Santos defeats Cruzeiro by a single goal and wins by a single goal.
On one side, the black-and-white team, which had drawn 1-1 with Avaí in the first round, wanted the three points to recover in the competition and climb the table; while the sky-blue team came missing some players due to the Copa Libertadores; Cruzeiro, which lost by a single goal to Corinthians in its opening match of the competition, also couldn't count on Leandro Damião due to contractual reasons.
Futnet -Santos hosted Cruzeiro this Sunday at Vila Belmiro, in a match valid for the second round of the first half of the 2015 Brazilian Championship. On one side, the black and white team, which had drawn 1-1 with Avaí in the first round, wanted the three points to recover in the competition and climb the table. Cruzeiro, on the other hand, came missing some key players due to their participation in the Copa Libertadores. Cruzeiro, which lost by a single goal to Corinthians in its opening match of the competition, also couldn't count on Leandro Damião due to contractual reasons.
O JOGO
At the start of the first half, the game was very lively for both sides. Santos started attacking, but the offensive sectors of both teams didn't seem inspired, and the final pass was always a problem. From the middle of the half onwards, Santos began to impose a greater volume of play, and the Cruzeiro team started to feel the pressure, suffering constant attacks from Santos. Cruzeiro marked their opponents securely, but, at 44 minutes of the first half, Geuvânio sprinted down the right and scored a fantastic goal from outside the area. Fábio, caught off guard, didn't even move – 1-0 for Santos!
In the final stage, Cruzeiro returned more determined and looking for the equalizer, but suffered from the same problem as in the first half: the inefficiency of the offensive sector. Marquinhos was making too many inaccurate passes and shots, while Henrique Dourado was invisible in the game. This was better for Santos, who defended and waited for the best opportunity to counter-attack, increasing their marking on the Cruzeiro players. At 29 minutes, Robinho had a golden chance to secure the victory, receiving the ball in front of the goal; however, defender Fabrício cleared the shot off the line. Santos continued to attack and mark Cruzeiro with the same intensity, but thanks to the Cruzeiro defense, the damage wasn't greater.
With this result, Cruzeiro lost its second consecutive game and now languishes in second-to-last place without any points. Santos, with four points, climbed to fifth position. In the next round of the Brazilian Championship, Santos visits Chapecoense at Arena Condá, starting at 16 PM (Brasilia time) next Sunday. On the same day, Cruzeiro hosts Ponte Preta at Mineirão, starting at 18:30 PM (Brasilia time).