Corinthians defeated São Paulo 3-2 at the Neo Química Arena in a derby that was far more one-sided than the scoreline suggests, especially in the second half, when the home side dominated.
A stunning goal from Matheuzinho broke São Paulo’s spirit, and the third goal, scored by Breno Bidon after a beautiful exchange of passes, effectively sealed the match. Garro ran the show, Bidon was brilliant, Yuri Alberto tormented the Tricolor defense, and Hugo Souza came up big when needed.
But the game’s talking point inevitably involves referee Anderson Daronco.
Because, let’s be honest, Daronco bottled it.
The VAR called the official to review a possible obscene gesture by Bobadilla after his equalizer for São Paulo. The problem? Just recently, Corinthians saw players receive red cards in very similar situations for provocative gestures.
In other words, there was a lack of consistency.
If such behavior led to a sending-off in other matches, why not now? Daronco went to the monitor, saw the incident up close, and chose to let it slide. He lacked the courage to make the tougher call in a high-stakes derby.
That said, it would be unfair to claim the result was determined by the referee. It was determined by the football.
And in that football, Corinthians were clearly superior to São Paulo.