Post-break blackout, São Paulo concede twice in five mins, keep sliding | OneFootball

Five minutes…

That was all it took for São Paulo to bury—if not a brilliant, eye-catching performance for the fans—at least a reasonably solid, pragmatic, and coherent display, one that had been rewarded with a win secured by a free-kick goal (something unheard of for three years).

But, setting aside the two-month break for the World Cup, the Tricolor script has been the same as ever since the second quarter of this season: solid first halves, disastrous second halves.

The new twist was the clock… If before the unpleasant surprises came in the final minutes, this time they showed up right after halftime. And just five minutes into the second half were enough for São Paulo to be turned around by Athletico-PR and leave Bragança Paulista (SP) beaten 2-1 on Wednesday night (22), in the return of the Brazilian Championship.

A tragic result from several angles. The Morumbi club, displaced once again because of concerts and a partnership that, according to its president, has not brought in a single cent this year, has not tasted victory in the country’s main competition since April 25, when it beat Mirassol—of all places—in Campinas (SP). Since then, there have been two draws and four defeats.

Second, and no less important, tonight’s match was against a direct rival in the fight for a spot in the qualification zone for the next Copa Libertadores. Despite everything, that remains the Tricolor’s goal—a team that was once the leader on a day that now seems increasingly distant. And the setback complicates things: it remains stuck on 25 points, drops to ninth place, and now sits five points behind the G-4.

São Paulo started the match in a false 4-3-3, with three men in midfield. But it soon became clear that it was Dorival Júnior’s standard setup, with Marcos Antônio chosen to play on the left side of midfield and provide attacking support down the left flank.

It worked, in part, for two reasons. One was the opponent, which came out with a defensive setup, with three center-backs and three marking midfielders, giving the Tricolor space and playing for a single chance to kill off the game.

Above all, though, Artur stood out. Unlike other times, when he played stuck out on the right almost as a winger, he constantly drifted inside, leaving Luciano as a fixed forward alongside Calleri and taking control of most of his team’s possession-based actions.

Even so, there was not much creativity or purpose. Lacking attacking variety, São Paulo limited itself to runs through the middle or low balls played in from the flanks. It seemed too little against an opponent that looked harmless and the São Paulo side’s certain defensive solidity.

Even with those difficulties, the Tricolor was rewarded through a set piece. In the 18th minute, Arthur Dias grabbed Calleri at the edge of the box. And from the free kick, Artur picked out Santos’s top corner; the goalkeeper even got a touch on the ball, but could not keep it out.

The Morumbi club, which once had Rogério Ceni and Raí, had not scored from a free kick since May 23, 2023, when Wellington Rato did so in a 2-0 win over Puerto Cabello in the Copa Sudamericana.

All seemed well, like a sign of good winds and change. But São Paulo’s script followed its usual path in the 22nd minute, when Rafael Tolói once again had to leave the field injured, a scene that has become routine (and not just with him, to be fair).

The optimism for better days was starting to win over the Tricolor faithful when the match resumed after halftime. And then happiness turned into tragedy. On the very first move of the second half, Leozinho pounced on the rebound after a series of shots by his team that the defense failed to clear, got on the end of a poorly deflected ball off Lucas Ramón, and from inside the six-yard box finished to equalize.

The blackout continued, and the worst happened. Less than five minutes later, the same Leozinho first got off a shot and forced Rafael to palm it away. From the ensuing corner, the Athletico forward was left alone again on the right and fired a cross-shot into the corner to seal the comeback.

For the rest of the match, São Paulo looked desperate, with many attackers on the field (including debutant Victor Sá), managing to reach Athletico’s final third but lacking the clear purpose needed to level the score. Worse still, it gave the opponent the counterattacks it wanted and almost saw the deficit grow.

A horrific and traumatic night, one that seals the first home defeat to Athletico in seven years…. Now, in search of a response, comes an easy stop: Flamengo, at the Maracanã, at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) next Sunday (26).

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