Bad luck gone!!! São Paulo down Bragantino, end Brasileirão drought | OneFootball

On the day the main organized supporter groups promised protests. On the day banners demanding accountability from the board and council members were unfurled. On the day the fans united behind a single drum section. On the day coach Dorival Júnior made significant changes to the system, bringing back the three-man defense. On the day Gustavo Santana, one of the coach’s biggest bets, found the net for the first time wearing the tricolor shirt.

August 29, 2026, could have been remembered for many things. But the moment calls for the obvious. After ten rounds, or a suffocating 126 days, São Paulo finally won again in the Brazilian Championship.

On Saturday night, at a Morumbi divided by dissatisfaction, political infighting, distrust, and hope for better days, Tricolor turned in a good performance. They dominated a harmless Bragantino and secured a redeeming 2-1 win that the fans hope will be the spark for better days to finally arrive for the team that once led the competition.

Dorival, more than anyone, now a target of criticism for the dreadful football shown in recent matches, decided to let go of some pieces. He made deep structural changes. Three center-backs, Gustavo Santana, Buta, Arboleda’s return…

Well, it was a lot to take in, and São Paulo’s start was far from ideal. With too many misplaced passes when playing out from the back, the team struggled to create and insisted too much on plays aimed at a stranded Artur on the right. It all looked predictable, and the visitors were able to snuff things out.

But there was no way the night was not going to belong to São Paulo. And luck showed up again as early as the 9th minute. Luciano dropped to the left side looking for the ball and was hit twice by the opponent. On the second, inside the box, the contact was clearly intentional, catching the No. 10’s feet and sending him to the ground. VAR called it in, and the penalty was awarded, with Luciano himself converting to open the scoring.

The relative calm of having the lead perhaps allowed Dorival and his players to read the game better. And then adjustments followed. Luciano pushed farther forward, Marcos Antônio moved centrally, and Iago and Danielzinho started combining on the left in a partnership that proved effective, almost always getting to the byline.

That was enough to completely throw Bragantino off, and they became harmless. Aside from one shot from outside the box, the visitors from the countryside could not even win back possession and were reduced to watching São Paulo play positionally while keeping sterile possession.

The second goal was only a matter of time, and it came in stoppage time. In the 49th minute, after a corner kick, young Gustavo Santana showed the coach’s faith was justified and pounced on a rebound to turn it into the net and make it 2-0.

With such efficiency, despite the recent history of disappointment and stumbles in the second half, it seemed unlikely Bragantino would pull anything off. This was a more solid São Paulo, maintaining tactical intelligence and giving the opponent no space, even if that meant sacrificing clear scoring chances. Given the rotten luck this team has been dealing with, who the hell cares, frankly. So much so that no one even cared about their goal in the 44th minute.

Showing just how tight the Brasileirão table is, São Paulo can breathe much easier with the win, climbing to 11th place with 30 points. They could still drop a few spots as the round continues, but they have opened up some distance from the wretched relegation zone.

Looking to improve things even further, Tricolor will return to the field only next Saturday (9/5), at 6:30 p.m. Brasília time, once again at Morumbi, to put the seal once and for all on their rise in the Brasileirão.

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