São Paulo ratings: signings shine, Arboleda repays debt, same old tale | OneFootball

Once again, São Paulo took the lead, this time against Bolívar in the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana round of 16, but conceded in the second half and ended up drawing 1-1 in La Paz, Bolivia. Starters, debutants Iago, Domingos Duarte and Newton did well, and Arboleda opened the scoring. But with a shot full of venom, the team was punished once again. See the ratings:

Rafael – 6.0 – He reacted well to punch away a dangerous free kick after 29 minutes, the only major threat in the first half. He made a superb full-stretch save 12 minutes into the second half, fingertipping the ball out for a corner. He even got a touch on the powerful shot that led to the goal conceded.

Lucas Ramon – 5.5 – Supported the attack well early in the match and had a solid first half, with two defensive clearances. He was more timid in the second half and his performance dropped, as the whole team has been doing lately. He was replaced by debutant Buta near the end.

Arboleda – 6.5 – Rose well from a corner to open the scoring in Bolivia. He also made five more clearances and recovered two balls in a strong first half. After the break, he cleared a major danger in the box with a slight touch and maintained a good defensive level, though with some positioning errors in the second half.

Domingos Duarte – 6.5 – The Portuguese defender made his debut in São Paulo’s back line, and had a great first half, with five defensive contributions and five clearances, winning two duels with strong physical presence. Solid throughout, he stayed firm and delivered a good first game.

Iago – 6.5 – Another player making his club debut. He delivered the corner very well for Arboleda to score and had a good first half, combining well and contributing in attack. Defensively, he also did well, with tackles and clearances. He remained effective going forward in the second half and had a dangerous shot right at the start. He was booked soon after for stopping the opponent’s move. He was replaced by Wendell in the 15th minute after a good first outing for the club.

Pablo Maia – 5.0 – Did not have a good first half, with some misplaced passes and five losses of possession. He left spaces in midfield. He was firmer defensively and had more work in the second half, but without a standout performance.

Newton – 6.0 – He also took the field for the first time in São Paulo colors, dropping back as a third center-back. He had a solid first half, with recoveries and interceptions, and maintained defensive solidity until the end of the match.

Bobadilla – 5.5 – He did not miss any of the 14 passes he attempted in the first half and tried a shot, which was blocked. He remained fairly quiet in the second half and was replaced by Cauly near the end.

Marcos Antônio – 5.5 – Made a good forward run in the 8th minute, crossing for Luciano to head in the box. He was shaky in some defensive plays in the first half. He did not play well before the break, though he still recovered four balls for the team. Early in the second half, he found himself one-on-one with goal but could not finish. Moments later, it was he who put Luciano through on goal. After a below-par display, he was substituted near the end.

Luciano – 5.75 – Got on the end of Marcos Antônio’s cross but sent it wide early in the game. Moments later, he received the ball at the edge of the box and unleashed a left-footed rocket, again well off target. Early in the second half, he tried from distance and narrowly missed the post. Later, he attempted a dink, but it went wide. He tried a lot, but it was not one of his better days, and he went off near the end for Ferreirinha.

Calleri – 5.5 – Barely got on the ball in the first half, heavily marked and forced to battle up front. He was a bit more involved in the second half, but lacked precision in the final decisions. In the 14th minute, he finally got a headed flick right, putting Marcos Antônio through on goal. He improved as the game went on and started finding good passes to his teammates.

Wendell – 5.0 – Came on in the 15th minute of the second half for Iago and did little.

Danielzinho – 5.0 – Came off the bench to give Marcos Antônio a rest in the second half and misplaced many passes.

Ferreirinha – 5.0 – Replaced Luciano in the 26th minute of the second half and could not make an impact.

Buta – No rating – Another new signing who made his debut, coming on late in the game for Lucas Ramón. He struggled defensively and was shown a yellow card for a foul.

Cauly – No rating – Came on only in the 37th minute of the second half, replacing Bobadilla.

Dorival Júnior – 5.75 – Set up a more reinforced midfield, with a two-man attack up front, and once again went into halftime ahead. As soon as he made the first substitution, the team conceded the equalizer. He then made four more changes, but brought home a 1-1 draw.

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