São Paulo overcome early red card, beat Fortaleza and end losing streak | OneFootball

São Paulo finally returned to winning ways. This Thursday, the team led by Hernán Crespo visited Fortaleza at Arena Castelão and defeated the opponent 2-0, thanks to goals from Gonzalo Tapia and Luciano, in a match valid for the 26th round of the Brazilian Championship.

With the result, the Tricolor ended an uncomfortable sequence of four defeats. But, anyone who thinks the São Paulo team had an easy task is mistaken, as they played with one man less on the field from the 20th minute of the first half due to Rigoni's expulsion after a harsh tackle on Deyverson.

São Paulo will take the field again next Sunday when they host Palmeiras at Morumbi at 4 pm (Brasília time) for the 27th round of the Brazilian Championship. Fortaleza, on the other hand, will face Juventude on the same day at 6:30 pm (Brasília time) at Alfredo Jaconi in Caxias do Sul.

Team Situation

With the victory, São Paulo reached 38 points, remaining in seventh place, with two points less than Bahia, the last member of the G6, the group that guarantees a spot in the next edition of the Copa Libertadores.

Fortaleza, on the other hand, remains sunk in the relegation zone of the Brasileirão, sitting in second-to-last place with 21 points, ahead only of Sport, with 15.

Match Summary

FORTALEZA 0 X 2 SÃO PAULO

Competition: Brazilian Championship  Location: Arena Castelão, in Fortaleza (CE)  Date: October 2, 2025 (Thursday)  Time: 7:30 pm (Brasília time)

Yellow Cards: Gastón Ávila, Gazal (Fortaleza)  Red Cards: Rigoni (São Paulo)

Refereeing

Goals São Paulo Gonzalo Tapia, at 11' of the 1st half Luciano, at 40' of the 2nd half

🔵⚪🔴FORTALEZA

Brenno; Brítez, Gastón Ávila, Lucas Gazal, and Diogo Barbosa; Lucas Sasha, Matheus Pereira (Guzmán), and Lucas Crispim (Bareiro); Herrera (Breno Lopes), Yago Pikachu (Pochettino), and Deyverson (Marinho). Coach: Martín Palermo.

SÃO PAULO

Rafael; Negrucci, Luiz Gustavo, and Sabino; Cédric Soares (Mailton), Pablo Maia, Bobadilla, Rodriguinho (Enzo Díaz), and Wendell (Alisson); Rigoni and Tapia (Luciano). Coach: Hernán Crespo.

The Match

São Paulo Opens the Scoring Early

São Paulo opened the scoring just 11 minutes into the game. Cédric Soares received the ball on the right and delivered a deep pass to Rigoni, who, upon reaching the end line, made a low cross back, finding Tapia. The Chilean forward finished first-time into the corner, leaving the opposing goalkeeper with no chance.

Rigoni is Sent Off

But, the joy of São Paulo fans was short-lived. At 20 minutes, the VAR recommended Rigoni's expulsion after a harsh tackle on Deyverson in a contested play. After reviewing the footage, referee Anderson Daronco decided to punish the São Paulo forward with a red card, compromising São Paulo's game.

From then on, Fortaleza launched into the attack intending to take advantage of the numerical superiority, but they couldn't pose a threat to São Paulo's goal, struggling to penetrate the opposing defense and resorting to long-distance shots.

São Paulo Almost Extends the Lead

At 11 minutes, Bobadilla found Wendell, who quickly passed to Tapia inside the area. The Chilean forward, with a three-finger pass, set up Bobadilla in front of the goal, but the Paraguayan midfielder had his shot blocked at the crucial moment.

From there, Fortaleza's pressure was intense. The home team sought a goal at all costs and came close to equalizing on several occasions, such as with shots from Diogo Barboeda and Pochettino inside the area. Later, it was Breno Lopes' turn to unleash a powerful shot, but it went wide.

Luciano "Seals the Game"

In the final stretch, São Paulo was lethal on the counterattack to secure the victory. Alisson made a tackle, Luciano carried the ball forward and passed to Bobadilla, who set up Enzo Díaz. The Argentine left-back touched the ball past the goalkeeper, and the ball fell to São Paulo's number 10, who completed it into the net, finalizing the score.

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