São Paulo show grit v Vasco, boost Brasileiro hopes | OneFootball

By Victória Romanelli

São Paulo returned from Rio de Janeiro with three precious points in their bag after a victory by 2-0 over Vasco, in the 31st round of the Brazilian Championship. Lucas Moura and Luiz Gustavo scored the goals for Tricolor at São Januário, securing the win that ended Vasco’s four-game winning streak in the competition.

Victory brings São Paulo closer to the Libertadores

With this result, São Paulo is now closer to its goal in the Brasileirão: to qualify for the next edition of the Copa Libertadores. The team, led by coach Hernán Crespo, reached 44 points after defeating the Carioca side in this direct battle for the G6, and occupies eighth place, just four points away from the qualification zone for the continental competition.

São Paulo knew how to suffer and scored at the right moment

Riding high, Vasco saw São Paulo apply pressure in the opening minutes, but gradually got into the game and put Tricolor in a more uncomfortable situation. Well-organized on the field, Vasco controlled the action and gave São Paulo’s defense a hard time, with Rafael standing out as he made a great save to prevent the home team from opening the score first.

Meanwhile, São Paulo needed to repeat what they did against Bahia to string together wins and gain momentum in the fight for a Libertadores spot, but struggled to create good chances and pose a real threat.

But that’s when luck smiled on Tricolor. At the 39th minute of the first half, Arboleda was brought down by Paulo Henrique, the referee was called to the VAR, reviewed the footage, and awarded a penalty to São Paulo. Lucas Moura took responsibility, was efficient, and scored the goal against Léo Jardim.

Rafael was a standout in the second half, working well to stop shots from Coutinho and Andrés Gómez. São Paulo knew how to suffer and withstand Vasco’s attacks. On one hand, they showed a solid and efficient defense, but on the other, they seemed more anxious in attack to finish the game off quickly.

Tricolor threatened on counter-attacks, but saw Rigoni and Lucas miss chances to extend the lead. Luiz Gustavo, who came on in the second half, solved the problem with a header after a cross from Ferreirinha into the box, scoring the second goal and sealing the final score.

Next match for São Paulo

After stringing together two consecutive wins, São Paulo now focuses on trying for a third and will face second-placed Flamengo. The team will return to training at SuperCT on Monday morning and will begin preparations for the clash.

São Paulo vs Flamengo Competition: Brazilian Championship (32nd round) Date and time: November 5, 2025 (Wednesday), at 9:30 p.m. (Brasília time) Venue: Vila Belmiro, in Santos (SP)

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