Corinthians vs. Santos
June 25, 2022
The Stage
It’s one of the different São Paulo derbies not involving the other two local sides: Palmeiras and São Paulo
The venue is Corinthians’ home stadium, the Neo Quimica Arena, previously known as Arena Corinthians, and it’s sold out at just over 49,000
Corinthians are currently second in the Brazilian Serie A standings, and Santos are sixth
There are a lot of absences for both sides due to injuries and suspensions, but Santos has been hit a little harder. As a result, a lot of players from the youth team are getting opportunities to impress
Full house at the Neo Quimica Arena
Key Moments
1:00 - The Corinthians torcidas (equivalent of ultras in Europe) set the tone with a massive tifo display in the stands just after kick-off
11:00 - First big chance falls to Santos’s Marcos Leonardo, whose run beat the high defensive line from Corinthians, but in the end his chip goes wide
17:00 - 17 year old Santos attacker, Angelo, finds fellow midfielder, Leo Baptistao, in the area, but his shot is saved by Corinthians keeper Cassio
Halftime - 0-0. Santos dominated the first half hour, even reaching up to 70 percent possession at one point. Angelo has been the most impressive player for the visitors, but Corinthians slowly began to get a foothold towards the last 10-15 minutes of the half
49:00 - Almost instant impact from halftime substitute, Willian, who plays in Giuliano, but the latter shoots wide. The home side showing more urgency early in the second half
64:00 - Surprise substitution from Santos coach, Fabian Bustos, who takes off the youngster Angelo despite him being their main attacking threat, and the score still 0-0
69:00 - Big save from Santos keeper John on Roni’s shot. Best effort of the match thus far
83:00 - Frustration bubbles over and one of the Corinthians assistant coaches gets sent off for his choice words to the referee.
Full-time - 0-0. Only 3 shots on goal, 2 for Santos and 1 for Corinthians. The Corinthians was really the only one that was particularly threatening
Takeaways
Santos were certainly better in possession and more incisive with their passing, especially in the first half. The youngster, Angelo, was a handful with his direct running and dribbling ability ending the match with the most successful dribbles (6) despite being substituted with almost 30 minutes remaining. This change almost signified Santos’s decision to shut up shop and play for the draw, which resulted in a polar opposite performance from them in the second half compared to their dominant start in the first
Angelo, 17, looks like yet another bright prospect to come out of the Santos academy
Corinthians hardly looked like the home side, ranked second in the league standings, in the opening stages. A switch from a back four to a 3-4-3 around the 30 minute mark, however, gave them more presence in midfield and attack. They built on this in the second half, but the attackers, with the exception of Adson, were far from sharp
Awards
Man of the match - Adson. The Corinthians winger was relentless in the second half tormenting Santos left back, Felipe Jonatan, multiple times. He played a part in creating Corinthians’ most threatening chance, but the end product from his teammates was lacking
Adson gave Santos and Jonatan fits down the right wing
Best skill of the match - Adson. In the 69th minute, he takes the ball and plays it around one Santos defender, then does a quick Cruyff turn to beat a second defender. After a lay off to Willian, who then plays it to Roni, Corinthians get a shot on goal which ended up being their best chance. Honorable mention for Santos goalkeeper, John, whose save was massive (see both below)