Sao Paulo Ends Nine-Year Title Drought with Paulista Championship

Led by former Argentine international forward Hernán Crespo, Sao Paulo put an end to a nine-year title drought on Sunday by winning the Paulista Championship.

Crespo, who took over as the head coach of Sao Paulo three months ago and has already led the team to the Copa Libertadores round of 16, achieves his first title with this Brazilian giant.

Sao Paulo won the Paulista by defeating Palmeiras 2-0 in the second leg of the final, after a goalless draw in the first leg.

On Sunday at Morumbi Stadium, Luan opened the scoring for the Sao Paulo team at the 36th minute, and Luciano increased the lead at the 77th minute.

Crespo joined Sao Paulo in February, a month after leading Defensa y Justicia, a modest Argentine team, to win the 2020 Copa Sudamericana.

The 'Halcon' from Florencio Varela has become one of the sensations in regional football, and after winning the Sudamericana last January, they won the 2021 Sudamericana Recopa and have already qualified for the Copa Libertadores round of 16.

For veteran Dani Alves, Sao Paulo's victory in the Paulista Cup adds another trophy to his collection. However, he was unable to play in Sunday's match due to a knee injury.

At 38 years old, Dani Alves, who has been playing for Sao Paulo since 2019 after a successful career in Europe with Sevilla, Barcelona, Juventus, and PSG, has already won 42 titles, a record.

Sao Paulo, six-time Brazilian champion and three-time winner of the Copa Libertadores (1992, 1993, and 2005), had not won an official title since the 2012 Copa Sudamericana. And they had not won the Paulista Championship since 2005. AFP