Botafogo snatched a 1-1 draw with Sao Paulo on Saturday, May 23, 2026, at Morumbis in Round 17 of the Brazilian Serie A season. Luciano opened the scoring in the third minute after a Neto mistake, and Jordan Barrera equalised in the 45th minute of the second half with a strike into the top corner.
The result moved Botafogo to 22 points and kept the team in ninth place, with the round still in progress. It was an uncomfortable script for the supporters: Botafogo fell behind early, dealt with a heavy pitch and had to chase the result until the final minutes.
Early goal, familiar mistake
Sao Paulo scored at the start of the match. Artur carried the ball through the middle and shot, the ball skipped off the wet pitch and Neto failed to hold it. Luciano pounced on the rebound and made it 1-0 to the home side.
After the goal, Botafogo struggled to build in the first half. Franclim Carvalho’s team found little space, played too much through the middle and barely tested goalkeeper Rafael before halftime.
Barrera rescues it late
Botafogo improved after the break with Kadir replacing Lucas Villalba. The team pressed higher, had an Arthur Cabral goal ruled out for offside in the eighth minute and another by Vitinho disallowed in the 27th, also for offside.
The pressure finally paid off in the 45th minute. Rafael made a big save from Marcal’s header, but Jordan Barrera collected the rebound and fired into the top corner to level the match. In stoppage time, Kadir still set up Chris Ramos in a good position, but the striker sent his finish over the bar.
Match facts
The match drew 25,338 fans to Morumbis and had gate revenue of R$ 1,411,442.00. There were no red cards. For Botafogo, Justino, Alvaro Montoro and Chris Ramos were booked; for Sao Paulo, Luciano, Wendell, Rafael and Tapia received yellow cards.
Botafogo started with Neto; Vitinho, Ferraresi, Justino and Marcal; Huguinho, Santi Rodriguez and Alvaro Montoro; Lucas Villalba, Arthur Cabral and Kauan Toledo. During the match, Franclim Carvalho used Kadir, Edenilson, Jordan Barrera, Joaquin Correa and Chris Ramos.
What is next
Botafogo return to action on Wednesday, May 27, at 7 p.m., against Caracas at Estadio Olimpico de la UCV in the final round of the Copa Sudamericana group stage. In the Brazilian Serie A, the next match is away to Bahia on Saturday, May 30, at 5:30 p.m., at Arena Fonte Nova.