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

São Paulo had an afternoon to forget. Lacking inspiration, struggling badly to connect plays and create offensively, and also down to 10 men 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 showing for a team coming off a crushing home win over Cruzeiro.

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

In the 35th minute, the bleak scenario 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 game, as Vitória chose to drop deeper and abandon the tactical mirror, giving the visitors some room. As a result, two huge chances came. In the 42nd minute, André Silva took advantage of a defensive mistake and saw the goalkeeper save his shot. In the very next play, Artur wasted a glaring chance with a remarkable angled effort.

After halftime, São Paulo seemed fully in control, as Ferreirinha completed the hat trick of big missed chances by breaking into the box and having his shot deflected out for a corner by the defense when the goalkeeper was already beaten.

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

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

In the 37th minute, however, the hosts delivered the knockout blow. Baralhas had room to advance, received the ball near the edge of the box, and found Ramon, who used a backheel touch to set himself up and fire home with no chance for Rafael.

With the result, São Paulo remain on 20 points and could drop as many as two places as the round continues through this Sunday (12).

Now, Tricolor face a tough challenge in their bid to bounce back in the Brasileirão: they will take on Vasco at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) on Saturday (18) at São Januário. Before that, they face 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.