The referee pointed toward Gabriel and waved him onto the field.
The ball was already back in play.
Marcos Rocha took the throw-in to Richard Ríos, who immediately found Emiliano Martínez before Palmeiras switched play across the back line.
Gabriel drifted into space between Botafogo's midfield and defense.
Richard Ríos looked up.
He found him.
The instant Gabriel received the ball, a deafening roar swept around Allianz Parque.
"Gabrieeel!"
"Silver!"
Thousands of Palmeiras supporters rose together, sensing something could happen every time the youngster touched the ball.
Gabriel's first touch was calm.
He shielded the ball from Allan, rolled away from the challenge with the sole of his boot and laid a simple pass back to Emiliano Martínez before spinning into space again.
The crowd applauded.
It was only a simple pass, but they could already see his confidence.
"Notice the reaction every time he gets on the ball," one television commentator observed.
"The supporters already believe something special can happen."
Palmeiras increased the tempo.
Gabriel never stood still.
He constantly darted into pockets of space, forcing Botafogo's defenders to make decisions they hadn't been asked to make all evening.
Whenever Palmeiras regained possession, Gabriel immediately sprinted behind the defensive line.
Jair followed him.
Then Bastos.
Then Alex Telles.
His pace forced them to turn and run toward their own goal again and again.
Even when he did not receive the pass, he was stretching Botafogo's shape.
"Keep going!" Abel Ferreira shouted from the technical area.
"Again! Attack the space!"
Botafogo were beginning to suffer.
The visitors had looked comfortable for more than an hour.
Now they could barely settle.
Every Palmeiras attack seemed to involve number 46.
In the 72nd minute Richard Ríos intercepted another loose pass.
He wasted no time.
The ball travelled directly into Gabriel's feet.
The stadium exploded.
"Gabriel! Gabriel! Gabriel!"
Receiving it with his back to goal, Gabriel planted his left foot before spinning through a complete three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn, escaping Gregore's attempted tackle in one smooth movement.
The crowd gasped.
He surged forward into open grass.
Marlon Freitas rushed across.
Gabriel skipped past him with a burst of acceleration.
Then Allan stepped in.
One quick touch carried the ball beyond him.
Now Bastos advanced from the defensive line.
Gabriel knocked the ball past him too.
Four Botafogo players had been beaten within seconds.
The supporters were on their feet.
He drove straight toward the edge of the penalty area.
Just as he prepared to push into the box, Barboza lunged desperately from the side.
His trailing leg clipped Gabriel's ankle.
The teenager tumbled onto the grass only a step outside the penalty area.
The referee's whistle sounded instantly.
Free kick.
Abel Ferreira exploded from the touchline.
"That's a yellow!"
He pointed repeatedly toward Barboza.
"Ref! He stopped the attack! That's a card!"
Several Palmeiras players surrounded the referee.
After a brief pause, Ramon Abatti Abel reached into his pocket.
Yellow card.
The Allianz Parque erupted in approval.
Gabriel slowly climbed to his feet as Richard Ríos offered him a hand.
"You've got them," Richard smiled.
"They can't live with you."
The television commentators could hardly hide their excitement.
"The whole match has changed since Gabriel Silver entered."
"Botafogo simply cannot cope with his movement or his pace."
The free kick was eventually cleared, but Palmeiras continued attacking wave after wave.
Every time Gabriel touched the ball, another roar echoed around the stadium.
"Gabrieeel!"
"Silver!"
The noise seemed to follow him across the pitch.
Only a few minutes later he produced another moment of brilliance.
Receiving possession near the centre circle, Gabriel glanced over both shoulders before controlling the ball effortlessly.
He spun away from pressure and accelerated.
Two defenders backed away, expecting him to keep driving through the middle.
Instead, Gabriel spotted Joaquín Piquerez making a run down the left.
With the outside of his right foot, he delivered a perfectly weighted diagonal pass that curved between Botafogo's defenders.
The timing was flawless.
Piquerez controlled it in stride before driving toward the byline.
The crowd rose again.
Gabriel did not admire his pass.
He sprinted straight into the penalty area.
Piquerez looked up.
