Abel Ferreira has continued his astonishing coaching journey with a third Copa Libertadores final, but it couldn’t have been much harder getting there.
Palmeiras will now try and win their third Libertadores in five years when they face Felipe Luis’ Flamengo at the Monumental.
It will also be the fifth all-Brazilian final in six years after Palmeiras downed Ecuadorian side LDU Quito 4-0 at home.
That’s far from the full story, though, at LDU Quito won the first leg 3-0, making the comeback part of South American footballing legend.
Ferreira cried on the pitch and in his post-match press conference, and was asked how he constructed such a turnaround.
“I went home to pray but God said ‘it’s no use, do your part’,” he said to much laughter.
He then admitted some imposter syndrome, adding: “I still can’t enjoy the victories. I think that every day I have to prove the place I deserve.
“I can’t think ‘I don’t have to prove anything to anyone’. I have to prove every day, to myself, to my work group, to my players, that I am good enough to be where I am and to represent a club with 16 million fans, who place all their expectations in my hands so that they can experience nights like these.
“But I don’t know if I’ll be able to deliver these kinds of victories, because in football there are wins, losses and draws, there are people on the other side who work and want to win as much as I do, so I hate losing, I’m such a bad loser and when the game is over it’s a feeling of relief.”
He then began crying when discussing his family, saying: “I want to thank the people who are with me, I really wanted to hug my daughter who isn’t with me now, she’s in Portugal [gets emotional].
“You Brazilians are very family-oriented, I’m also very family-oriented… Family is the foundation of everything for me. I cried, I’m crying now, and I don’t like to show my weak side, but that’s it, it’s a relief.”
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