Rafael tries to save, but lacklustre São Paulo lose to Vitória, still dream of Libertadores | OneFootball

São Paulo bid farewell to the Brazilian Championship with a defeat. But the round still kept the club’s dream alive of securing a spot in the next edition of the Copa Libertadores.

On Sunday afternoon (7th), Tricolor was no match for the desperate Vitória, who needed a win to avoid relegation to Série B, and ended up being beaten 1-0 at Barradão.

Even with the setback, the club managed to finish in eighth place, with the same 51 points it already had. That’s because Bragantino, the only rival who could catch up to São Paulo, ended up losing 3-0 to Internacional (another desperate team fighting to avoid the drop who also needed a win).

Now, to secure their spot in the preliminary phase of the continent’s main club competition, Tricolor depends on either Cruzeiro or Fluminense—who finished ahead of them in the Brasileirão standings—winning the Copa do Brasil.

As for this afternoon’s match, the difference in motivation between the clubs was striking. From the start, Vitória showed great intensity and pressed São Paulo relentlessly.

On the other side, the São Paulo team looked apathetic, very slow, lacking depth, almost begging for the day to end.

In this scenario, one São Paulo player stood out from the rest and was one of the best players not only of the match but of the entire round: goalkeeper Rafael. Inspired, he saved at least four dangerous shots from the Bahia side in the first half. The only dangerous moment for Tricolor came at the end of the half, with a risky header from Tapia.

After the break, São Paulo improved. Changes made by coach Hernán Crespo gave the team more intensity, allowing them to better execute their vertical play and start building more effectively.

But in the 22nd minute, the impression that Vitória could no longer be held back, given the huge support from their fans, proved true. After winning the ball in the attacking half, Renato Kayzer received it on the left and played a short pass to Fabri. The center forward held up play and set it up perfectly for Baralhas to burst into the box with total freedom and slot it past Rafael to score.

With their goal scored, the Bahia side could finally relax and allowed São Paulo to grow into the game, creating dangerous chances but ultimately being stopped by the over-elaboration of their attackers and the opposing defense.

Now rooting from afar for the coveted Libertadores spot, São Paulo will only return to the field on January 11, a Sunday, for their 2026 season debut against Mirassol, away from home, in the Campeonato Paulista.

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