São Paulo ratings: Artur shines, Luciano scores again, wasteful win | OneFootball

São Paulo beat Juventude by the narrow scoreline 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 missed many chances, including a penalty by Calleri late on. Artur was the standout performer, creating the main attacking plays for Tricolor. See the ratings and evaluations:

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

Lucas Ramon – 6.0 – He had a very involved first half going forward, but failed to get his crosses right. He was also important defensively, stopping plays down his side of the pitch. 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. He stayed reliable until the final whistle.

Alan Franco – 6.5 – He rose well to head the ball 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 – He had a quiet first half in attack, but did well defensively with ball recoveries and tackles. He was more involved offensively in the second half.

Luan – 6.0 – He returned to the starting lineup. He cut out a dangerous ball in an opposition counterattack late in the first half and did his job well, with few misplaced passes and solid marking. He went off in the 25th minute of the second half for Lucca.

Danielzinho – 6.25 – The team’s main organizer in the first half, always making himself available, while also doing his defensive duties well. He kept orchestrating Tricolor with good passes through the middle in the second half.

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

MAN OF THE MATCH: Artur – 7.0 – He delivered three dangerous corners in a row at the start of the game. In the 15th minute, he sent a free kick onto Alan Franco’s head, forcing a good save from the goalkeeper. He was an early outlet down the right until he finally provided a superb assist with a pinpoint cross for Luciano to head home and score. 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 – He started by moving well on the right side of the attack with quick passing. He met Artur’s perfect ball and glanced a header in to open the scoring at Morumbi. He played well overall and produced a lovely backheel pass in the second half to put Calleri through on goal, but the striker missed. He drew many fouls, including one that led to the opponent being sent off.

DISAPPOINTMENT: Calleri – 5.0 – In his 250th game for the club, he started off too tightly marked and complained to his teammates, asking for more support in attack. He did not stand out much in the first half, but produced a lovely pass for Artur to hit the woodwork late on. Soon after, he nodded the ball down for Cauly, who also came close to scoring. 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 the bar. He could have doubled the lead late on, but hit a weak penalty into the corner and was denied by the keeper. He missed far too many chances.

Lucca – 5.0 – He came off the bench in the 24th minute of the second half, replacing Luan. He tried a few individual plays down the left wing, but without much success.

André Silva – Unrated – He came on for Luciano in the 35th minute of the second half. With little time on the pitch, he still has not rediscovered his best form.

Pedro Ferreira – Unrated – He came on for the final minutes in place of Cauly.

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

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