Santos defeats Cruzeiro in a lackluster match.

Cassius Oliveira_247 - Santos hosted Cruzeiro at Vila Belmiro. The home team started the game on the attack, with Neymar crossing into the area, the ball falling to Borges who shot, but goalkeeper Rafael made the save. At 10 minutes, Neymar crossed again into the area, the ball deflected off the defense and went into the goal. However, the assistant referee flagged for offside. Two minutes later, Alan Kardec received the ball in the area and passed to Borges, who, unmarked in the six-yard box, pushed the ball into the net, opening the scoring for Santos. Cruzeiro was a team that was pinned back on the field, unable to generate attacking power, even with an offensive lineup featuring Roger, Montillo, Ortigoza, and Bobô up front. The first opportunity for Cruzeiro, as the team is called in Minas Gerais, came with striker Bobô, who headed wide from a Gilberto pass. Santos responded with a pass from Léo, which Borges headed into the goal. But the assistant referee again flagged for offside against the Santos attack. Cruzeiro seemed very dependent on their number 10, Montillo, who wasn't having a good game. At the 30-minute mark, defender Anderson Carvalho brought down midfielder Montillo in the penalty area. Penalty. The Cruzeiro midfielder wasted the chance to equalize, missing the penalty and shooting wide. Santos managed to contain a possible Cruzeiro comeback with strong marking.

In the second half, Cruzeiro went on the attack. Just two minutes into the game, midfielder Montillo made a great play, dribbling past three defenders and falling. The ball fell to Bobô, who shot weakly, allowing Rafael to make the save. In the next play, midfielder Roger tried his luck from outside the area, and the ball went close to the Santos goal. Santos' response came only seven minutes later, with a free kick from Neymar, which Rafael saved well. But Cruzeiro seemed like a motivated team in the second half. Midfielder Gilberto exchanged passes and shot towards goal, the ball deflected off the defense and went out for a corner. In the next play, midfielder Fabricio controlled the ball and shot from outside the area, the ball going close to the Santos goal. At 12 minutes, striker Bobô controlled the ball with his chest and shot, forcing a great save from Rafael. Cruzeiro pressed high up the pitch, winning the ball back in attack and creating chances mainly through long-range shots. Santos had difficulty organizing their attacks. At the 20-minute mark, Neymar received a pass from the left and crossed into the box, but Alan Kardec couldn't reach the ball.

Cruzeiro was reduced to ten men after a play in which Neymar nutmegged defender Léo, who fouled the striker and received his second yellow card. Santos went on the attack, trying to take advantage of having an extra man. At 33 minutes, Neymar passed to Alan Kardec, who was arriving alone in the area. The pass was short and the defense cleared. The Santos team continued to attack, and midfielder Felipe Anderson launched a pass to Alan Kardec, whose shot was saved by the Cruzeiro goalkeeper. At the end of the game, midfielder Fabrício was sent off after a hard foul on Neymar. With the victory, Santos climbed to 12th place with 29 points, while Cruzeiro dropped to 13th place with one point less.