Roger hails São Paulo's "good start" in Copa Sul-Americana, eyes season | OneFootball

Roger Machado approved of São Paulo’s debut in the Copa Sudamericana, which took place on Tuesday night. The coach praised the team’s solidity, as they beat Boston River 1-0, with a goal by Bobadilla, at the Centenario Stadium in Uruguay, in a match marked by strong winds and rain while the ball was rolling.

“A match with a lot of rain, a lot of wind, an empty stadium, which could have led the team to relax. But I saw a solid team that managed, even with little match chemistry and more training than game time together, to play a safe match, control the opponent, and win away from home in an important debut,” Roger said.

With some absences, Roger Machado was also able to use the match to make changes to the team and assess new alternatives for the season. He stressed the importance of the continental tournament and praised the team’s “safe” performance.

“I was able to notice some very important things and also make evaluations for the rest of the season and for this stretch we have until the break (for the World Cup). We take advantage of these moments to make assessments, manage the workload of some players, give opportunities to others, and test alternatives that may be interesting for the rest of the season,” he analyzed.

“It is an important competition, yes. In every competition that a club like São Paulo enters, it is always important to think about winning,” he continued.

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As goalkeeper Rafael pointed out as he left the field, the coach also mentioned the weather conditions when analyzing the match.

“It was a good debut given the circumstances. A safe game, with a pitch that, although very even, proved heavier, a match that did not allow switches through the air, so the ball had to move along the ground. Through balls were not getting through because the wind stopped the ball, but I think it was a good debut,” he concluded.

São Paulo’s situation

With the win, São Paulo sits in second place in Group C, with three points, level with O’Higgins, who beat Millonarios 2-0 and took top spot in the group on goal difference.

Now, Roger Machado’s team turns its attention to the Brazilian Championship. In the national tournament, Tricolor is in second place, with 20 points, five behind Palmeiras.

São Paulo’s next match

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