The cross arrived waist-high.
Gabriel met it first time.
His right-footed strike flew beyond the goalkeeper.
For a split second, the stadium believed the ball was going in.
Bang!
The shot smashed against the crossbar before bouncing back into play.
A collective gasp filled Allianz Parque.
Thousands of supporters grabbed their heads.
Others simply stood frozen in disbelief.
High in the stands, Julieta Silver had already begun to celebrate.
Her arms flew into the air before she suddenly covered her open mouth with one hand, unable to believe what she had just seen.
Beside her, Lucas let out a long sigh.
"So close," he whispered.
Neither of them looked away from the pitch.
They knew another chance would come.
On the touchline, Abel Ferreira applauded vigorously.
"That's it!"
"Keep attacking!"
Botafogo head coach Renato Paiva exchanged a worried glance with his assistants.
His defenders were struggling.
Every attack seemed to begin or end with Gabriel.
The youngster's movement was dragging defenders out of position.
His pace was forcing them deeper.
His dribbling was creating spaces for teammates all over the pitch.
Without hesitation, Renato Paiva called two substitutes from the bench.
A centre-back and a defensive full-back quickly stripped off their training tops.
Moments later the fourth official raised the electronic board.
Botafogo sacrificed an attacking player and introduced fresh defenders in an attempt to contain Gabriel's influence.
The tactical adjustment said everything.
The teenager had changed the rhythm of the match.
"The substitutions tell the story," one commentator said.
"Botafogo are no longer thinking about attacking."
"They're trying to stop Gabriel Silver."
Palmeiras sensed it too.
The green shirts continued pouring forward.
Flaco López, Richard Ríos, Emiliano Martínez and Marcos Rocha all found more space because two and sometimes three defenders were now following Gabriel's movements.
By the 78th minute, the scoreboard still read:
Palmeiras 0–0 Botafogo.
But it no longer felt like the same match.
Before Gabriel entered, Botafogo had been comfortable defending in a compact shape.
Now they were constantly retreating.
Palmeiras had taken complete control of possession.
Chance after chance arrived.
The home supporters refused to sit down.
Every time number 46 received the ball, thousands of voices rose together.
"Gabrieeel!"
"Gabrieeel!"
"Gabrieeel!"
The stadium clock rolled into the 80th minute.
80— Palmeiras 0–0 Botafogo
The first half had been about patience and the second half about Palmeires attacking intent, the final ten minutes became a battle of endurance.
Every sprint demanded more from tired legs.
Every tackle carried greater importance.
Every pass had to be perfect.
The atmosphere inside Allianz Parque was deafening.
A thousand supporters stood almost without sitting, waving green and white scarves, clapping in rhythm and urging Palmeiras forward.
The Botafogo fans answered from their corner, refusing to let their voices disappear despite the growing pressure from the home side.
Abel Ferreira stood near the technical area with his arms folded, constantly shouting instructions.
"Stay compact!"
"Move the ball quicker!"
"Don't force it!"
Botafogo tried to slow the game.
John Victor collected the ball after another Palmeiras attack and waited before restarting play.
Igor Jesus dropped deeper to receive possession while Marlon Freitas and Gregore exchanged short passes in midfield, hoping to take the sting out of the match.
Richard Ríos anticipated a square pass and stepped in aggressively.
He poked the ball away from Gregore before immediately feeding Emiliano Martínez.
Martínez switched play toward Marcos Rocha.
Rocha controlled cleanly and found Gabriel Silver near the touchline.
Gabriel checked over his shoulder before receiving.
Immediately, Cuiabano closed him down.
Instead of forcing a dribble, Gabriel played a clever first-time pass back inside.
The move continued.
Ríos found Mauricio between the lines.
Mauricio turned and attempted a through ball toward José Manuel López.
Alexander Barboza read it brilliantly.
The Botafogo defender stretched out a boot just in time, sending the ball away before López could reach it.
Botafogo survived another dangerous moment.
The tempo refused to slow.
Both sides attacked with urgency.
Both sides defended desperately.
Every loose ball attracted three or four players.
Every challenge drew loud reactions from the crowd.