Rafael rues defeat, says São Paulo deserved a draw | OneFootball

Rafael was one of the main figures for São Paulo in the 1-0 defeat to Cruzeiro this Saturday, in the 22nd round of the Brazilian Championship. The goalkeeper regretted the loss but highlighted the offensive stance of the Tricolor and believes that a draw would have been a fairer result given the football displayed by both teams at Mineirão.

“The feeling is one of pride for our team. Despite the defeat, we don't like to lose, but we played a great game against a great team, away from home. We had our chances too, it was an even match. A draw would have been the fairest result, but we have to focus on the next game. We really wanted to win here, continue our winning streak, but we gave it our all on the field. Due to a deflection in the wall, they ended up winning the game, but we produced a lot. I think a draw would have been the fairest result for both teams,” he stated in an interview with Premiere.

Rafael also lamented the goal conceded from a free kick by Matheus Pereira. The number 10 struck from the edge of the area, and the ball deflected off Alan Franco's head, preventing the Tricolor goalkeeper from making the save.

Despite this, the goalkeeper made some crucial saves. In the second half, William crossed into the area, and Kaiki Bruno headed at point-blank range, but Rafael parried it. On the rebound, Villalba shot, and he saved again, preventing the Minas Gerais team from extending their lead and keeping São Paulo in the match.

“We work a lot on reaction drills every day to be prepared for these moments. The second save, I confess, we tried to get up as quickly as possible. I was lucky to make the save and have the ball stay close to me. I'm happy to have helped the team with the saves, but sad because we ended up losing, and it was all for nothing,” concluded the player.

With the result, São Paulo's unbeaten streak of eight games (six wins and two draws) in the Brasileirão was ended. The Tricolor paulista remains in seventh place with 32 points and missed the chance to at least temporarily move into the G6.

Now, the Brazilian football calendar will be paused for the FIFA date. São Paulo will only return to the field in mid-September.

Rafael's Tricolor paulista returns to the pitch on September 14th (a Sunday), when they face Botafogo. The match kicks off at 5:30 PM (Brasília time) at Morumbis, for the 23rd round of the Brasileirão.

Upcoming São Paulo matches

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.