Palmeiras beat nine-man Vitória 4-0 and go eight points clear
Vitória lost two defenders to VAR-assisted red cards before half-time at the Barradão, and Palmeiras turned a goalless game into a 4-0 win that stretched their lead at the top of the Brasileirão.
Jul 30, 2026
Vitória were still level with the league leaders when the game got away from them. Cacá went in the 37th minute at the Barradão on 29 July, a direct red for a dangerous challenge on Jhon Arias after the referee had been sent to the monitor. Luan Cândido followed three minutes later for a gesture at the official suggesting his side was being robbed. Nine men, forty minutes gone, and the first half not yet finished.
It finished 4-0. Maurício scored in the first minute of a long first-half stoppage, Fabiano turned the ball into his own net five minutes after that, and Palmeiras went in at the break two up having created very little before the sendings-off. In India the game kicked off at six in the morning and was over by breakfast.
Two trips to the monitor in three minutes
Alex Gomes Stefano was called over by VAR twice inside those three minutes and came back with a red card each time. Jair Ventura’s side spent the rest of the night arguing about the officiating, which is understandable and changed nothing. Abel Ferreira, whose team had just scored four, said afterwards that both decisions were correct.
Vitória had been the more direct side before that. Britez headed a set piece at Carlos Miguel just past the 20-minute mark, and Matheus forced a save from Carlos Miguel with a low drive on 26. They finished the match with 32 per cent of the ball and 164 completed passes to Palmeiras’ 466, which is what happens when you play the best part of an hour with nine.
Arias and Sosa in the second half
Arias got the third on 70 minutes, finishing low from inside the box. Ramón Sosa added the fourth on 84 with a long-range free kick that Lucas Arcanjo could not keep out. Arcanjo faced five shots on target and conceded four of them. Carlos Miguel made three saves at the other end and was not troubled beyond that.
Across the 90 minutes Palmeiras created three big chances and Vitória none, which is the number that describes the night better than the scoreline does. Sosa had a hand in two of the four goals.
Eight points, with a caveat
Palmeiras have 47 points from 21 matches, from 14 wins, five draws and two defeats, with a goal difference of plus 22. No other side in the division has lost fewer than three. Flamengo are second on 39, but from 20 games, having drawn 1-1 at Internacional on the same night. The gap is eight points and Flamengo hold a match in hand, so this is a strong position rather than a decided one.
Vitória stay 13th on 26 points with a goal difference of minus nine, and they face bans for both sent-off defenders. Palmeiras also beat them 5-1 in São Paulo back in February, which makes it 9-1 across the two league meetings this season.