São Paulo was eliminated from the Copa do Brasil in the first match they participated in in the 2026 edition. After a 1-0 victory in the first game, at Morumbi, the team lost 3-1 to Juventude, at the Alfredo Jaconi stadium, in Caxias do Sul, with a goal conceded in the 49th minute of the second half.
The result increases the crisis at the Tricolor club and the pressure on coach Roger Machado. After the 3-2 defeat to rival Corinthians, last Sunday (11), an audio was leaked in which president Harry Massis Júnior said that he would not fire the coach due to lack of money to pay the termination fine and hire a replacement.
The team then accumulated its fifth consecutive game without a win. The score was zero until the end of the first half, something that favored the São Paulo team. Then, Ferreirinha, who had just replaced the injured Luciano, hit defender Rodrigo Sam in the back and received a red card.
With one more, Juventude went in search of the result and scored with two headers: with Gabriel Pinheiro, in the 20th minute of the final stage, and Marcos Paulo, in the 26th minute. Tapia equalized, also with a header, in the 39th minute. But São Paulo couldn’t hold on and were conceded in stoppage time, in another high-flying move.
Fábio Lima crossed from the right. Mandaca appeared freely on the second stick and headed it. Rafael made the save, but the ball was presented to Mandaca again, who took advantage of the rebound. At the edge of the pitch, Roger slapped the roof of the bench, lamenting his elimination and the possible loss of his job.
“There is no excuse, we are the biggest culprits,” said striker Calleri. “I apologize to the fans who came here. It was a s…, that’s the truth. We didn’t fight for the second play, we did a s… in the expulsion. It was a s… at home, losing a lot of goals, missing a penalty. We deserve to be charged and we’re going to be charged.”
It has not been an easy year for São Paulo fans, in an extended crisis with roots off the field. In January, amid an investigation into an alleged illegal sale of boxes at shows in Morumbi, president Julio Casares – who had already been removed by the Deliberative Council – anticipated the vote on his impeachment and resigned.
Harry Massis Júnior took over the chair, in a complicated administrative situation – the debt was R$858 million at the end of 2025, according to the recently released balance sheet. On the field, the team fell in the Campeonato Paulista in the semifinals, against Palmeiras. And, even after a surprisingly good start in the Brazilian Championship, coach Hernán Crespo was fired.
He had friction with the board, which bet on Roger Machado. But the results were not good. The team went from leading to fourth place in the Brazilian Championship, today ten points behind first place, rival Palmeiras. And he fell in the Copa do Brasil, with a foolish expulsion from Fereirinha and an immense difficulty in cutting out crosses.
