There is a clear feeling of déjà vu for Santos fans in the last round of the Campeonato Paulista. The team enters the field this Saturday (19), at 16:00, in Vila Belmiro, against Água Santa, depending only on its own legs to ensure permanence in the state elite. The dramatic script is almost the same as in 2021.
Last year, Santos’ mission was to at least draw with São Bento, also at home, in the last round of the first phase, so as not to be overtaken by the Sorocaba club itself in the classification table.
The team won 2-0, with goals scored by Kaio Jorge, now at Juventus, and Lucas Braga, the remaining and likely starter on Saturday, and avoided the embarrassment.
It is noteworthy that, at the time, the team also occupied the same third-to-last position among the 16 clubs in the competition, only with one more point: now it has 11.
The situation is worrying, but more favorable to the club than to its opponents. Santos is three points ahead of Ponte Preta, first in the sticking zone. Novorizontino, which has only three points, is the only one mathematically relegated to the A-2 Series.
In case of a tie in Vila, Ponte will not be able to reach Santos. Then, it will be up to the team from Campinas to try to overcome Ferroviária (13th place), which has the same score as Santos. Água Santa (12th) is not free mathematically, but has a ten-goal advantage over Ponte in the balance, which, in practice, leaves him with no real risk.
The fate of fighting relegations has worried Santos. This is the seventh battle fought against a descent in the current century alone. The fact occurred in 2008, 2009, 2015, 2018 and 2021, between editions of Paulista and Brasileiro.
If it is fresh in the minds of Santos to stay mathematically confirmed in the penultimate round of the last Brazilian Championship, under the command of Fábio Carille, the saving goal scored by Ecuadorian midfielder Michael Jackson Quiñonez, in 2008, against Internacional is also unforgettable.
Santos won 2-0 with the player’s goal –the second in his short spell at Vila Belmiro– with a shot that had the side of the field as direction, but which had its course changed by an unlikely deflection in the side Gustavo Nery.
In 2009, even with Neymar and Ganso, the team suffered to confirm the permanence. The same film was seen in 2015 and 2018, until the arrival of coaches Dorival Júnior and Cuca. This time, it will be up to the Argentine Fabián Bustos, who has not yet won in the two matches he played, the saving mission.
“This team had a huge deficit because, every time they conceded a goal, they fell emotionally and it was very difficult to get up. This part we worked on and improved,” said Bustos.
“The dilemma between qualifying and having more to work with is very bad”, added the coach, remembering that the team is still fighting for one of the spots for the quarterfinals. For that, they need to win and count on a stumble from Santo André, at home, against Inter de Limeira.
Bustos will not be able to count on striker Ângelo, who suffered an injury to the femoral biceps muscle in his right thigh. Lucas Braga, already a starter against Ferroviária, should be kept in the role.
I have worked in the news industry for over 10 years. I have a vast amount of experience in covering health news. I am also an author at News Bulletin 247. I am highly experienced and knowledgeable in this field. I am a hard worker and always deliver quality work. I am a reliable source of information and always provide accurate information.
