Author: Vishwajit Sawant
In an impressive turnaround, São Paulo FC demonstrated their resurgence in form and determination with a convincing victory over their arch-rivals Palmeiras, securing their place in the semi-finals of the Copa do Brasil. The Tricolor showed an impressive display of skill and strategy, dispelling any doubts that plagued them just a few months ago. With consecutive wins, both home and away, São Paulo have shown that they can still dream big and fight for major honors.
The return of the team’s top scorers, Luciano and Calleri, has given São Paulo fans a much-needed boost. However, concerns arose in midfield due to the absence of Pablo Maia, who was dealing with a personal tragedy following the recent death of his father. To solve this problem, coach Dorival Júnior decided to deploy Alisson alongside Gabriel Neves as a makeshift midfield duo, with Rodrigo Nestor and Wellington Rato also forming part of this tactical formation.
The opening minutes of the match saw a strong Palmeiras presence, with relentless pressure on the São Paulo defense. However, the Tricolor’s defense stood firm, making it one of the highlights of the game. The balance was broken when Piquerez scored a totally unintentional goal. In the 34th minute, Rafael, São Paulo’s goalkeeper, was caught by surprise and had no time to react. Up to that point, the match remained even.
Contrary to expectations, São Paulo didn’t lose heart after Palmeiras’ goal. Instead, it was the rival who seemed to fade away. At the start of the second half, in a matter of minutes, Caio cleverly put São Paulo back in the lead. His remarkable goal, which he later described as “cutting edge”, showed off his skill and marked him out as one of the highlights of the season.
However, the game was not without controversy. As the temperature warmed up, Calleri (61 mins), who had struggled throughout the match, managed to sneak in and tried a header that found the back of the net. To São Paulo’s dismay, the goal was disallowed by the referee, who ruled that there had been a foul due to an alleged push between Diego Costa and Zé Rafael. The decision was highly debatable and, at the time, totally subjective. As they left the pitch, Dorival Júnior and the players openly expressed their indignation, echoing the sentiments of the coaching staff. Even so, São Paulo didn’t let the setback affect their performance.
Maintaining their dominance, São Paulo showed excellent tactical organization, effectively neutralizing Palmeiras’ threats to their goal. In the final minutes, David sealed the victory for the Tricolor – 1-2. That crucial goal, courtesy of a pass from Cotia’s rising star Juan and a mistake from Luan, further solidified São Paulo’s control of the game. By resisting Palmeiras’ relentless attempts until the final whistle, São Paulo achieved an incredible feat: they qualified for the next round of the Copa do Brasil for the second year running, eliminating their arch-rivals and doing so in the very stadium that belongs to the Alviverde club.
That resounding victory against Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil exemplified the potential and ability of the São Paulo team. It rekindled the confidence of the players, the coaching staff and the loyal fans, instilling the hope of important achievements and the possibility of winning an unprecedented title. After overcoming a challenging period at the start of the year, characterized by a poor campaign and an early exit from the Campeonato Paulista, Thursday’s result offers São Paulo the opportunity to consolidate their resurgence and seek greatness in the next stages of the tournament.
In the semi-finals, São Paulo will face the winner of the Corinthians-AméricaMG duo. In the first match, Corinthians lost 0-1 away from home, even though they were considered the unconditional favorites.
The other semi-final pair was “Gremio” and “Flamengo RJ”. On July 26 they play at the “Arena do Grêmio” and on August 16 they play the second leg at the “Maracanã”
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