Santos beat Sao Paulo 2-0 in the fifth round of the Brazilian Championship on Sunday night at Vila Belmiro, thanks to two first-half goals. After a well-constructed play by Camacho and Jean Mota, Marinho scored in the 27th minute, and Gabriel Pirani made it 2-0, minutes before halftime after Liziero’s ball handling error.
Santos more or less deserved to win the game, since they showed far more determination on the field than the Tricolor, who appeared lost and confused.
In Vila Belmiro, the derby got off to a tense start, with both teams spending a lot of time studying each other. Santos concentrated on defence, while Sao Paulo were far from their best on the field.
Peixe, who had less possession of the ball, were more efficient, scoring in the 27th minute on their first major chance. Camacho sent a beautiful pass to Jean Mota, who then assisted Marinho in beating Tiago Volpi for the game’s opening goal.
Tricolor’s only good chance in the first half came in the 41st minute, when Reinaldo attempted but failed to strike the target. Three minutes later, Liziero made an unusual error by delaying the ball for Volpi and instead passing it to Kaio Jorge, who aided Pirani to increase the home team’s lead.
Santos maintained their first-half pace after the interval, although Sao Paulo improved marginally. The hosts had the opening chance of the second period, as Volpi was forced to make a good save from Kaio Jorge’s attempt.
Igor Vinicius pulled one back for the Tricolor in the 55th minute. However, the goal was overturned because Eder was slightly offside. Late in the game, Marinho came close to making it 3-0, but his effort hit the crossbar and deflected off target.
Both teams return to the field in the middle of the week for the Brazilian Championship. Sao Paulo takes on Cuiabá at Morumbi on Wednesday. Santos will play Grêmio in Porto Alegre on Thursday.
