Santos ratings: Cuca plan backfires as Palmeiras win 3-0 in Copa do Brasil | OneFootball

Santos endured a disastrous night as Cuca’s conservative plan backfired in a 3-0 defeat to Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil quarter-final first leg. Santos offered little threat and were repeatedly punished for defensive errors.

According to Globo.com, the ratings underlined a costly early miss when Igor Vinícius failed to convert after a smart backheel from Gustavo Henrique. Palmeiras then struck through Flaco López from outside the box, Gabriel Brazão slow to react after Luan Peres gave him space and João Schmidt was poorly positioned.

Brazão produced a fine save for the second, only for Andreas Pereira to sweep in the rebound, with Luan Peres inattentive and Barreal playing him onside. Santos struggled to close the central spaces, allowing Palmeiras to play with ease.

The third stemmed from an Escobar error in the build-up, Lucas Veríssimo beaten in the air as the move was finished. Veríssimo later cleared almost on the line to prevent a fourth.

At half-time, Cuca introduced Gabigol for Caballero and also replaced João Schmidt and Rollheiser, but the side remained disorganised despite adding more talent. Rony missed a good chance from a corner rebound, while Gabigol, dropping deep in search of the ball, was booed and his mistake almost gifted Giay a goal. Willian Arão later finished at centre-back as Santos focused on limiting the damage.

Source: Globo.com

“Artificial intelligence was used to assist in creating this article based on reporting from the original source quoted.”