV & streaming info)
• MIN: Saturday, May 12 vs. San Jose (2 pm ET | ESPN+ - Full TV & streaming info)

Chicago Fire 1, Montreal Impact 0 | 2018 MLS Match Recap

The Chicago Fire bounced back and squeaked out a late goal Wednesday to defeat the Montreal Impact, 1-0, at Toyota Park. 

The match's only goal came from an unlikely suspect: In the 89th minute, Chicago defender Kevin Ellis snuck a ball past goalkeeper Evan Bush. The goal was Ellis's second across the last two matches.

The first half of Wednesday's match was back-and-forth, while the Fire dominated the second half. Chicago continued its pressure late into the match, adding fresh legs with young players like Diego Campos and Daniel Johnson in the last 20 minutes. 

Goals

• 89' – CHI – Kevin Ellis | WATCH

Three Things

• THE BIG PICTURE: Chicago has endurance lead by a bench of talented, youthful players. The Fire is in good shape with its reserves and proved that it has enough fuel in the legs of players like Campos and Johnson to turn on the afterburners late in games. This will be huge come summertime. 
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Now overshadowed by Ellis' goal, midfielder Aleksandar Katai's first half chance is my moment of the match. In the 34th minute, Katai took a shot on goal that clanked off the post only to be rebounded by Katai himself. Impact defender Daniel Lovitz made a heroic goal-line clear to keep the score even in the first half. The moment showed just how evenly matched these two teams are as they battle in the middle of the Eastern Conference table. 
• MAN OF THE MATCH: Chicago defender Kevin Ellis had a big week, scoring back-to-back goals for Chicago over two matches. The game-winner against Montreal probably tasted a little sweeter than the lone goal in the previous 1-2 loss to Atlanta.

Next Up

• FIRE: Saturday, May 12 at Columbus Crew SC (7:30pm ET | full TV & streaming info)
• IMPACT: Saturday, May 12 vs. Philadelphia Union (3pm ET | CTV, TVAS - full TV & streaming info)

Toronto FC 1, Seattle Sounders 2 | 2018 MLS Match Recap

An undermanned Seattle Sounders side snatched all three points from their visit to BMO Field on Wednesday, riding goals from Will Bruin and Handwalla Bwana while absorbing plenty of pressure from Toronto FC to earn a 2-1 win and take a measure of revenge in this rematch of the 2017 MLS Cup final. 

With Clint Dempsey and several other key players absent, Seattle rolled out a new 5-4-1 formation that helped them weather waves of sustained attacking from the home side, a plan that benefitted greatly from Bruin opening the scoring against the run of play on a quick first-half counterattack.

Jonathan Osorio leveled for the Reds shortly before halftime. But the Homegrown Bwana netted his first MLS goal to make it a dream road trip for the Rave Green ahead of their highly-anticipated Cascadia Cup visit to the Portland Timbers on Sunday.

Goals

• 25' – SEA – Will Bruin | WATCH
• 40' – TOR – Jonathan Osorio | WATCH
• 54' – SEA – Handwalla Bwana | WATCH

Three Things

• THE BIG PICTURE: These three points are house money for the Sounders, providing a big lift amid their rocky start to the season; conversely, the home loss may ring some alarm bells for TFC, who are already wracked by injuries and saw Victor Vazquez leave the game early with a right leg issue.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Bwana's backstory is fairly incredible and his game-winner marks another happy milestone on his unique journey ... as well as a timely contribution for his team.
• MAN OF THE MATCH: He's been a pivotal defensive cornerstone for Seattle for years, and on Wednesday Chad Marshall was his typical rock-solid self in anchoring a determined effort under tough circumstances, which earns him the nod just ahead of the influential Bruin.

Next Up

• TOR: Saturday, May 12 at New England (7:30 pm ET | TSN - Full TV & streaming info)
• SEA: Sunday, May 13 at Portland (4 pm ET | ESPN - Full TV & streaming info)

Columbus Crew SC 1, Philadelphia Union 0 | 2018 MLS Match Recap

All it took was one tap-in goal and another stingy defensive effort for Columbus Crew SC to remain unbeaten in their last four games.

On Wednesday night at MAPFRE Stadium, Gyasi Zardes scored the game’s only goal in the 53rd minute to lead Crew SC to a 1-0 win over the slumping Philadelphia Union.

The Union have lost four of their last five games — all shutout losses — and have not won in 16 consecutive road matches dating back to last May.

