Dismal afternoon, São Paulo easy prey for Vitória in Brasileirão loss | OneFootball

São Paulo had an afternoon to forget. Lacking inspiration, struggling badly to link up play and create offensively, and then forced to play with one man down for most of the second half, Tricolor were easy prey for Vitória and lost 2-0 at Barradão this Saturday (11), in the opening match of the 11th round of the Brazilian Championship. A very depressing display for a team coming off a commanding home thrashing of Cruzeiro.

Tricolor started the match sluggishly, unable to get its attack going against the Bahian side’s mirrored setup. To make matters worse, it was also a day of defensive problems in the center of the pitch. Danielzinho and Marcos Antônio, too spread out, could not cope with most of the balls recovered by the hosts, failing in the first challenge.

In the 35th minute, the bleak scenario that had been taking shape was confirmed. From a free kick on the left just beyond midfield, the defense failed terribly and Cacá appeared unmarked to finish one-on-one with Rafael and score.

The period immediately after conceding was ironically São Paulo’s best spell in the match, as Vitória chose to drop deeper and abandon the tactical mirror, giving the visitors some space. As a result, two great chances came. In the 42nd minute, André Silva took advantage of a defensive mistake and saw his shot saved by the goalkeeper. On the very next play, Artur missed a huge chance with a remarkable cross-shot.

After the break, São Paulo seemed to be in complete control, as Ferreirinha completed the hat trick of missed clear chances by breaking into the box and having his shot deflected out for a corner by the defense, with the goalkeeper already beaten.

Tricolor’s goal seemed inevitable. But it only seemed that way, because in the 8th minute, everything went downhill after Lucas Ramon’s reckless act, as he kicked Matheuzinho in the head and was sent off.

With a man down, all the ground São Paulo had gained disappeared. And although they kept possession, it became unproductive. For the most part, it was a team that reached the final third but could do very little to build effectively and score.

In the 37th minute, however, came the hosts’ killer blow. Baralhas had space to move forward, received the ball at the edge of the area, and found Ramon, who used a backheel touch to set himself up and blast it home with no chance for Rafael.

With the result, São Paulo remain on 20 points and could lose up to two places over the course of the round, which continues through this Sunday (12).

Now, Tricolor face a tough task in trying to bounce back in the Brasileirão: they will face Vasco at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) on Saturday (18) at São Januário. Before that, they host O’Higgins at 7 p.m. (Brasília time) on Tuesday (14) at Morumbi in the Copa Sudamericana.

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