Rafael rues São Paulo’s derby errors, targets four finals for Libertadores | OneFootball

Rafael left the Neo Química Arena looking displeased after São Paulo's defeat to Corinthians, 3-1, this Thursday, during the 34th round of the Brazilian Championship. After the match, the São Paulo goalkeeper already shifted his focus to the team's next commitment, preparing for true finals in pursuit of the much-desired spot in the Libertadores.

“We have four games to play now. We have to treat each game as a final. We need to start winning again, pursue this at every moment. We left very sad, but now we have to think about Sunday, an important game, think about winning our games, doing a great job, and then see if we qualify for the Libertadores or not. We have to think game by game. We have a final on Sunday against Juventude and we will try to play a great game,” said Rafael.

The São Paulo goalkeeper also commented on the 12 absences in the team for the derby against Corinthians. Coach Hernán Crespo could not count on Lucas, Arboleda, Enzo Díaz, Calleri, André Silva, Ryan Francisco, Rodriguinho, Wendell, Marcos Antônio, Dinenno, Oscar, and Luan, absences that inevitably impacted the Tricolor's performance on the field.

“I think it's been a difficult year for us, we wanted to deliver other results, pursue other goals this year. Of course, all these absences of great players throughout the year have hindered us, but it's a collective effort. Everyone wins, everyone loses, now is the time to talk less and work more. We've had many absences throughout the year, players who couldn't be with us, and that makes a difference, it's a loss for all clubs,” stated Rafael.

Like Crespo, the São Paulo goalkeeper also believes that the defeat to Corinthians was an unfair result considering what both teams produced over the 90 minutes.

“I always analyze the game as a whole. Of course, the team has to answer for victories, defeats, or draws. In the last two games, we had performances where we didn't deserve to lose. Maybe a draw would have been fair in these two games. We have been committed, dedicated, but small mistakes have cost us the results, a penalty or a moment of distraction. In these moments, we need to dedicate ourselves more, we have to minimize all possible errors, but for me, today the fair result would have been a draw. We dedicated ourselves, we ran, at certain moments of the game I saw São Paulo better, seeking victory. So, maybe in these difficult moments, we should minimize errors even more so that we can achieve a better result,” he concluded.

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