Crew SC turned up the offensive pressure after the break after a quiet first half from both sides, and goalkeeper Zack Steffen — a former Union academy player — preserved the shutout with a big 90th-minute save on CJ Sapong.

Goals

• 53' — CLB — Gyasi Zardes WATCH

Three Things

• THE BIG PICTURE: Despite a three-game losing streak last month, Crew SC (5-3-3) remain right near the top of the East after back-to-back shutouts, including this past weekend's gutsy 10-man effort vs. Seattle. The Union (2-5-2), meanwhile, are sputtering through a three-game road swing that culminates in Montreal on Saturday with the team in desperate need of points.
• MOMENT OF THE MATCH: It wasn’t the toughest of the six goals Zardes has scored in his first season with Columbus but it certainly proved to be timely. After Harrison Afful, who rifled a shot off the post in the first half, hit a cross that Union goalkeeper Andre Blakeswatted away, Cristian Martinez beat Keegan Rosenberry to the ball and played it across the middle that Blake again got his hands on. But Zardes was left wide open right in front of the net for the easy tap in.
• MAN OF THE MATCH: Zardes and Martinez were both effective offensively, and Wil Trapp helped control the game in the midfield, but Steffen was perhaps most responsible for making sure Columbus got all three points with his big late stop. He finished with three saves, two of which came in the game’s final 10 minutes.

Next Up

• CLB: Saturday, May 12 vs. Chicago Fire (7:30 pm ET | CTV, TVAS - Full TV & Streaming Info)
• PHI: Saturday, May 12 at Montreal Impact (3 pm ET | TV & Streaming Info)

Atlanta United FC 0, Sporting Kansas City 2 | 2018 MLS Match Recap

A 2nd half goal by Daniel Salloi – in a match transformed by a Brad Guzan red card — was enough to put Sporting Kansas City over Atlanta United FC in a Wednesday night conference leaders' clash at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. A late Gerso Fernandes goal provided the final 2-0 margin. 

Atlanta dominated much of the first half, and even looked to go up a 6th-minute Josef Martinezgoal that was overturned on Video Review. But in the 34th minute, the tenor of the game changed when SKC's Khiry Shelton, sprung past the ATL backline with a well-placed pass, was met with a Brad Guzan slide-tackle that earned the veteran goalkeeper a red card.

That brought on rookie goalkeeper Paul Christensen - the 70th player selected in the 2018 MLS Superdraft - to hold off the vistors' offense. He held them at bay until midway through the 2nd half, when Salloi broke through the Atlanta defense to score. Despite two mirror-image Kevin Kratz free kicks in the 83rd and 86th minutes — both expertly saved by Tim Melia – Gerso found his insurance goal a moment after Kratz's second attempt, and the Five Stripes couldn't find their way onto the scoreboard. 

Goals

• 67' – SKC – Daniel Salloi Watch
• 87' – SKC – Gerso Fernandes Watch

Three Things

1. THE BIG PICTURE: In what could be an 2018 MLS Cup preview, the West leaders kept their strong early season start going, and vaulted over the hosts to its new position atop the Supporters' Shield standings. SKC now has 11 days before its next match, whereas Atlanta has to prepare for a Sunday showdown against its Orlando City SC rivals in the Land of Purple.
2. MOMENT OF THE MATCH: Guzan's choice to tackle Shelton was at least fortunate in that it happened outside the box, only putting his sub on the hook for a free kick (rather than a PK attempt) in the first moment of his MLS debut. But the red card forced Atlanta to take a key offensive chess piece off the board in Hector Villalba, and gave SKC a man advantage they eventually made good on.
3. MAN OF THE MATCH: Though Melia's late airborne heroics deprived the Atlanta faithful of Kratz Magic, and preserved the first regular-season shutout against Atlanta United at the Benz, it was Ike Opara who set the defensive tone with multiple stops, containing a particularly lively Martinez throughout the match.

Next Up

• ATLANTA UNITED FC: Sunday, May 13 at Orlando City SC (6 pm ET | TV & streaming info)
• SPORTING KANSAS CITY: Sunday, May 20 at Minnesota United FC (2 pm ET | TV & streaming info)

USA: MLS- finished

	StandingsUSA: MLS
	20:30	Finished	Atlanta United	0 - 2	Sporting Kansas City
	20:30	Finished	Columbus Crew	1 - 0	Philadelphia Union
	20:30	Finished	Toronto FC	1 - 2	Seattle Sounders
	21:30	Finished	Chicago Fire	1 - 0	Montreal Impact
	23:00	Finished	Los Angeles FC	2 - 0	Minnesota