São Paulo slip up, lose to Bragantino after silly penalty | OneFootball

When it seemed that the bad phase of the year had ended and São Paulo started to achieve results considered positive, reigniting the dream of qualifying for the next Copa Libertadores, the team disappointed once again.

On Saturday night (8th), in a technically poor match, with Hernán Crespo’s team showing a lack of creativity and unable to build much offensively, Tricolor ended up being surprised by Bragantino and was defeated 1-0 at Vila Belmiro, in a match valid for the Brazilian Championship.

Once again playing at Santos’ home due to Morumbi being used for concerts, the coastal weather of São Paulo, with cold and drizzle, seemed to affect the São Paulo squad. And Crespo was bold. With 12 players out due to injury, the coach set up an offensive structure, with an attacking trio formed by Ferreirinha, Lucas, and Luciano.

It didn’t help, as the team lacked creativity and, above all, more refined build-up in midfield. Bragantino took advantage of the uninspired mood to occupy spaces and was even better in the opening minutes. São Paulo soon had to pull Bobadilla back to prevent the opponent from continuing to press.

In practice, it was better for the visitors, as they had no obligation to expose themselves and focused on closing down spaces and preventing Tricolor from building up play, who, unable to create anything more refined, only tried long-range shots.

After the break, Crespo took Lucas off and brought on Tapia. And the change made things worse, as the Chilean does not have the vision and playmaking ability of the number 7, even though Lucas was hampered by marking and tactical confusion.

Amid the lethargy, the visitors’ stroke of luck came in the 26th minute. Jhon Jhon broke on a counterattack and crossed into the box. Lucas Barbosa was about to control the ball but ended up being foolishly brought down by Enzo Díaz. A silly penalty was awarded and converted by the former Palmeiras player, sealing their first away win in four months.

All Tricolor can do is lament. The team wasted the opportunity to collect important points and remains stuck at 45, possibly seeing the gap to Fluminense (and the G-7) widen as the round continues.

Now the calendar pauses for the FIFA break. São Paulo’s next match is only on the 20th (Thursday), at 7:30 p.m. (Brasília time), in the classic against rivals Corinthians, in Itaquera.

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