Fortaleza saw off Palmeiras 3-2 in the Round of 16 of the Brazilian Cup on 2026-08-06, overturning a two-goal deficit to rescue a point from what looked like a lost cause. The hosts had gone behind twice in the first half before striking back with two quick goals of their own. Palmeiras responded through Murilo in the 61st minute, only to lose the lead again when Lucas Emanoel fired home in the 88th. and here's the thing, you can watch ninety minutes and still miss what decides a game like this.
J. B. Miritello opened the scoring for Fortaleza in the 34th minute, catching the visitors off guard. Palmeiras levelled through J. Lopez just seven minutes later, but Rodriguinho restored the lead before the break in the 44th. The momentum shifted when Lucas Evangelista came on for the visitors in the 55th, but the match remained finely balanced. to be fair, the crowd roared them on as the home side pushed for a winner.
Murilo thought he had rescued a point for Palmeiras when he struck in the 61st minute, but the visitors could not hold on. Welliton, Rodrigo, and Marlon Freitas all came on for Fortaleza in quick succession between the 62nd and 68th minutes. Pierre and Felipe Anderson followed for Palmeiras in the 82nd and 83rd respectively. Mailton picked up a yellow card for the hosts in the 70th minute as tensions rose.
Fortaleza dominated the final quarter despite having less possession, winning 43 per cent of the ball compared to Palmeiras' 57. The hosts registered 102 attacks to the visitors' 93, with 4 shots on target each. Expected goals favoured Fortaleza at 1.57 to 1.29, and the statistics showed they created more danger. by then, the match had already been decided by moments, not possession.
The result ended a barren spell for Fortaleza, who had lost 3-0 to Palmeiras just four days earlier. Palmeiras extended their recent run of good form, but this was a match where the table goes out of the window in these games. Both teams advance to the next round with the tie still in their own hands. The victory came at a price, with Mailton's booking adding to the tally for the hosts.