This was Estevão's statement after Palmeiras' elimination

Eliminated in the quarterfinals of the Club World Cup, Palmeiras ended its participation in the tournament after a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea, in a match played on Friday (July 4), at Lincoln Financial Field, in Philadelphia (USA). Despite the negative result, the Brazilian club secured a million-dollar prize for its campaign.

On the field, the match against Chelsea had an unfavorable start for the São Paulo team. Still in the first half, striker Cole Palmer opened the scoring in the 16th minute, after an individual play. The English team dominated the first 45 minutes and created chances to extend their lead, taking advantage of the defensive mismatch of the green and white team.

After the break, Palmeiras showed a different attitude. Estêvão, in his last game for the club before transferring to Chelsea, scored a beautiful goal in the 7th minute of the second half, tying the match. However, in the 37th minute, an unfortunate move decided the result: a low cross from Malo Gusto deflected off Giay and was blocked by Weverton, who pushed the ball into his own goal, sealing the score.

After being eliminated in his last match for Palmeiras, Estêvão expressed sadness at the result and the way his career ended with the São Paulo club. However, the youngster assured that he was very proud of his time with Alviverde, and praised the team's attitude and commitment against the English team, his future club.

"We know how much they worked and fought to give their best on the field. Everyone gave their best and that's the most important thing. I'm very proud to have been part of this team. My family and I thank Palmeiras for everything they did for us. Thank you, Palmeiras, always in my heart."

"As I said, I'm proud to be part of this team where I was very happy, where my teammates and coaching staff always embraced me from the beginning. It's sad to be saying goodbye like this," he said.

Now, Estêvão says goodbye to Brazilian football and packs his bags to join Chelsea, who paid around 61.5 million euros for the player - R$356.7 million, at the exchange rate at the time of the transaction.

The match was attended by 65,782 fans at the stadium and marked Estêvão's farewell with the Palmeiras jersey. Now, the green and white team returns to Brazil to resume its domestic calendar, which includes commitments in the Libertadores, Copa do Brasil and Campeonato Brasileiro.