Tapia shines for São Paulo, earns Chile call-up, may miss derby | OneFootball

The Chilean forward Gonzalo Tapia is experiencing his best moment at São Paulo. He played his sixth consecutive match for the club, his fifth as a starter, and was instrumental in the 2-0 victory over Vasco on Sunday night (2), in the 31st round of the Brasileirão.

On the rise, he appeared once again this Monday (3) on the list of players called up to the Chilean national team for the friendlies this November during the FIFA break, even though the neighboring country is not qualified for next year’s World Cup.

The Chileans will face Russia on the 15th, and Peru on the 18th. Both matches will be held in the Russian city of Sochi. That’s where the problem comes in. After the Brasileirão pauses for the last FIFA break of the year, Tricolor will likely play again as early as November 19.

And that match is none other than the classic against Corinthians, at their opponent’s arena, initially scheduled for Wednesday the 19th. However, the CBF will still break down the final rounds of the Brazilian Championship and may adjust the date of the Majestoso if São Paulo needs more time to have Tapia available.

It’s always worth noting that the broadcasters holding the transmission rights are the ones who control the Brasileirão’s programming schedule. So, if they request São Paulo vs Corinthians to be on the 19th, that’s how it will be.

Whether or not Tricolor will be missing Tapia for the next classic, the fact is that Tapia has been growing and helping Crespo’s team a lot during this period of striker shortages in the squad. The Chilean has played 14 matches, half as a starter, in which he scored four goals wearing the São Paulo shirt.

In these games, he’s had 23 shots (10 on target), 5 key passes, 4 successful dribbles, 17 fouls suffered, and 42 duels won, according to Sofascore statistics, which show the great effort the versatile Tapia has been putting in for the team.

Against Vasco, he fought hard against the opposing defenders, nearly scored, led a counterattack, and was crucial for the team’s away victory, earning praise from coach Crespo after the match.

“I’m very happy with Gonza (Tapia). He arrived with a great desire to work and understood that he needed to change some things. He found confidence in the group and works very hard for the team. This is the kind of player the coaching staff wants: one who accepts being out and responds when he plays. His warrior spirit has helped us,” said the Argentine coach in the press conference at São Januário.

Exhausted and spent, Tapia was substituted in the 21st minute of the second half, and Crespo explained the change.

“We needed a bit more energy up front, that’s why the change, not because he deserved to come off. But we have a sequence of games and need to share the workload. I’m very happy with Gonzalo,” detailed the São Paulo coach.

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