São Paulo ratings: new ‘Luciano Santana’ duo ends Brasileirão drought | OneFootball

São Paulo gave their traditional late scare, but finally returned to winning ways in the Brasileirão after beating Bragantino 2-1 on Saturday night (29), in front of nearly 35,000 fans at Morumbi. The three center-backs all played well, Marcos Antônio set the tempo with beautiful passes through midfield, and the duo of Luciano and Gustavo Santana made the difference up front, with one goal each. See the ratings:

Rafael – 5.5 – Had very little to do in the first half, clearing a few balls from the box. Made routine saves in the second half and was not to blame for the late goal.

Domingos Duarte – 6.5 – Made a magnificent defensive clearance from a dangerous cross by the opposition right at the start. A good first half, with five defensive actions to clear the ball. Two minutes into the second half, another saving tackle in the box. Kept “cleaning up” at the back throughout the game, with clearances and tackles.

Arboleda – 6.0 – Returned to the team after injury. Playing as the spare man in defense, he was solid in the first half, recovering two balls. Maintained his good level in the second half and ended up as captain after Luciano went off.

Sabino – 6.5 – Was the busiest of the trio in the first half, with five clearances and three balls recovered for Tricolor. Another good performance, especially in the air.

DISAPPOINTMENT: Buta – 5.0 – Back in the starting lineup as right wing-back. Showed defensive insecurity once again. Did not contribute in attack and barely touched the ball in the first half, though he did manage three clearances. Poor again, he was replaced by Lucas Ramón late in the match.

Marcos Antônio – 6.5 – Produced some classy moments in the first half, showing all his quality. Moved well all across midfield and looked for his teammates with excellent passes. He also recovered two more balls. Tried a placed shot from outside the box in the second half, well saved. Set the team’s tempo.

Danielzinho – 6.0 – Stayed deeper in midfield in the first half and did well, with good interceptions and timely clearances. Delivered some dangerous crosses. Remained solid defensively in the second half, with few passing mistakes, until being replaced by Pablo Maia late on.

Artur – 6.0 – In the 39th minute, received a good ball in the box, but with no angle, hit the side netting. He did not have a great first half, but was important in the high press and moved around a lot. Had a good chance in the second half after breaking forward on the right, but hit a weak shot. Improved after the break and did well on corner kicks. Went off near the end of the match.

Iago – 6.25 – Is becoming established at left wing-back, always supporting the attack with good passes. Took the corner that led to the second goal. Took advantage of a cross early in the second half and headed firmly, forcing a good save from Volpi. Another good performance.

STARRED: Luciano – 6.75 – The captain for the day started nervously, missing a clear chance when the play had already been (wrongly) flagged, and complaining about fouls. And it worked! In a scrappy play where he went down in the box, he may have sold it, but VAR correctly confirmed the penalty on the forward. He took it himself and finished masterfully, into the corner, unstoppable. Fought hard throughout and won the ball back in attack. Maintained his good level in the second half until being replaced by Pablo Maia late on.

STARRED: Gustavo Santana – 6.5 – With Calleri unavailable, the youngster got the chance to start. He dove for a header on a loose ball in the 16th minute, forcing a save from the goalkeeper. Showed a striker’s instinct with a fine volley from a corner situation to make it 2-0 still in the first half. Took a knock to the calf right at the start of the second half and had to be replaced by André Silva.

André Silva – 5.75 – Came on in the 9th minute of the second half for the injured Gustavo. Played a good ball for Artur to shoot ten minutes later. Challenged for a header in the 24th minute. Was shown a yellow card late on and mishit a shot shortly after. Fought hard and distributed good passes.

Lucas Ramón – No rating – Replaced Buta in the 26th minute of the second half. Did more in attack than the Portuguese player, but did not have much time.

Pablo Maia – No rating – Came on for Luciano in the 26th minute of the second half.

Ferreirinha – No rating – Took the field in the final minutes, replacing Artur.

Djhordney – No rating – Gave Danielzinho a rest in the closing minutes of the match.

Dorival Jr. – 6.5 – Changed the system to a three-center-back formation and came out on top in the first half. Had to take off Gustavo in the second half due to injury, then made changes to secure the win, which finally came.

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