Neymar 1, Rentería 0

By Márcio Kroehn_247 - The referee took his time to blow the whistle to start the Once Caldas vs. Santos match, which seemed to benefit the players. Up to the 15th minute, both teams created good scoring opportunities. It was back and forth. But two players showed they could be decisive. For Once Caldas, striker Rentería, who played for Internacional, moved well and gave the Santos defense trouble. At five minutes, for example, he got rid of his marker and headed freely in the six-yard box, over the goal. Santos responded with Neymar, who exchanged passes with Zé Eduardo and shot with his left foot, but without direction. Rentería continued trying to open spaces in the well-positioned Santos defense, taking advantage of his team's greater volume of play, while Neymar couldn't receive the ball. At 37 minutes, the Santos number 11 dropped back to get involved in the game in midfield. It was as if he were saying: "I'm here, pass it to me". Santos understood the message and, at 42 minutes, he received the ball in the midfield on the right side of the field, drew the defenders and opened up a corridor for Alan Patrick who, alone, controlled the ball and chose the left corner to make it 1-0.

In the second half, the Once Caldas fans understood why Neymar is one of the main Brazilian players. He led the team like a veteran, despite being only 19 years old. Drifting down the left, he dribbled, tried, and troubled the defense until he was pulled down by defender Calle, who received his second yellow card and was sent off before the 15-minute mark. That was what Muricy's team needed to score two or three goals. But the team stopped. And the Colombian team knew that retreating was a terrible strategy. They pressed Santos, who preferred to manage their lead, and Rentería tried in the 25th minute but shot wide; in the 30th minute Rafael parried for a corner. And in the 34th minute he shot over the bar. The pressure was natural, but it was in vain. Whenever the ball fell to Santos, Neymar was the focal point to trouble the Colombians, who are three months behind on their salaries. The Once Caldas players are even threatening not to travel to Brazil if the money isn't deposited into their accounts in the next few days. Next week, the game is at Pacaembu. And Santos brought a good advantage with them: a 1-0 win for Neymar.