São Paulo ended their disappointing run of three matches

São Paulo ended their disappointing run of three matches without a victory by grabbing a 2-1 win over Coritiba.

The life of a manager in Brazilian football is extremely low and there were concerns about Doriva’s position after these three matches without a win. Two of those games were in the Brazilian Serie A. Failure to win these games saw São Paulo allow the likes of Santos and Internacional to close the gap in the table. The win againstCoritiba cannot come at a better time for the club. ManagerDoriva says that this match was always going to be difficult despiteCoritiba fighting against the possibility of relegation.

Doriva has also recalled that São Paulo put in a shift in the first half against Santos but were not duly rewarded with a victory. Confidence is a crucial factor in football and this victory will now help São Paulo look at the upcoming games in a positive fashion. Reaching the top four is priority number one right now. After having recently lost 3-1 to Santos, the club now prepare for the second leg in front of their own supporters. The duo come up against each other in the Copa do Brasil competition. Alan Kardec opened the scoring for São Paulo before former Milan forward Alexandre Pato secured the winner in the second half.

“We were looking for that first win. It was important because we had the intention to win and keep us alive in the fight for top-4. We managed. It's not easy to face a team that fights to get out of the relegation zone. I'm happy. Victories bring confidence. We played a good first half against Santos and didn't win. We need to improve the finalization so that the goals can come. But this victory here will bring an extra confidence to reverse this situation,” saidDoriva.