São Paulo suffer harsh defeat in Itaquera despite effort | OneFootball

São Paulo suffered an unfair defeat to Corinthians this Thursday, losing 3-1 at the Neo Química Arena, in the 34th round of the Brazilian Championship. Both teams produced little throughout the 90 minutes, and a draw would have been the fairest result. However, Timão was luckier in the final stretch of the match, relying on both luck and the quality of their forwards to secure the win.

While Corinthians had Memphis Depay and Yuri Alberto as key players in attack, São Paulo, extremely depleted, had to settle for Luciano and Tapia, since Ferreirinha played improvised as a left wingback throughout the entire second half.

Without players like Calleri, Lucas Moura, and Oscar, São Paulo’s attacking sector was significantly weakened to go head-to-head with Corinthians at the Neo Química Arena, a venue that is usually quite hostile for São Paulo.

The lack of quality weighed heavily in this Thursday's Majestoso and exposed the harsh reality faced by São Paulo, which is going through a severe financial crisis and is unable to strengthen its squad to the point of having forwards on the same level as Memphis Depay and Yuri Alberto.

The fact is, apart from the individual brilliance of the Corinthians forwards, São Paulo managed, through sheer grit, to match the derby thanks to collective strength and a Gonzalo Tapia inspired by his goal for the Chilean national team in the friendly against Russia during this November FIFA date.

Even after the long trip back to Brazil and little time to rest, Tapia was brought on at halftime and changed the game for São Paulo, which began to threaten Corinthians much more after a sterile first half. Before finding the net, the Chilean had two other chances to score, proving fundamental for his team.

With so many limitations and difficulties, São Paulo still dreams of qualifying for the Pre-Libertadores. If they achieve this goal, it won’t be by their own merit, since they depend on Cruzeiro or Fluminense winning the Copa do Brasil for the G7 to become G8. Meanwhile, the club’s medical department continues to get more crowded.

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