Santos shine against Galo, but red card nearly ruins it all | OneFootball

Marcelo Baseggio

Santos played a good game against Atlético-MG this Sunday, at Arena MRV, in Belo Horizonte, for the 23rd round of the Brazilian Championship. The teams drew 1 to 1, but at least in the first half, it was Santos who dominated the match.

Boosted by the debuts of Lautaro Díaz and Victor Hugo, Santos managed to impose itself even playing at the opponent's home and had the best chances of the first half, most of them with Neymar.

However, Santos' number 10 could not take advantage of clear goal opportunities, even "missing" the ball in one of them, something unthinkable for those who know his best version.

In the second half, however, Zé Ivaldo compromised the game Santos was playing in Belo Horizonte by committing a foul on Hulk, receiving the second yellow card and being expelled early in the game.

At a numerical disadvantage, Santos saw Atlético-MG grow and knew how to take advantage of the moment to open the scoring with Igor Gomes. From then on, coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda tried to make some changes in the team in order to seek the unlikely draw.

Fate wanted one of the players activated by the Argentine coach, Tiquinho Soares, to suffer a penalty at the last minute. The striker himself took the penalty and did not miss, ending a drought of 14 games without scoring a goal and securing the precious draw for Santos.

Santos' performance after Zé Ivaldo's expulsion should not be a benchmark, but even when at a numerical disadvantage, the team led by Vojvoda was brave and managed to compete with Atlético-MG to the point of scoring a goal, which shows the character of the squad and the commitment to get out of the uncomfortable situation in the Brazilian Championship.

Despite the point earned in Belo Horizonte, Santos remains in a delicate situation in the Brasileirão, bordering the relegation zone. But, the attitude the team had in Belo Horizonte gives a good perspective for the future for the fans.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.