Roger rues São Paulo defeat, says side were better "for most of game"

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·11 April 2026

Roger rues São Paulo defeat, says side were better "for most of game"

São Paulo lost 2-0 to Vitória this Saturday in the 11th round of the Brazilian Championship at Barradão. With the result, Tricolor dropped to third place and could fall even further down the table depending on the other results of the round.

Coach Roger Machado lamented the defeat and said the team played well “for much of the game.”

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“It’s hard to talk”

“It’s hard to talk about a defeat when you managed to play well for much of the game. We controlled Vitória throughout the entire first half. We created the best chances, but we failed on a set-piece play. I opened up the team more, and even with one man less, we dominated. We didn’t finish as much because they packed players behind the ball. Naturally, you suffer on counterattacks, and one of those caused an imbalance that led to the second goal,” he analyzed.

Regarding Vitória’s second goal, Roger explained the disadvantage in the defensive line at that moment. “Around the 35th minute, when I took Daniel off, you naturally become a little more fragile in midfield. It was a gamble, and we were in control. Bobadilla and Pablo couldn’t be there today, so that carries different weight. The defeat came down to specific issues, both defensively and in converting chances into goals,” he said.

“We created a lot with overlapping full-backs moving inside, with runs in behind. It’s a shame, we really feel it. It’s a defeat we have to know how to digest well because of the whole context. I told the players there are battles we win and lose, but we have to understand why we lost. If you’re playing well, you have to hurt the opponent. Now it’s about fixing what we need to and moving on to the next match,” he concluded.