Palmeiras took a big step towards the Brazilian Championship title this Thursday (6), by beating Santos, 2-0 at Allianz Parque, with two goals from Vitor Roque.
The alviverde team, with a consistent performance and rewarded for its persistence, reached 68 points, opening a three-point advantage over Flamengo, who, despite having the same number of matches, sees the pressure increase in the fight for leadership in the final rounds of the competition.
In addition to the distance, Palmeiras also has an advantage in the first tiebreaker criterion, with two more victories than the Rio team (21 to 19).
At the other end of the table, Santos saw the pressure in the fight against relegation increase. With 33 points, the Vila Belmiro team occupies 17th place, first in the relegation zone.
The black and white team needed at least a draw to finish the round outside the Z-4. In the first half, he almost achieved a greater feat. In addition to decisive saves from goalkeeper Brazão, Santos found the net with Arão, in the 23rd minute, but the goal was disallowed for offside.
In the second half, Palmeiras intensified the pressure and, in counterattacks, managed to beat Santos’ goalkeeper twice, both with Vitor Roque, in the 22nd and 35th minutes.
While Palmeiras had a great performance from their number 9, one of the main names in the offensive sector of the team led by Abel Ferreira, Santos once again could not count on Neymar. The number 10, who had returned to the field at the weekend after recovering from a muscle injury, was preserved by the technical committee due to the synthetic grass at Allianz Parque.
Pressured by the threat of falling, Santos returns to the field next Sunday (9), when they will face Flamengo, at Maracanã. On the same day, Palmeiras visits Mirassol.
