The Day I Played with Ronaldo

With little respite, Sao Paulo faces the semifinals of the Sao Paulo State Championship.

The quarter-finals of this event are a game to determine the outcome, and from the semi-finals onwards, two rounds of home and away games must be played.

If the two rounds are tied, there will be no extra time and a penalty kick will be played directly.

Most of the competitions in South America do not play overtime. The Copa Libertadores also plays two rounds in the knockout stage. If there is no winner in the two rounds, then just shoot a penalty.

The reason why there is a rule not to play overtime is because the games of South American clubs are too intensive, and the teams are generally fatigued and their physical fitness is worrying.

In the mainstream European arena, the league with the most intensive competition is the Premier League. 38 Premier League matches, as well as the FA Cup, League Cup, and European competition for teams with good results. If all events go hand in hand, there will always be about 60 games played in that season.

Therefore, Wells star Bell once said in an interview that one of the main reasons why Premier League teams lack competitiveness in the Champions League is the too dense schedule.

However, the intensity of the Premier League's games is nothing compared to Brazil's.

Take Sao Paulo this season as an example. Although there is no need to play the Rio-Sao Paulo match, there will be 11 games in the Sao Paulo State Championship (if it reaches the final), 46 games in Brazil, and the Copa Libertadores. If there are 14 games in the final, this will be 71 games. In addition, there is the Brazil Cup, which is more than ten games...

Therefore, Brazil's giants often encounter double matches a week or even three matches a week. There was another time last season in Sao Paulo. They had to play a national championship in the afternoon and a Brazilian Cup game in the evening, and they could only give up one of them. This kind of ridiculous and strange thing can only be encountered in Brazil.

So Sao Paulo has a wealth of experience in double matches a week, and even three matches.

In the home game against Santista, although the whole team was relatively tired, the Trident, who played only 45 minutes in the last game, was still alive and well. Fabiano scored a hat-trick with overhead kicks, Ricardo scored twice and provided an assist, and Sao Paulo beat their opponents 5-0.

Unfortunately, however, Fabiano was injured in this game. Although the injury is not serious, it will take a few weeks of truce.

In the second round of the game, Sao Paulo, who had already secured the victory, dispatched a lineup composed almost entirely of substitutes, and won a small 1-0 victory over the opponent in the away game, successfully getting the ticket to the final.

Before they had a good rest for a few days, on March 9, they ushered in their opponents in the final - Corinthians.

From February 26 to the present, in just 11 days, they have played 4 games, with an average of less than 3 days. It can be said that they are already exhausted.

Of course, Corinthians are not having a good time, they are also facing a two-line battle. In the group stage of the Copa Libertadores, Corinthians also won both games, but in the Sao Paulo game, they will go much more stumbling.

It has also undergone coaching changes and major changes, but Corinthians is obviously not as good as Sao Paulo this season.

In the group stage of the São Paulo State Championships, they finished second and almost missed the knockout stage. In the quarter-finals, they only narrowly beat the underdog Babarens at home. Since the semifinals, they have gradually found a little status.

However, facing the old opponent of Sao Paulo, Corinthians' players seem to have been beaten up, and there is no need to mobilize at all.

In an interview before the game, midfielder Fabinho said: "Our state is really not very good this season. But as long as we face Sao Paulo, the whole team can perform at its best."

New aid Amaral also said: "I understand the significance of this derby and am willing to give everything for victory."

Corinthians' new coach Junior also vowed: "Sao Paulo is strong,

But we will put our heart and soul into it, and we will give our fans two exciting games to win our first championship of the season. "

However……

"Goalllllll!!!" The commentator's passionate shout echoed, "Only 6 minutes into the game, Ricardo took advantage of the mistake of the Corinthians defender and scored a goal!"

"Rogerio went over the top, Ricardo caught the ball with incredible speed, got a one-handed chance, he knocked down the goalkeeper Doni, and put the ball in the empty goal! It was Ricardo's 10th in this competition. A goal!"

"The experience of wearing the jersey of the national team has made Ricardo more mature! After returning from the national team, he has scored goals in three consecutive games!"

After all, this round of the game is Corinthians' home court, so after a short period of panic, Corinthians quickly adjusted, playing steadily and advancing step by step.

Today they formed a 352 formation that is rarely seen in Brazil. Three offensive and defensive midfielders Fabinho, Vampeta and Fabrizio hoarded in the center, while the offense mainly relied on two wingbacks. Jerio and Moreno.

However, Rogerio made a mistake in the opening game, which affected his state. Under the impact of Riccardo, he has been timid and unable to attack, which seriously affected Corinthians' attack efficiency.

And Sao Paulo let the 18-year-old teenager Tardelli start today to replace the injured Fabiano. Although Tardelli worked hard, he still lacked in strength. He did not have the ability to start and played very reluctantly. Sao Paulo's offensive is also a bit out of reach.

In the midst of the back and forth between the two sides, the game came to the halftime break.

As soon as the second half started, Rojas made a substitution adjustment, replacing Tardelli with Elton, and letting Ricardo stand at the front as the center forward.

The substitution worked wonders. It is naturally impossible for Elton to compete with Kaka for the ball, so Kaka was fully activated, and frequently inserted in the back row to create opportunities at high speed, which made Corinthians' three midfielders embarrassed.

In the 69th minute, Kaka plugged in at high speed and handed the ball to Ricardo who pulled the ball out of the penalty area.

In the 81st minute, Kaka dribbled the ball to the front of the penalty area again, and then distributed the ball to Ricardo who pulled the ball to the edge of the penalty area. After taking the ball, Ricardo took advantage of the situation and passed Anderson. He successfully hit the goal from a small angle and rewritten the score to 3:0.

The Pacambu Stadium was deathly silent, and no one could accept the reality that their team lost 0:3 at home.

After the game, the Sao Paulo players celebrated their victory in advance in the locker room. With a gap of 3 goals, it was impossible for their opponents to catch up.

On March 12th, Sao Paulo once again ushered in the Copa Libertadores game. They went north to Quito to challenge Ecuador's powerful National Athletic team away.

Due to Ricardo's suspension and Fabiano's absence due to injury, Sao Paulo seemed a bit weak in attack, and Atletico Nacional was unable to break through Sao Paulo's gate. In the end, the two sides shook hands and made a 0-0 draw.

Three games, 2 wins and 1 tie, accumulated 7 points and achieved 6 goal difference. As long as the Sao Paulo team wins Cali America at home in the next game, they can ensure a qualifying place in the group.