Standout midfielder runs the game for São Paulo in defeat at Vitória | OneFootball

Marcos António set the tempo for São Paulo and in the 17th minute drove just wide, yet Vitória beat São Paulo 2-0.

From deep, the Brazilian midfielder kept demanding the ball and stepping forward to shoot early. He was booked (37.) but continued to dictate the visitors' rhythm against Leão da Barra.

Before the interval he slipped a pass that released a team-mate for a saved effort (45.). After the restart he combined again to free another strike that was blocked (48.). His own threat persisted with a curler wide (53.) and a shot charged down from the right side of the box (70.).

He finished with 96 passes, 91 of them accurate, four key passes and three attempts, plus 108 touches and seven recoveries. Numbers that underlined how Soberano built through him despite the result.

Because he repeatedly received between the lines and progressed play cleanly under pressure, São Paulo's midfield kept pulling Nêgo around and created multiple shooting opportunities from the half spaces.

Tricolor Paulista host O'Higgins in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana next. Leão da Barra face Piauí in the Copa do Nordeste.