After a well-balanced first half, São Paulo returned to the pitch lethargic for the second half against Corinthians in Sunday’s Brasileirão clash. The result: the Tricolor conceded two early goals that proved decisive in a 3-2 loss. In the post-match press conference, coach Roger Machado acknowledged that his team has been struggling in these critical moments.
Over the last five Brasileirão matches, São Paulo has secured only one victory—a 1-0 win over Mirassol at Estádio Brinco de Ouro da Princesa in Campinas. In their previous outing against Bahia, the team suffered a similar dip in performance during the second half, and the same pattern emerged in the loss to Vasco.
“These are recurring issues in important games,” said Machado. “We didn’t return with the same level of attention that we ended the first half with, and that cost us valuable points.”
He elaborated: “Within 10 minutes of the second half, we gave Corinthians two clear chances… the third goal came from a ball hitting our hand, and then a misplaced pass exposed the defense. On the second goal, there was a play down the side where Ferreira slipped, preventing a better cover. These are definitely things we need to fix. The first goal also happened in the opening 15 minutes. We know any team at home will press, and we have to execute our plan—which worked initially, with some good balls in behind that gave us space. That was part of the strategy against Corinthians’ high line. But yes, we need to be more focused at the start of halves to avoid offering the opponent what they want.”
When asked about his biggest concern given the team’s recent performances, Machado pointed to a lack of concentration as the main factor preventing São Paulo from picking up meaningful points in the league.
“What worries me are the moments when we lost control of the game,” he explained. “It’s not just about the opponent’s quality—we gave them the ball by not handling it well or by making mistakes you can’t afford at this level. We only had a few chances to get behind their defense and threaten goal, especially after conceding two early goals in the second half. That gives the opponent confidence. We made changes to find better balance, and at times it was dangerous, but the 3-2 scoreline suggests we probably didn’t deserve better luck because of our errors, which the opponent capitalized on.”
São Paulo returns to action on Wednesday, April 13, when they visit Juventude in the Copa do Brasil, holding a 1-0 advantage from the first leg. Their next Brasileirão fixture is on Saturday, April 16, against Fluminense.
