Fulbras
With soccer poor, Santos lost to Barcelona in his first group stage appearance for Libertadores
São Paulo (Folsapres) – Santos, who reached the Copa Libertadores final last year, reached the group stage with optimism after passing San Lorenzo in the qualifiers and showing good football. But this was not repeated on Tuesday (20) at Villa Belmeiro. Fragile in attack, the Brazilian national team lost to Barcelona (EQU) 2 to 0. A defeat at home is bad, but the scenario could get worse from Santos’s point of view in Group C. Of the three matches as a visitor, one will be at La Bombonera, against Boca Juniors (ARG), one of the most traditional teams on the continent, two others at altitude. He will face Barcelona in Quito (2,850 meters) and the most powerful (Bull) in La Paz (3,640 meters). So it was necessary for the Brazilians to debut with their home win, although the torrential rains that fell in Baixada during most of the first half left the Villa Garden flooded, especially in the first half. To complete the troubles, Brazil lost Marinho, their main striker, to injury, eight minutes before the end. Barcelona were a more conscious team throughout the match. He knew how to play with the condition of the field and in midfielder Fidel Martinez, there was a player who hadn’t calm down Santos for a minute. In the first stage, goalkeeper Joao Paulo flopped with a blessing, knocking off the goal poorly, but Damien Diaz finished weak and watched the Brazilian recover. Martinez and Pineda also had good chances, while Santos showed difficulties in creating opportunities. In such a situation, any defensive failure could be fatal. It happened right at the start of the second half, at 7 minutes, the guest pressure became the first goal of the match, when Jarces met inside the area and ended with low pressure. As the hosts continued to be erratic on the field, Martinez hit the post straight and did not stop threatening, unlike what his opponent had done. Santos didn’t even force goalkeeper Boray to work. The penalty reached 23, when Barra, who had already failed to score in the first goal, moved away from the same net to notice Barcelona’s second goal. Santos was expected to go to the abaya to try a reaction. But even that did not happen. Stadium: Villa Belmeiro in Santos Referee: Andres Matonte (Oro) Yellow Cards: Riveros, Pineda, Martinez and Mendonza (Bar); Sotildo goals (San): Jarces in the seventh minute of the second half. Barra (against), 23 minutes after the second time Santos João Paulo; Madison (Vinicius Balero), Luan Peres, Kaiki, and Felipe Jonathan; Alison (Lucas Lourenço), Parra & Birani (Lucas Braga); Marinho, Sildo, and Marcos Leonardo (Caio Jorge). T: Ariel Hulan Barcelona de Guayaquil Boray; Castillo, Leon, Riveros and Pineda; Molina (Sergio Lopez) and Pinatares; Hoyos (Quiñónez), Díaz (Oyola), and Emmanuel Martínez (Montaño); Jarsis (Mastarian). T: Faban Bustos
Agatha Christie is a journalist and feature writer specialising in culture, entertainment, books, and current affairs. She is committed to producing accurate, informative content that helps readers stay informed about the latest developments in the UK and beyond.
