Palmeiras U17 hold top spot with late win over Fluminense
Palmeiras U17 beat Fluminense U17 3-2 in Brazil's U17 league on Thursday evening. The result keeps the visitors top of the table after thirteen rounds, while Fluminense remain second. It was a tight game that went down to the wire.
and here's the thing — three points isn't much to separate these sides on paper. Palmeiras sit on 31, Fluminense on 27. Four points and both clubs have played the same number of matches.
The away side came through with a win that extends their unbeaten run to five games. They've only lost twice all season, and those defeats came against Gremlio U17 and Fluminense's rivals Flamengo. Before this trip they'd won four in a row, including a 5-0 demolition of Juventude.
Fluminense's recent form has been steadier. They drew with Corinthians U17 on their last outing, and before that beat Vitoria U17 4-2. Two consecutive clean sheets against Atletico Mineiro and Atletico Goianiense showed defensive solidity, but they couldn't hold on here.
The result means Palmeiras maintain their one-point cushion at the summit. Fluminense will need to find consistency over the closing stages if they want to close the gap. This was a match decided by moments, not dominance.