Christian Cueva, who could be fined for missing a Sao Paulo training session after playing for his country against New Zealand, returned to the Brazilian club today and was included in the lineup against Botafogo. However, the key player in Dorival Junior's scheme did not start.
The Sao Paulo coach, who according to club sources was "frustrated" with the player's absence on Saturday, reversed his decision not to include him in the squad for a match that the team played against Botafogo in the Brazilian Championship and added him at the last minute.
► Uncertainty: despite the president's words, a Brazilian newspaper claims that Cueva will be sanctioned
Dorival explained Cueva's situation in the club and the reason why he did not start the game:
"There was a delay. He arrived at six-thirty in the morning, went straight to the training center. He practically rested until moments before the match. He did not train, he did not do the day-to-day. We had no way of testing him. It was a very big risk to put him on the field from the beginning," explained Dorival.
"We took advantage of him (Cueva) in the best way, when we imagined that Botafogo would drop in performance. I think he helped us on the field. Because of the schedules, we couldn't do it differently. He traveled all night. Naturally, he did not have enough time to be in total condition working with the group," he added.
Cueva started on the bench and came on in the 59th minute of the match, which ended in a 0-0 draw.
Ronaldo scored in just 14 seconds and set the course for that December derby in the 2003/04 season. (YouTube)