Santos player ratings: Gabigol shines despite defeat to Fluminense | OneFootball

Gabigol led Santos’ individual displays in a 13th-round Brasileirão defeat to Fluminense. Barreal also found the net after being pushed higher up. The night brought mixed returns across the side.

Globo.com notes that goalkeeper Gabriel Brazão was assured coming off his line and was not blamed for Savarino’s strike. He might have anticipated to stop the pass that reached Castillo for the second, and John Kennedy’s effort squeezed between him and the post. Right-back Igor Vinícius mixed good and bad, took a needless booking that brings a ban and left Kennedy free for the third, while Lucas Veríssimo struggled on Castillo’s goal and Luan Peres improved after a shaky first half.

Barreal was the weakest performer at left-back, then improved markedly when moved forward and lashed in a fine goal. Half-time substitute Rafael Gonzaga looked more confident than in the Copa Sul-Americana match, but failed to track Guga for Fluminense’s second.

Willian Arão won the ball at the start of the move for the opener and helped early build-up. Gustavo Henrique battled but dipped below recent levels, was booked for a foul on Serna and will miss the next round. Rollheiser tidied a stray Neymar pass and almost set him up, Fábio saved.

Gabriel Bontempo linked well with Neymar and Gabigol before fading after the interval. Lautaro Díaz offered pace on the left but made poor decisions, while Moisés contributed little and was withdrawn at half-time. Thaciano had too little time to assess.

Neymar drew frequent fouls and threaded passes that team-mates failed to exploit. Gabigol was Santos’ most decisive outlet, scoring smartly and teeing up Barreal. Coach Cuca’s initial calls on Barreal at left-back and Moisés misfired, and although he added Lautaro Díaz, Rollheiser and Thaciano to attack, defensive lapses proved costly.

Source: Globo.com