Weverton shuts the door, and Flamengo pull away

Palmeiras did almost everything right at the Arena do Grêmio and left Porto Alegre with nothing. Around thirty shots, two off the woodwork, and a goalless draw that the run of play does not begin to explain.

The Verdão — “big green,” one of the names supporters use for the club — controlled the match for long stretches. Abel Ferreira was serving a suspension, so João Martins took the touchline, restored the back four, and watched his side win the midfield and never the scoreboard.

By the end of the round it cost more than a point. Flamengo won, stretched their lead at the top, and the gap in the Brasileirão — Brazil’s top division, played as a long league rather than a knockout — is now someone else’s to lose.

Brasileirão · Away

Sep 20, 2026

Grêmio

0–0

Palmeiras

Draw for Palmeiras.

How it unfolded

The shape of it was settled early: Palmeiras had the ball, Grêmio had Weverton.

With a back four again and the midfield under control, the visitors built a high volume of attacks and kept arriving in the box. Marlon Freitas hit the woodwork. So did Vitor Roque. Gustavo Gómez, back from his own suspension, came close with a header. Andreas Pereira forced another save.

That last word is the whole match. Weverton — Palmeiras’ former goalkeeper, now standing in the other goal — made something like ten saves and did not concede. He was untouchable against Roque and Jhon Arias, who threatened all evening without ever being efficient, and against Flaco López, who kept appearing in the build-up and kept being let down by the finishing.

At the other end there was enough to do that Carlos Miguel had a match of his own, which is not what you expect from a side camped in the opposition half. He was calm whenever Grêmio broke, and sharp on Pavón, on Carlos Vinícius, and on a run of headers.

The changes, when they came, came late. Felipe Anderson, Ramón Sosa and Maurício were given too little time to turn a match that had been asking to be turned for an hour.

Player ratings

Player ratings

Player ratings out of 10. Substitutes with fewer than 15 minutes are not rated.

GKCarlos MiguelMOTMCalm against the breaks and sharp on Pavón, Carlos Vinícius and a run of headers.		7.6
RBGiayStruggled with Amuzu throughout and went into the book early.		5
CBGustavo GómezBack from suspension and close to winning it with a header.		6
CBBarboza		6.2
LBJoaquín PiquerezBelow his usual standard.		5.8
DMMarlon FreitasVolume in possession, a real presence going forward, and the woodwork to show for it.		6.9
CMLucas EvangelistaDynamic, and kept the ball moving through midfield.		7
DMAndreas PereiraForced one of Weverton's better saves.		6.6
LWJhon AriasDangerous without ever being efficient.		6.3
STVitor RoqueHit the woodwork and carried the threat, but not the finish.		6.6
STFlaco LópezBusy in the build-up, undone by the lack of a finish.		6.2
On from the bench
RWFelipe AndersonOn too late to change anything.		6
LWRamón SosaGiven barely any time to make a case.		5.8
AMMaurícioOn for the closing stretch.		N/A
RBKhellven		N/A
LBArthur		N/A
Average of the ratings above		6.31

Out of 10, to one decimal. Subs with fewer than 15 minutes are not rated.

Man of the match

Carlos Miguel. In a match Palmeiras spent in the opposition half, the goalkeeper still had the decisive interventions at his own end — against Pavón, against Carlos Vinícius, against everything that came in from wide. The best player on the pitch wore the other shirt. The best player in ours was the one with the least to do and the most riding on it.

Verdict

Palmeiras dominated long stretches of this and came away with a 0-0 that weighs on the title race. The side restored its back four, controlled the midfield and generated a high volume going forward — shots in the thirties, two of them off the woodwork. The scoreboard stayed blank anyway, because Weverton shut the Grêmio goal with around ten saves and because an attack with that much territory has to convert more of it.

The full backs are where the evening came apart. Giay was on the wrong end of Amuzu and picked up a yellow card early; Piquerez was short of the standard he normally sets. And the substitutions arrived too late to matter — an hour of pressure deserved a change of shape well before it got one.

Flamengo won and pushed the lead out further. Palmeiras stay second on 57 points.

What’s next

The international break, and then Bahia at the Nubank Parque — Palmeiras’ home ground, formerly the Allianz Parque — on 8 October, back in the Brasileirão.