The Sao Paulo Coast team finished the round in 17th place with 38 points, three points behind Colorado.
Santos Beira left Rio in the relegation zone, but with the hope of staying. In a 1-1 draw with Internacional, in a match that ended in the 35th round of the Brazilian League, the Sao Paulo team showed its ability to respond without Neymar, and escaped a disastrous first half and left Porto Alegre feeling that continuity was possible.
The team is still in the relegation zone with 38 points, and the performance in the supplementary stage raises hope for the final stage, which favors Santos more than its direct competitors.
Optimistic projection passes through the calendar. Santos faces bottom side Sport in Vila Belmiro, then visits Juventude – who mathematically could be relegated to the penultimate round – and finishes with Cruzeiro, who must play with a split focus due to the Copa do Brasil semi-final. With just one point behind Vitoria, first outside the relegation zone, the Vojvoda side saw a draw in the south as a result, despite the initial struggle, having strategic value.
On the other hand, Internacional wasted a clear opportunity to stay away from the fight. With 41 points, the team is in 15th place and faces a more hostile end to the championship: Vasco in Sao Januario, Sao Paulo in Morumbis and promoted Red Bull Bragantino in the final round. The inconsistent performance, especially after the break, raised a warning signal for a team unable to maintain its good run in the competition, and boos were raised after the final whistle.
Without Neymar, who survived with knee pain, Vojvoda selected Robinho Junior alongside Rolheiser and Taciano, but the attacking structure did not work. Santos struggled to breathe in the first phase and did not even score a goal.
Internacional piled up chances and found space with ease and could have settled the game before the end of the first half. Alan Patrick’s goal, in the 19th minute – a beautiful play with Bure as the pivot and Alan Rodriguez as the hinge – only confirmed Colorado’s superiority.
The pressure remained constant. Vitinho hit the post, forcing Allan-Patrick Brazao into an unexpected save, and Santos, stunned, appeared to have escaped more through luck than organisation. Inter paid dearly for not expanding. The minimal advantage, despite the size, kept the opposition alive and gave Vojvoda the opportunity to rebuild Santos in the first half.
The answer came with changes and a new attitude. Barreal and Guilherme changed the tempo of the attack, and the equalizer came 16 minutes into the second half: Guilherme crossed with precision, Barreal controlled the chest and finished the match with a left-footed shot, scoring a wonderful goal that completely reshaped the atmosphere of the match. Santos began to control the ball, pushing Inter back and silencing a part of Beira Río that showed increasing anger.
Ramon Diaz tried to adjust the Colorado team with changes, but Inter’s consistency disappeared. Santos, motivated by the good news, prioritized security and maintained territorial control. In the final minutes, the Sao Paulo team took more risks, but the drama continued on both sides with a draw.
Technical sheet
International 1 x 1 Santos
International – Rocher; Aguirre (Bruno Henrique), Vitao, Mercado and Bernabe; Thiago Maia (Oscar Romero), Bruno Gomez (Alan Benitez), Alan Rodriguez (Gustavo Prado) and Alan Patrick; Vitinho and Burri (Ricardo Matias). Coach: Ramon Diaz.
Santos – Gabriel Brazao; Mike and Adonis Frias, Luan Perez and Escobar (Souza); Willian Aarau, Z Rafael (Joao Schmidt) and Victor Hugo (Barial); Rolheiser (Gabriel Bontempo), Thassiano and Robinho Junior (Guilherme). Coach: Juan Vojvoda.
Goals – Alan Patrick, 19 minutes in the first half. Barreal, 16 minutes after the start of the second half.
Yellow cards – Mike and Taciano (Santos)
Referee: Davi de Oliveira Lacerda (Spanish)
Income – R$ 405,340.00
Audience – 37,429 fans
Location – Beira Rio, in Porto Alegre (RS).