São Paulo ratings: Artur decisive, Luciano scores again, chances wasted | OneFootball

São Paulo beat Juventude by the minimum score of 1-0 on Tuesday night (21) at Morumbi, but they could have done much more. In the first leg of the Copa do Brasil tie, Luciano opened the scoring, but the team wasted many chances, including a penalty missed by Calleri late on. Artur was the standout player, creating Tricolor’s main attacking moves. See the ratings and assessments:

Rafael – 5.5 – He was hardly tested in Tricolor’s win at Morumbi.

Lucas Ramon – 6.0 – Had a very active first half going forward, but couldn’t get his crosses right. He was also important defensively, stopping plays down his side of the field. He continued to support well in the second half.

Rafael Toloi – 6.0 – Solid in the opening half, winning aerial duels and making good defensive clearances. Stayed reliable until the final whistle.

Alan Franco – 6.5 – Rose well for a header after a free-kick, but the goalkeeper made the save in a first-half chance. An excellent match from the Argentine, clearing the box with decisive interventions.

Wendell – 5.75 – Had a quiet first half offensively, but did well defensively with ball recoveries and tackles. He was more involved going forward in the second half.

Luan – 6.0 – Earned his place back in the starting lineup. Cleared a dangerous ball on a rival counterattack late in the first half and did his job well, with few passing mistakes and solid marking. He came off in the 25th minute of the second half for Lucca.

Danielzinho – 6.25 – The team’s main organizer in the first half, always offering a passing option while also doing his defensive job well. He kept orchestrating Tricolor with good passes through the middle in the second half.

Cauly – 5.5 – Another one who got a new chance in the starting team. Produced a nice move in the 23rd minute, combining with Luciano through the middle and hitting a strong shot from outside the box that forced a good save from the keeper. He sent a free-kick too high shortly after. He was one-on-one with the goalkeeper in the 40th minute, but shot straight at him. He could have shown more in the second half and came off late for Pedro Ferreira.

MAN OF THE MATCH: Artur – 7.0 – Delivered three dangerous corners in a row at the start of the game. In the 15th minute, he sent in a free-kick onto Alan Franco’s head, forcing a good save from the goalkeeper. He was a good outlet down the right early on and eventually provided a great assist with a perfectly weighted cross for Luciano to head home. He burst forward on a good counterattack and hit the crossbar with the finish. He struck the woodwork again in the second half, when he remained the team’s best player.

Luciano – 6.75 – Started by moving well on the right side of the attack with quick passing. He got on the end of a perfect ball from Artur and headed it in to open the scoring at Morumbi. He was heavily involved in the match and produced a beautiful backheel pass in the second half to leave Calleri one-on-one with the goalkeeper, but he missed. He was fouled many times, including once that led to the opponent’s sending-off.

DISAPPOINTMENT: Calleri – 5.0 – In his 250th game for the club, he started off tightly marked and complained to his teammates, asking for more support in attack. He didn’t stand out much in the first half, but produced a lovely pass for Artur to hit the post late on. Soon after, he nodded the ball down for Cauly, who also nearly scored. In the second half, he hit a powerful shot from a corner rebound, but the goalkeeper made a great save. He had a clear chance to score in the 29th minute, but shot over. He could have doubled the lead late on, but hit a weak penalty into the corner and was denied by the keeper. He missed too many chances.

Lucca – 5.0 – Came off the bench in the 24th minute of the second half to replace Luan. Tried a few individual plays down the left wing, but without much success.

André Silva – No rating – Came on for Luciano in the 35th minute of the second half. With little time on the pitch, he is still struggling to rediscover his best form.

Pedro Ferreira – No rating – Came on for the final minutes in place of Cauly.

Roger Machado – 6.0 – Made a few changes to the team for his debut and saw them control the first half well, but with only a 1-0 lead on the scoreboard. In the second half, with the opposition down to ten men, he took off holding midfielder Luan and brought on winger Lucca. Later, he substituted Luciano, who had been playing well, for André Silva and was booed by the fans. He tried to push the team further forward, but watched his forwards miss too many chances, and now takes a narrow advantage into the return leg in Caxias do Sul.

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