The Campeonato Paulista defined this Sunday (15) the last four teams classified for the next phase and also the second relegated to the second state division. Corinthians, São Paulo, Santos and Capivariano joined Novorizontino, Palmeiras, Red Bull Bragantino and Portuguesa in the knockout stages.
Velo Clube, beaten 6-0 by Santos, fell to Series A2 and will join Ponte Preta in the relegation. Corinthians advanced after beating São Bernardo, 1-0. São Paulo secured themselves with the triumph over Ponte Preta, 2-1. And Capivariano advanced after beating Botafogo de Ribeirão Preto, 1-0.
Santos’ victory marked Neymar’s debut of the season after recovering from surgery. He hadn’t played since the last round of last year’s Brazilian Championship.
The knockout stage will have the following clashes: Novorizontino (1st) x Santos (8th); Palmeiras (2nd) x Capivariano (7th); Red Bull Bragantino (3rd) x São Paulo (6th) and Portuguesa (4th) x Corinthians (5th).
The teams will face each other in a single game next weekend, with the teams with the best campaign in charge.
The FPF (São Paulo Football Federation) will hold a Technical Council tomorrow, at 3pm (Brasília time), to define the days and times of the matches.
