Analysis: São Paulo find their form again, Copa Sul-Americana dream alive | OneFootball

On Saturday night, São Paulo showed that it still has the football to dream of a spot in the Libertadores. Coming off seven defeats in their last eight games, the Tricolor took to the field under pressure to face one of the best teams in the Brazilian Championship and surprised everyone with a convincing 2-0 victory in an empty Morumbis.

The fans had every reason not to show up in large numbers in the stands. The terrible football displayed recently and the lack of prospects at this final stretch of the season made most São Paulo supporters “throw in the towel.”

Everyone owed something. Individually, São Paulo hadn’t been in good form for a while. Collectively, there were flashes, it’s true. This Saturday, however, Luciano made sure to redeem himself with the fans who had pointed to him as the main villain in the Libertadores elimination.

The number 10 opened the scoring with a beautiful goal, his hundredth in the Tricolor shirt, and provided a stunning backheel assist for the team’s second goal. All of this happened in front of Rogério Ceni, the last player to score 100 goals for São Paulo.

Lucas, who once again started, showed much more mobility, indicating that as he regains his best physical form, he will continue to be the difference-maker for São Paulo’s team.

With the level of performance shown this Saturday, the team led by Hernán Crespo can keep dreaming of a Libertadores spot. The big challenge is to make this performance the rule rather than the exception. Tricolor has had its flashes this season, but the team needs to be more than just a few moments of brilliance if it wants to compete with the country’s top powers.

Hernán Crespo’s list of absences is still long, the team lacks some key players, but the victory over Rogério Ceni’s Bahia, one of the strongest teams in the Brazilian Championship, is a relief for a fanbase that has suffered so much in recent weeks.

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