São Paulo Takes Brasileirão Lead as Palmeiras Stumble

Roger Machado’s Winning Start at the Brasileirão

The Brasileirão changed leadership on a rainy Thursday night in São Paulo. Roger Machado, who replaced Hernán Crespo as São Paulo’s coach, watched his side dominate from the opening whistle but needed the second half to break through against a disciplined Chapecoense defense. Luciano headed home from a Marcos Antonio through-ball just two minutes after the interval — his 106th goal for the club, making him São Paulo’s 17th all-time top scorer. Calleri doubled the lead at the 14-minute mark with his eighth goal of the 2026 season, finishing a move that exploited the spaces Chapecoense left while chasing an equalizer. Bobadilla hit the post with a fierce strike that could have made it three. This is part of The Rio Times’ daily coverage of Latin American sports.

The match was played at the Canindé rather than MorumBIS, which is undergoing pitch renovation. Heavy rain made the waterlogged surface treacherous — both teams struggled to build from the back in the first half, with long balls replacing passing sequences. One of the stadium’s floodlight towers failed at the 31st minute of the second half, causing a brief stoppage. The gate reached R$542,204 ($105,300) from 13,493 spectators. São Paulo now stands at four wins and one draw, with eight goals scored and just two conceded — the league’s tightest defense alongside Bahia and Mirassol, the other two unbeaten teams.

Palmeiras Fall at São Januário in Brasileirão Upset

São Paulo’s ascent was made possible by Palmeiras’ stunning collapse at São Januário. Flaco López gave the visitors the lead, but Vasco — who began the round in last place — staged a second-half comeback through Thiago Mendes and Cuiabano to win 2-1 in what coach Renato Gaúcho’s players treated as a survival match. The result was Palmeiras’ first league defeat since winning the Campeonato Paulista and dropped them three points behind São Paulo. Vasco jumped from 20th to 15th with four points, but the biggest casualty was Cruzeiro: with Vasco’s victory, the Raposa — who lost 2-0 to Flamengo at the Maracanã on Wednesday — fell to the bottom of the table for the fourth time in five rounds, with just two points and no wins.

Round 5 Results and What Comes Next

The full round produced several storylines. Pedro’s 100th Flamengo goal powered a 2-0 win over Cruzeiro, with coach Leonardo Jardim earning his first Brasileirão victory in charge. Atlético-MG edged Internacional 1-0, extending the Colorado’s winless streak — Inter have won just twice in their last 13 league matches. Coritiba upset Corinthians 2-0 at the Neo Química Arena, climbing to fourth with seven points as the Timão’s fans voiced frustration at another flat home performance. Bahia and Vitória drew 1-1 in the Nordeste derby at Arena Fonte Nova, leaving Bahia third with eight points. Mirassol and Santos produced a 2-2 thriller after Gabigol inspired a Santos comeback from two goals down. Botafogo, eliminated from the Libertadores by Barcelona de Guayaquil, have played only three matches and sit 17th with three points, inside the relegation zone.

Round 6 begins Sunday with São Paulo visiting RB Bragantino at the Cícero de Souza Marques stadium (8:30 p.m.), a test of whether Machado can sustain momentum away from home. Cruzeiro host Vasco at the Mineirão (8:30 p.m.) in a direct relegation clash that neither team can afford to lose. The postponed Athletico-PR vs Botafogo fixture is scheduled for March 29. With the season restructured to run January through December under the new calendar format, 33 rounds remain, but São Paulo’s invincible start — the strongest opening by any side in three years — has already shifted the narrative about who will challenge for the title.