Palmeiras saw off Santos 3-0 in the quarter-finals of the Brazil Cup on Wednesday evening. The result puts them one step closer to the semi-finals. The hosts had won their last two matches before this encounter, while Santos were coming off a 1-1 draw with Mirassol.
J. Lopez opened the scoring in the 34th minute, and here's the thing — it wasn't the flashiest of goals, but it gave Palmeiras the confidence to control the tempo. Santos had 55 per cent of possession but couldn't do anything with it. The visitors were dominant in the air from set plays but that didn't translate into chances.
Andreas Pereira doubled the lead just before the break, striking in the 45th minute and then adding another in the first minute of stoppage time. To be fair, Santos should have done better with their 55 per cent possession, but the shots on target tell you everything. Pereira received a yellow card later, but his contribution was decisive.
Lopez came for a cross he never reached in the first half, but by then the damage was done. He made the difference again in the 61st minute, and Santos had already handed four substitutions at 46 minutes. The decision to bring on B. Rollheiser, Joao Schmidt, G. Caballero and G. Gomez came too late to change the shape of the game. Santos lost their way completely after that.
The statistics paint a clear picture. Palmeiras registered eight shots on target compared to Santos' single effort, and their expected goals of 3.48 against 0.33 showed where the chances went. Santos completed 532 passes but only five key passes led to shots. The visitors had 114 attacks but just two big chances created.
Palmeiras now have one foot in the next round, and the old head settled them down through the opening half. Santos will need to look at how they created just two big chances from 114 attacks. This quarter-final exit will require some serious reflection from the coaching staff.
