São Paulo end the season with just one sporting goal achieved | OneFootball

São Paulo had a season to forget this year. The Tricolor ended the year without titles after two consecutive years of lifting trophies, even fighting against relegation in the Brazilian Championship and achieved only one sports goal set in the plan for 2025.

The São Paulo squad competed in four tournaments this season. The goals set at the beginning of the year were as follows:

Of these objectives, only one was achieved by São Paulo this season. The Tricolor team reached the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores but was eliminated by LDU-EQU with an aggregate score of 3 to 0 (2 to 0 in Ecuador and 1 to 0 at Morumbis).

Despite the fall in the Libertadores quarterfinals, the São Paulo club pocketed 7.2 million dollars (about R$ 45.8 million at the current exchange rate), a considerable amount for a team in a delicate financial situation. The club's debt is currently around R$ 912 million.

On the other hand, São Paulo failed to achieve the other three goals set at the beginning of the season. In the Campeonato Paulista, the team still led by coach Luis Zubeldía, now at Fluminense, fell to Palmeiras due to a penalty by Arboleda on Vitor Roque, which generated a lot of controversy.

In the Copa do Brasil, already with coach Hernán Crespo in charge, São Paulo was eliminated in the round of 16. The Tricolor took the tie against Athletico-PR to penalties after a 1-1 draw on aggregate. The shootout ended 3-0 for Furacão, with goalkeeper Santos shining to eliminate the São Paulo team.

Finally, in the Brazilian Championship, São Paulo had a fluctuating campaign. The Tricolor even fought against relegation until Zubeldía's dismissal in June this year, leaving the team one point from the Z4. With Crespo's arrival, the squad recovered but fluctuated again in the final stretch and finished in eighth place, 12 points behind Botafogo, who finished sixth.

It is common for clubs not to project title wins in financial statements to avoid earning less than budgeted in prizes.

Crespo sees it differently

Despite São Paulo not achieving three of the four sports goals for 2025, coach Hernán Crespo assessed that the objectives he set were reached. In the press conference after the defeat to Vitória last Sunday, the coach gave a brief overview of the season.

“I can only speak about the six months we were here. I think we reached the goal, which was to finish in eighth place. Everyone knows that when we arrived, we were one point from the relegation zone. Finishing eighth I think is positive, but I am not happy because I think São Paulo can do much more, has much room for improvement, but the goal was reached,” said the coach.

Although they did not finish in the G6, São Paulo can still secure a spot in the 2026 Pre-Libertadores. For this, the Tricolor will need to hope that the Copa do Brasil title goes to Cruzeiro or Fluminense. This way, an extra spot for the continental tournament would be opened, rewarding the eighth place in the Brasileirão.

See the goals achieved and not achieved by São Paulo in 2025:

Upcoming São Paulo matches

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