Santos secured a 2:1 victory over Macará at the Urbano Caldeira in a Sudamericana Round of 16 tie on Wednesday night. The hosts went behind early but rallied to claim all three points in a match where every moment counted. By then, the Brazilian side had already shown they would not let the tie slip without a fight.
Macará struck first through F. Posse in the fifth minute, catching Santos off-guard on the counter. Gabriel Barbosa equalised in the 44th minute before Willian Arao sealed the win in the 76th. To be fair, Santos looked more dangerous once they established a rhythm, though the visitors stayed compact.
Gabriel Barbosa had two goals ruled out by VAR — one for offside and another for a different infringement. The striker was booked himself in the 77th minute, and it felt like frustration getting the better of him. He had been the focal point of the attack, and those cancelled goals left him flat-footed.
Santos dominated possession at 71 per cent and registered eight shots on target compared to Macará's single effort. Their expected goals figure of 1.78 tells you they created more than the scoreline suggests, but many chances went begging against a disciplined defence. Macará managed only five key passes and completed 153 passes in total.
The result leaves Macará top of the group with 10 points from six games, though Santos now sit on seven. The hosts had lost their last meeting with Atlético Paranaense 2:0, so this recovery was needed. Macará remain unbeaten, but Santos will feel they took something from the tie.