Six games without a win in a compressed season is not a slump—it is a crisis.
No estádio do Maracanã, o São Paulo voltou a deixar pontos escaparem, prolongando para seis partidas uma sequência sem vitórias que começa a se parecer menos com uma fase ruim e mais com uma crise estrutural. A derrota por 2 a 1 para o Fluminense, em duelo direto pelo Brasileirão, revelou um time à deriva sem seu comandante titular, enquanto o tempo e a tabela seguem seu curso implacável. Em futebol, como na vida, a ausência de liderança raramente é neutra — ela cobra seu preço em campo.
- Seis jogos sem vencer no Brasileirão transformaram o que parecia um tropeço passageiro em uma crise real para o São Paulo.
- John Kennedy e Canobbio construíram a vantagem fluminense ainda no primeiro tempo, sufocando qualquer esperança tricolor antes do intervalo.
- O gol de Dória no segundo tempo acendeu uma chama de reação, mas o Fluminense resistiu e administrou o resultado com frieza.
- Milton Cruz segue como interino sem a autoridade de um técnico efetivo, e a sombra da ausência de Dorival paira sobre cada decisão tática.
- O quarto lugar já não é seguro: com Palmeiras, Flamengo e Fluminense pressionando, o São Paulo corre o risco de ver a janela do título se fechar antes do inverno.
No Maracanã, o São Paulo somou mais uma derrota na noite de sábado, caindo por 2 a 1 diante do Fluminense pela décima sexta rodada do Brasileirão. A sequência sem vitórias chegou a seis jogos, e o título, que parecia ao alcance, vai se tornando uma miragem.
O Fluminense foi eficiente e rápido. John Kennedy abriu o placar aos 18 minutos após uma sobra na área, e Canobbio ampliou antes do intervalo aproveitando um erro de saída de bola do adversário. O São Paulo chegou a assustar em um escanteio com Lucas Ramão, mas sem consistência real.
Na etapa final, o time paulista pressionou mais e descontou com Dória, que desviou um escanteio para as redes. Por alguns minutos, o Maracanã sentiu o perigo de uma virada. Mas o Fluminense segurou, e um gol anulado de Castillo por impedimento encerrou qualquer drama.
Ao apito final, o São Paulo permaneceu em quarto com 24 pontos, enquanto o Fluminense subiu para terceiro com 30, empatado com o Flamengo e a quatro do líder Palmeiras. Para o Tricolor Paulista, os números são desconfortáveis — e a ausência do técnico Dorival, ainda sem data de retorno, segue sendo a pergunta sem resposta que paira sobre o clube.
The scoreboard at the Maracanã told a familiar story on Saturday evening: another loss, another game without a win. São Paulo fell to Fluminense 2-1 in a direct battle between contenders, extending their drought to six matches without victory in the Brazilian Championship. It was the sixteenth round of the season, and the Tricolor Paulista's grip on the title race was slipping further with each passing week.
Fluminense struck early and often. John Kennedy opened the scoring in the eighteenth minute after a scramble in the box, capitalizing on a loose ball that Guilherme Arana had failed to finish. The Rio side doubled their advantage before halftime when Canobbio, benefiting from a turnover deep in São Paulo's half, fired past Rafael to make it 2-0. The damage was done before the teams even returned to the dressing room.
São Paulo's interim manager Milton Cruz, still filling in without the permanent presence of Dorival on the sideline, watched his team struggle to generate meaningful pressure through much of the first half. The visitors did have moments—a corner kick that Lucas Ramón nearly converted early on—but they never truly threatened until the second period began.
The second half brought more urgency. São Paulo pressed higher, and their persistence paid a dividend when Dória deflected a corner kick past Fábio in the thirty-third minute, pulling one back and briefly suggesting a comeback might be possible. But Fluminense held firm. Late in the match, Castillo appeared to have added a third goal, only to be ruled offside, denying the hosts an emphatic exclamation point.
The final whistle left São Paulo in fourth place with 24 points, though that position was no longer secure. Fluminense, meanwhile, climbed to third with 30 points, level with Flamengo and four points behind the leading Palmeiras, who still had a match to play that same evening. For São Paulo, the mathematics were becoming uncomfortable. Six games without a win in a compressed season is not a slump—it is a crisis. The absence of Dorival, the club's intended leader, hung over the result like a question mark that no interim solution could yet erase.
Notable Quotes
The absence of Dorival hung over the result like a question mark that no interim solution could yet erase.— Match analysis
The Hearth Conversation Another angle on the story
Why does it matter that Dorival isn't on the sideline? Is Milton Cruz simply not the right fit?
It's not quite that simple. Dorival was brought in to be the architect of something larger. When he's absent, even temporarily, the team loses its sense of direction. Milton Cruz is managing, but he's managing without a mandate.
So this is about continuity, not just tactics?
Exactly. Six games without a win isn't just about who's calling the plays. It's about the players losing faith in where they're headed. They're playing not to lose rather than to win.
Fluminense looked sharp, though. Were they simply the better team on the day?
They were clinical. John Kennedy's goal came from a mistake, but Canobbio's finish before halftime—that was composed, professional. Fluminense executed what they needed to do.
And Dória's goal in the second half—was that a sign São Paulo might have turned it around?
It gave them hope for maybe ten minutes. But hope isn't enough when you're chasing a two-goal deficit against a team that's playing with confidence. The goal mattered less than what it didn't change.
What happens next for São Paulo? Do they drop out of the top four?
That depends on how the rest of the round plays out. But the real question is whether Dorival returns soon. Without him, they're just treading water.