· 2 min readIn this Corinthians vs Santos match, I analyse the key tactical moments, individual performances and turning points of the game.
Corinthians and Santos came into this clásico with different needs, but equally big ones. Corinthians wanted to move closer to the Libertadores places, while Santos needed points to escape the relegation zone. Neymar was making only his second away appearance of the season, and there was one impossible-to-ignore curiosity: Santos’ only away win in the Brasileirão had come precisely in the star’s first away game.
The game started poorly, very poorly indeed. Nine minutes without a single shot and very little to get excited about, while Corinthians had more of the ball but couldn’t turn possession into danger. Santos weren’t doing much either, although Gabriel Bontempo was clearly the most interesting player in attack.
Gabigol even scored, but in the 23rd minute the goal was correctly ruled out for offside after an assist from Neymar.
The first-half statistics explained the difference between possession and danger: Corinthians had 59% of the ball, but only 0.14 xG, while Santos reached 0.99.
Santos, despite playing deeper, were finding some opportunities in transition, and that’s where the goal came from. In the 33rd minute, Bontempo was fouled and Neymar stepped up to take the free kick. The shot went towards the top corner, hit the post (or apparently was still touched by Hugo Souza), and came back to Oliva, who was in the right place to take advantage of the open goal. 0-1. Corinthians had more possession, especially in the attacking half, but they were missing exactly what they needed most: creativity.
The scenario didn’t change much after half-time. Depay started dropping deeper, connecting better with his teammates and trying to get involved in the build-up, but Corinthians still couldn’t create a genuinely dangerous opportunity. Santos, on the other hand, spent practically the entire second half defending.
In the 67th minute, Cuca even took off Bontempo, one of Santos’ best players up to that point, and brought on Rony. It was a difficult substitution to understand, especially because both players could easily have played together.
Corinthians kept increasing the pressure and reached 66% possession in the second half, while Santos dropped deeper and deeper. Pedro Raul came on to provide more presence in the box, Raniele came close with a header, but the equalizer never really felt imminent. And there is one statistic that sums up the game quite well: Santos went through the entire second half without a shot. Zero shots in 45 minutes, an extremely poor attacking approach, even while acknowledging that the team was almost flawless defensively.
In the final minutes, Corinthians continued pushing, but lacked the creativity needed to break down the block. Santos held on until the end and secured a hugely important away win.
Neymar didn’t have a brilliant game, far from it, but his presence once again coincided with a Santos away victory. Second away game, second win. Coincidence? It doesn’t look like it.
Post-match
It’s a huge win for Santos in the fight to stay up. The team practically gave up attacking in the second half, but defended very well and protected their lead.
