São Paulo U17 claimed a comfortable 6-1 victory over Bahia U17 in the thirteenth round of Brazil's U17 regular season on August 25th. The hosts, sitting ninth with 20 points, made no mistake against a visitors' side languishing in sixteenth place with just 13 points. To be fair, the result reflected a significant gap in form between the two sides at this stage of the campaign.
For São Paulo this win extends their unbeaten run, having drawn their previous four matches before finding their attacking rhythm. The visitors, meanwhile, have now lost six of thirteen games and sit adrift of the upper half. And here's the thing about youth football — momentum shifts quickly, but this result puts distance between the two squads.
São Paulo came into the fixture on a run of four consecutive draws, including goalless stalemates against Vasco and Botafogo. Their last win before this match came against Vitória in a 3-1 victory. The hosts had been grinding out results, but against Bahia they finally let the game flow.
Bahia's recent form tells a different story entirely. They have drawn three of their last five matches but also lost four, including a heavy 2-4 defeat away to Corinthians. Those 3-3 draws against RB Bragantino and Atlético PR suggest they can score, but they have struggled to contain opposition attacks consistently.
The six-goal margin means São Paulo move further clear while Bahia's hopes of climbing the table face a steeper hill. With thirteen rounds played, there is still time for both teams to reshape their campaigns, but this afternoon showed who has the upper hand.