Gabigol and Thaciano inspire Santos comeback in Paulistão opener | OneFootball

Santos opened their Paulistão campaign with a 2-1 comeback win over Novorizontino at Vila Belmiro, as Gabigol and Thaciano scored.

The visitors struck first, and goalkeeper Gabriel Brazão produced a fine first half save to prevent a second. Gabigol equalised after an earlier effort was ruled out for offside, before substitute Thaciano hit the bar and then swept in the winner following an Igor Vinicius run. According to Diario Do Peixe, Gabigol and Thaciano were the standouts in the player ratings.

Rollheiser impressed before the interval, threading a superb pass to Caballero and contributing to the equaliser. Willian Arão kept the game ticking over, and Brazão was steady throughout.

At the back, Adonis Frías was at fault for the goal conceded, though he passed out cleanly. Zé Ivaldo mixed needless fouls and a booking with a vital goal-line clearance and several won duels. Escobar struggled both in support and in defence.

Caballero squandered a clear chance with the goalkeeper out of position, and Gustavo Henrique committed a rash foul after coming on. Robinho Jr began brightly, feeding Gabriel Barbosa once, then faded. João Schmidt lacked influence and was withdrawn through fatigue, while Luan Peres played too little to be assessed.

Lautaro Díaz laboured before the break, improving slightly when moved wide left afterwards. Mateus Xavier added energy from the bench, creating two or three promising moves. Coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda was marked down for his initial selection, then credited for half-time and second half adjustments, with the team structure clear but choices often costly.

Source: Diario Do Peixe