In the first leg of this Copa Libertadores semi-final, Flamengo’s spectacular attack outplayed a more pragmatic and experienced Grêmio side in the first half hour of the game. However, VAR interruptions allowed Grêmio to regroup and take over the game until the middle of the second half, when Flamengo reacted and got their much-deserved goal. […]

This match had everything one would expect from an encounter of this magnitude: crunching tackles, a boisterous atmosphere and a red card, as the two inexhaustible opponents went head-to-head in one of the game’s greatest rivalries. However, it was the scintillating play of River’s front four that set the tempo for the match and gave […]

Flamengo’s first half performance was superior in nearly every way to the host’s, both in terms of keeping the ball and defending against it. However, the second half’s change in momentum came down to Internacional chasing the tie, leading to some scrappier, uglier and especially disjointed periods of football. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter […]

Everything seemed to be going in the right direction for Palmeiras as Luiz Adriano scored the first goal after fourteen minutes. However, Grêmio learned from the mistakes they made in the first leg and adjusted their play accordingly. They were able to score two goals in the first half to take the lead in the […]

In the first leg of the Copa Libertadores quarter-final, Grêmio dominated possession but failed to create any good chances. As expected, Palmeiras looked to sit deep and punish the opposition on the counter, but they were not very successful with this strategy. However, they are now very close to the semi-final, courtesy of a stunning […]

Transparent midfield bases were at the core of both teams’ defensive problems, although neither side could raise any troubling questions with their narrow formations. Tactical analysis and match report by Peter M. Having met merely a week ago in the first leg, many spectators would have been hoping for an alternative score line following last […]

In this match, River Plate were just not able to make their deliveries stick. They controlled the match and found themselves in countless good crossing positions. Up until that point in each attack, they were cantering through Cruzeiro’s defense using expansive wide play, without stinging. Eventually, the visitors’ second half performance seemed to tip the […]