How Paulinho turned supersub to fire Palmeiras into Club World Cup quarter-finals

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It was the ultimate supersub appearance.

A tense, tetchy game between Palmeiras and Botafogo looked certain to be heading for a penalty shootout at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia as the game went deep into extra time.

Palmeiras’ cause had not been helped by Paulinho, their talented forward, only being able to start from the substitutes’ bench but when he was brought on after 64 minutes he looked determined to make an impact.

Sure enough, 10 minutes into extra time, he cut inside and curled a low shot into the bottom corner — the shot taking a slight deflection on the way in — to break Botafogo’s resistance and earn his team a place in the quarter-finals.

Three minutes later, he was taken off as Palmeiras look to manage his recovery from a shin injury. He had been on the pitch less than 45 minutes but his job had been done.

Paulinho scores for Palmeiras (Elsa – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

It was his second decisive contribution at the Club World Cup as he had also scored in the 2-2 draw against Inter Miami which booked Palmeiras’ place in the knockout round.

The 24-year-old will hope that he can play a part in the quarterfinal against either Chelsea or Benfica on July 4, especially as he missed the 2022 Club World Cup Final against the London club through injury.

Larry Henry Jr

Will Palmeiras be a threat in the last eight?

There has been plenty of discussion on the strength of the Brazilian contingent in this summer’s tournament, and with good reason.

Flamengo, Palmeiras, Botafogo and Fluminense all advanced to the knockout stages with just one loss between them across the group games.

However, Saturday’s all-Brazilian clash was not exactly all action as the pair largely cancelled each other out, with quality lacking in crucial moments in both attacking thirds.

So, should Benfica or Chelsea be overly fearful when they face Palmeiras in the quarter-finals?

For a broad calibration of Botafogo and Palmeiras’s team strength, Opta’s Power Rankings — a global ranking system containing more than 13,000 clubs rated between zero (lowest) and 100 (highest) — has Palmeiras as a similar level to Werder Bremen (not just because of the green kit) or Leeds United.

Anything can happen in knockout football, and there is plenty of individual quality among the Palmeiras contingent (although they will be without the suspended Joaquin Piquerez and Gustavo Gomez, who was sent off here), but based on today’s display you would suspect that Europe would come out on top in the battle of the continents in the next round.

Mark Carey

Did Estevao’s tactical tweak work?

Given his meteoric rise and impending move to Chelsea this summer, it feels like there is an obligatory “Estevao watch” with every game involving Palmeiras lately.

This time, it was with good reason as Abel Ferreira imposed a tactical switch up by placing the teenager on the left side of his attack. So often, Estevao’s biggest qualities are opening his body up, throwing a shimmy to the opposition defender, and gliding into the space he has created for himself — either from central areas or on the right flank onto his stronger left foot.

However, today’s experiment did not quite work out in the same way, with the 18-year-old becoming too easy to read as he looked to work the ball onto his left foot and drive down the touchline. This allowed Botafogo right-back Vitinho to either usher him inside or show him down the line before crashing in with a well-timed challenge.

There were occasions in which Estevao drifted over to his familiar right flank, and played more centrally in the second half to try and find pockets of space to cause more damage to Botafogo’s back line.

There were some good crosses, a fine shot from distance, and even a disallowed goal from Estevao, but with Ferreira substituting the teenager after 63 minutes, you would have to say that the Palmeiras manager’s gamble did not pay off.

Mark Carey

A festival of fouls

Richard Rios knows all about the art of committing fouls.

No Palmeiras player made more of them across the group stage, with only Botafogo’s Gregore — suspended for today’s clash — making more (16) than the Colombia international among all players in the competition.

So when Alexander Barboza came haring towards Rios with a clumsy challenge after two minutes, it was clear that there was a tone being set. Barboza’s tackle was a deserved yellow card, but there were numerous battles all over the pitch that had similar needle.

Alexander Barboza crunches into Richard Rios (DAZN)

A tasty collision between Igor Jesus and Giay saw two players who were not willing to hold back, before left-back Alex Telles joined his Botafogo team-mate in the book after a heavy challenge on the half-hour mark.

Throw in the late tackle from Palmeiras centre-back Gustavo Gomez barely 10 minutes later, and things were getting grittier as the game passed.

Players clash at Lincoln Financial Field Stadium (Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

A late Danilo challenge at the start of the second half was later followed up by a scything challenge by Artur on Allan, as longer, flowing passing sequences became fewer and further between.

With neither side willing to give up easily, the game became less “Joga Bonito” and more “Jog it off” after so many tasty tackles, and Gomez’s second yellow card in extra time meant that the early expectation of a dismissal was finally realised in the closing minutes.

Mark Carey

Philadelphia delivers again

Philadelphia has risen to the challenge of hosting FIFA Club World Cup matches this summer and this game was no exception.

“The City of Brotherly Love” may not have been the obvious backdrop for a meeting between two such fierce rivals but Lincoln Financial Field felt like a slice of Brazil’s Serie A transplanted to the U.S. East Coast for the day.

There were 33,657 in attendance, and Palmeiras’ fans held the edge in support, showing off a tifo before kick off and offering a vibrant welcome of green and white flags. The noise that came from their end was akin to Eagles fans on a September Sunday afternoon.

Palmeiras fans in Philadelphia (Emilee Chinn – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)

Then again, Palmeiras had set about making Philadelphia their own ever since they arrived. On Friday, they took over the steps outside the Philadelphia Art Museum and the Rocky Statue.

Mais da festa da torcida do Palmeiras na Filadélfia: pic.twitter.com/24S1oij4vO

— Thiago Ferri (@b_ferri) June 27, 2025

Botafogo fans played their part as well. They had taken over 11th and Pattison Avenue in the city and while not quite as numerous as Palmeiras, they also left quite the impression on the locals.

Palmeiras will play at Philadelphia again on July 4 in their quarter-final — the last time the city is slated to host a game at this tournament. It will then prepare to host World Cup games next summer.

While we don’t know which nations will be at Lincoln Financial Field in 2026 just yet, if the games this summer are anything to go by, they should be some occasion.

Larry Henry Jr

What next for Palmeiras?

Friday, July 4: Benfica or Chelsea, Club World Cup quarter-finals (Philadelphia), 9pm ET, 2am (Saturday) UK

You can sign up to DAZN to watch every FIFA Club World Cup game for free

(Top photo: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)

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