Analysis: Lucas rolls back the years, rekindling São Paulo’s hopes | OneFootball

São Paulo had a scare but came from behind to defeat Primavera last Saturday at Morumbis, and ended the night in the qualification zone for the next phase of the Campeonato Paulista. The nostalgic performance of Lucas rekindled tricolor hope for a good season in 2026.

São Paulo started the first half well, creating chances through the duo Lucas and Ferreirinha. However, the team lost momentum after the hydration break and had a sluggish posture for the rest of the initial stage. The players were even booed by the fans at halftime.

Crespo left the team more exposed in the second half, taking out Dória and putting in Luciano. The consequence of this choice appeared early in the second half when Rafael had to perform a miracle after Welliton's play. It didn't take long for Primavera to open the scoring with a stroke of luck from Poveda, who shot and counted on a deflection off Ferraresi to find the net.

The tricolor team launched into the attack and relied on the duo Lucas and Calleri to turn the score around. Number 7 was responsible for equalizing the match after a scramble in the area, while the Argentine converted a penalty kick to score the winning goal.

Sovereign Performance

After a frustrating 2025 marked by injuries, Lucas finally made São Paulo fans remember the Lucas of old times. The one who weaves through the opposing defense with speed and only stops inside the goal.

Besides scoring again and ending a three-month drought, number 7 dribbled, ran, suffered fouls, and was very active in the attack, showing signs of regaining his best level. And if Lucas is on the rise, tricolor fans have a good reason to believe the team can reach greater heights.

After the match, the player expressed relief at finally being able to play without pain and recalled the difficulties he faced throughout the last season. He believes he returned prematurely because he wanted to help the team on the field.

“It was premature, but it was worth the risk. There was the Libertadores to play, there was also that anxiety, I wanted to be on the field. It was possible to try, but it was a complex injury, it didn't let me play, it didn't let me enjoy football. I suffered a lot of pain, played through sacrifice. The most important thing is that now I have no limitations,” said Lucas.

“The struggle began in March when I got injured against Palmeiras. It was two to three treatment sessions to try to play without pain, and finally, I succeeded. Now it's game by game, regaining rhythm again, the trend is that I can return to my normal. Happy for today, happy for this night, to score again at Morumbis and feel this connection with the fans again. I needed this,” he added.

(Photo: Paulo Pinto/São Paulo)

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Crespo, however, asks for patience. The Argentine coach believes the forward still needs time to regain his ideal game rhythm.

“We have to be patient. He deserves everyone's patience. He is a distinguished player, we know the quality he has. We are already starting to see things, now he needs continuity. Today he scored a goal, another day he assisted Calleri. He is no longer feeling pain, which helps his confidence,” said the coach.

Situation in the Standings

São Paulo now occupies the eighth place in the standings, with ten points. However, Hernán Crespo's team can still be overtaken by Mirassol, who faces Capivariano this Sunday. In case of a stumble by the Lion, the Tricolor enters the last round depending only on itself to advance to the quarterfinals of the State Championship.

Next São Paulo Match

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