Let us dream: São Paulo end hoodoo, reach Paulistão semis | OneFootball

A scalded cat is afraid of cold water, says the saying.

And for this reason, and perhaps only for this reason, the most fanatic São Paulo fan has been rejecting the label of favorite for the Paulista Championship title. They still find reasons to be wary.

We understand the reasons. But let's be frank: it's high time for Tricolor to be happy. And the performance their team has been showing on the field is more than a compelling reason for joy and smiles to become routine again at Morumbi.

The duel on the night of this Saturday (21) was yet another trial by fire for the team that in less than two months went through everything it did. After all, since it was bought by an Austrian beverage company, São Paulo had never beaten Bragantino on their territory. Well, the taboo is over.

On the night Hernán Crespo achieved his longest unbeaten streak as Tricolor coach (seven matches), the Morumbi club imposed itself, showed the weight of its jersey, and secured an easy victory over the touted opponent by 2 to 1.

Smile, São Paulo fan, you are a semifinalist in the Paulistão. Now it's just a matter of waiting for the outcome of the other duels to know who the opponent will be. And consequently, who will be the host. We only know that the single-match duel takes place next weekend. In the overall standings, they have 16 points and temporarily occupy third place, which gives them a great chance of being the home team in the confrontation (which will not be at Morumbi, closed due to the AC/DC concert).

For tonight's match, Crespo made only one change compared to the last game: Bobadilla returned, recovered from injury, to the starting eleven, replacing Pablo Maia, maintaining the 4-4-2 formation that is confirming itself as the starting lineup for the season.

The decision proved to be correct. The game started somewhat complicated for Tricolor, as Bragantino advanced their lines and sought to mark São Paulo right from the start. The first 20 minutes were somewhat dominated by the hosts, but this did not necessarily result in the creation of effective chances.

But above the collective quality, Tricolor relies on excellent individuality, players aware of their tactical roles, visibly motivated and in sync. And so it didn't take long for the scenario to reverse. The midfield managed to dismantle the opponent's marking, which only didn't result in more due to the team's passing errors in building plays.

To make matters worse, the team suffered a moment of instability when Lucas Ramon fell in the area after a ball dispute and complained about a non-awarded penalty. As a consequence, Bragantino took advantage and demanded a miraculous save from Rafael that could have changed the course of the game.

But we're talking about São Paulo. And resilience has become a hallmark of this team. So, after the scare, things got back on track. This time to resolve the situation quickly. At 39, in a perfect counterattack, Lucas Ramon went alone down the right and crossed. Luciano tried to deflect, missed, but their goalkeeper fumbled and palmed the ball to the middle of the area, where Bobadilla appeared to finish and score Tricolor's first goal.

After the break, at 6, things moved towards a resolution. In an excellent set-piece play, Danielzinho sent it to the area, Luciano headed it, and Lucas, completely alone, pushed it into the back of the net.

The dominance was such that things seemed settled with a lethargic Bragantino. But the changes in the São Paulo team slightly disrupted the tactical discipline and improved the hosts' productivity. At 27, the scare came with Gustavo Marques deflecting a corner kick to reduce the score.

It could have been the prelude to a Bragantino comeback, but it remained just that. São Paulo adjusted their tactical rhythm on the field, and the hosts couldn't impose their pace to reach the attack with substance, at least until the added time, when the game turned chaotic due to the expulsion of defender Alan Franco, who in added time made an intentional foul to stop a counterattack and received a second yellow card. Even their goalkeeper went up to the area to try to equalize and ended up being brought down by Pablo Maia, which sparked a bit of confusion to stir emotions, as a good decision demands.

Now qualified in the State Championship, São Paulo turns its attention to the Brasileirão, where they lead. They face Coritiba at 7:30 PM (Brasília time) this Wednesday (25), away from home.

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