São Paulo slip up: silly penalty hands Bragantino win at Vila Belmiro | OneFootball

When it seemed that the bad phase of the year was over and São Paulo had 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 little 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 ground due to Morumbi being used for concerts, the coastal weather of São Paulo, with cold and drizzle, seemed to have affected the São Paulo squad. And to think Crespo dared. With 12 absences 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 creativity was lacking, and especially a more refined build-up in midfield. Bragantino took advantage of the uninspired tone 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 from the countryside, as they had no obligation to expose themselves, so they closed down more spaces and prevented Tricolor from building up play, who, unable to organize themselves more effectively, could only risk shots from distance.

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 with him hindered by marking and tactical confusion.

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

For Tricolor, all that’s left is to 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) increase 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 pm (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.