Palmeiras Football Club triumph by winning 4-0 over Bolívar in the Libertadores Cup last night, place top while holding a perfect score in their group, on the title trail to the most prestige South American cup which they have won twice in 2020 and 2021 under Abel Ferreira’s direction. Congratulations are in order!
After winning and drawing most of over one-hundred games in a row, Palmeiras suffered two defeats consecutively against Bahia and Botafogo last week. Many fans were pointing the finger to Abel, and blaming him for the poor results. However, judging by their run of excellence leading up to two back-2-back losses, there was nothing to complain about. This is football!
According to UOL, they report that in 100 clashes up until May 2023, there were 63 wins, 23 draws, 14 defeats, 63 goals conceded and 58 games without conceding goals by the defenders. So, with a 63% winning spree, it isn’t surprising to see them recovering with a blast of goals!
Teams win and lose all the time. In football, a well-prepared team can get onto a winning streak, but ultimately, they will lose a game or two, and in fairness there are very few top playing teams on record that have been on a hot streak for so long. The truth is wins on the trot are not that common with a world record set by Welsh club New Saints FC in their 2016-17 season when they won 27 matches consecutively.
As a football player, there is no better feeling than winning a game. The statement is true for fans, coaches and anyone involved with the team. And any team which wins the majority of matches will be happy. Some teams make their name in history by going on a brilliant winning streak, and not drawing or losing a match.
The winning run also shows us the pinnacle of perfection that a football team reaches. But, conversely, not having a bad game for such a long run demonstrates a team’s capabilities to operate at their best. Therefore, it isn't an unusual phenomenon that Palmeiras lost one and then another game consecutively.
A turn of the tide and win by four goals to zero confirms the level of concentration and effort Palmeiras are living, their commitment to break records, and continual success march to breakout and stretch beyond with outstanding results.
Let’s keep our fingers crossed that Abel and his team continue to shine!
Have a truly fantastic day!
Prof. Carl Boniface
Vocabulary builder:
Back-2-back (adj) = consecutive
Spree (n) = binge, extravaganza, splurge
Blast (n) explosion, detonation, discharge, flash, flare, gust, boom, party
winning streak (n) = a winning streak, also known as a win streak or hot streak, is an uninterrupted sequence of success in games or competitions, commonly measured by at least 3 wins that are uninterrupted by losses or ties/draws. In sports, it can be applied to teams, and individuals
On the trot (idiom) = informal usage 1. Continually busy, “I’ve been on the trot all day.” 2. (British) in succession, “They lost seven matches on the trot.”
Breakout (n) = escape, getaway, flight, escaping, running away, absconding