ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. – Sao Paulo FC goalkeeper Sidney Aparecido was the hero as the Brazilian side advanced to the final of the 2017 Florida Cup Playoffs after taking an 8-7 victory in a penalty shootout against Argentina’s River Plate at Al Lang Stadium. The two sides had played to an entertaining 0-0 draw through 90 minutes, but Aparecido’s save to deny Matias Moya in the ninth round sent his side on to face SC Corinthians Paulista in Sunday’s final.

The sides were level 4-4 after five rounds, with Aparecido saving from River’s Gonzalo Martinez in the opening round, and Sao Paulo’s Wesley shooting wide of the left post in the third. The two sides then held their nerve as the shootout went to sudden death, exchanging goals through the eighth round. After Sao Paulo defender Lucao fired into the left corner to give his side the edge to open the ninth round, however, Aparecido’s diving stop low to the right corner on Moya’s effort gave his side victory.

On a festive night in downtown St. Petersburg that saw both clubs’ fans provide an engaged atmosphere throughout, the majority of the banners festooned around the stadium may have belonged to River, but the majority of the chances in the first half fell to Sao Paulo.

The Brazilian side’s first chance of the night proved the best of the opening 45 minutes. After cutting past his marker on the right, Wellington Nem was brought down in the penalty area in just the third minute, but Christian Cueva’s shot to the left corner of the net was denied by River’s Enrique Bologna as the ‘keeper went at full stretch to turn the effort wide.

Sao Paulo pinned River in for much of the opening 10 minutes, but its next good chance came on the counter-attack as a chipped ball over the top found Andre Chavez in space on the left, only for his effort with the outside of his left foot flew well high. Luiz Araujo was up next, found all alone in the left side of the penalty area by Nem, but his finish went high and wide when a goal seemed in the offing.

River almost made Sao Paulo pay a minute later when Denis Rodriguez cut past his defender on the right and into the penalty area. His near-post shot took a deflection off a defender, but only found the side-netting. Sao Paulo continued to create the bigger chances, though, and a big save by Bologna was necessary to deny Chavez’s header from 10 yards out.

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River began to get a foothold after the half-hour mark, and had chances in back-to-back minutes from range. The first by Tomas Andrade flew high of the crossbar, but the second by Denis Rodriguez forced Sao Paulo goalkeeper Denis to deflect the effort behind for a corner.

Nem continued to be a major threat for Sao Paulo, though, and almost produced the opening goal just before halftime. After being slipped into the right side of the penalty area by Thiago Mendes, Nem’s angled cross to the far post needed just a touch, but found none and drifted wide of the left post. Moments later, Julio Buffarini hit the post, compounding the frustration for the Brazilian side as the game remained scoreless at the break.

The pattern continued in the second half, but Sao Paulo’s pressure in first 10 minutes after the break didn’t manage a breakthrough. The game then started to even out, but neither side was able to threaten strongly enough to produce the opening goal. River thought it had taken the lead with 12 minutes to go, but the assistant referee’s flag denied Sebastian Driussi’s close-range effort.

Sao Paulo almost grabbed the lead with nine minutes remaining when Shaylon was cleverly played into the left side of the penalty area, but Bologna denied his near-post shot and turned it behind for a corner. Rodrigo Mora flashed a shot wide of the right post for River two minutes later, while Sao Paulo’s Gilberto had a big chance charged down by River’s Camilo Madaya, but the game ended scoreless, allowing Aparecido to prove the hero.