In Quito, where LDU’s 3-2 victory over Palmeiras carried the tie into a shootout, Deyverson found himself at the centre of an emotional Libertadores night against the club that delivered the defining trophies of his career. Palmeiras ultimately crossed into the semi-finals with a 4-2 win on penalties, despite the Ecuadorian side’s success over 90 minutes.
A charged reunion in Quito
The 35-year-old Rio de Janeiro-born forward converted LDU’s opening penalty in the shootout. After scoring, he turned towards Palmeiras goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, moved his hands and pointed towards the middle of the goal.
The gesture drew criticism from some Palmeiras supporters, many of whom still regard Deyverson as a key figure from a successful spell in São Paulo. He scored the goals that helped secure Palmeiras’ 2018 Brazilian championship and the 2021 Copa Libertadores final against Flamengo.
- LDU won the match 3-2 in normal time in the Libertadores quarter-final.
- The contest went to penalties, with Deyverson taking Quito’s first kick and scoring.
- Palmeiras prevailed 4-2 in the shootout to book their place in the semi-finals.
- The following Thursday, Deyverson addressed messages from Palmeiras fans through Instagram.
Deyverson explains the penalty gesture
Deyverson said the exchange was aimed solely at Carlos Miguel rather than at Palmeiras, its players or supporters. He explained that the goalkeeper had indicated that he expected the striker to place his kick down the centre, and that his own gesture after scoring merely repeated what Carlos Miguel had done.
“Palmeiras supporters should know that I would never disrespect the club, the players or the fans,” Deyverson said. “The gesture came about because Carlos Miguel signalled that I was going to shoot down the middle. Once I scored, I simply copied his signal.”
He added that he spoke to the goalkeeper afterwards, describing it as one of the incidents that belongs to the contest itself.
“I want to make that clear to people who sent me all kinds of messages,” he said. “I will never stop respecting the club where I experienced the finest moments of my football career. Congratulations on qualifying.”
A Palmeiras bond that remains
Palmeiras remain the club Deyverson has represented most often. Across 140 appearances, he recorded 30 goals and 10 assists while winning the Brazilian league, Copa Libertadores, Recopa Sudamericana and Campeonato Paulista.
His latest Libertadores outing came in different colours and in a difficult farewell to LDU’s campaign, but his public response underlined that the penalty-box exchange in Quito did not alter his attachment to the Brazilian champions he once helped take to the continent’s summit.
