NO PARTY
The team from Alagoas guaranteed its stay in the Second Division and relegated Ponte Preta
Published on November 17, 2024 at 6:29 pm
Santos was surpassed by CRB and fans protested against the coach Credit: Disclosure/Santos
“It’s not easy, no. I want a team to shout: ‘they’re champions’.” It was under slogans, boos and insults towards coach Fábio Carille that the black and white fans “celebrated” winning Series B of the Brazilian Championship, in Santos’ 2-0 defeat to CRB, this Sunday, at Vila Belmiro.
Everything was ready for a great party: delivery of the cup, banners turned, return of the number 10 shirt, Menino da Vila’s debut. There was no shortage of attractions for the fans who filled Vila Belmiro, this Sunday, to watch the match against CRB and, mainly, to celebrate the title and Santos’ access to the national football elite.
It would have been a perfect sunny afternoon in Baixada if the team from Alagoas hadn’t been fighting against relegation and thus overshadowed the Santos party. The result saved the visiting team from being relegated and pushed Ponte Preta and Ituano into the Brazilian Series C next season. Brusque and Guarani were already relegated.
The atmosphere of joy for the early victory and goodbye to Series B took over the stands. After just 6 minutes, the banners of the organized fans, which had remained inverted since the fall in December last year, were collected so that, in the tenth minute, during the traditional tribute to King Pelé, they were displayed on the correct side, marking the end of the protests and a rare moment of peace between club and fans this season.
On the field, Santos played relieved by the feeling of duty accomplished and, finally, without pressure. Take it too much. In an unusual lack of attention to the defensive system, one of the strengths of the Baixada club in its victorious campaign, Labandeira received the free ball at the edge of the area to dribble past Gabriel Brazão and open the scoring for the visitors, in the 16th minute.
Despite the disadvantage, the fans continued to push the home team. During the rest of the first half, Santos tried to surround the CRB area, which had no space, but goalkeeper Matheus Albino practically didn’t work. Top scorer Guilherme even sent it into the net, but clearly offside.
The bureaucratic football that marked the trajectory of Fábio Carille’s team, this time came unaccompanied by efficiency, and, with each wasted offensive action, incentives turned into impatience. The honeymoon between fans and team was short-lived and the black and white athletes went down to the locker room to boos.
The replacement of Otero by Willian was all it took for the fans to lose patience with Carille, who, as in most games, started to be booed and cursed. Only the entry of home silver Luca Meirelles, 17 years old, in the place of the faded Giuliano, in the final stretch of the match, renewed the spirit of the team and the stands. In his first minutes as a professional, the striker made good passes and almost scored a goal through cover.
At the end of the match, the fans did not hide their disapproval as the cup was prepared to be handed over.
Santos ends its participation in Série B next Sunday, at 6:30 pm, against Sport, in Recife. At the same time, CRB plays a schedule against Operário, at the Rei Pelé stadium, in Maceió.
