Santos confirms good phase, beats Corinthians and increases crisis at rival – 02/07/2024 – Sports

Santos beat Corinthians this Wednesday (7), 1-0, in Vila Belmiro, and contributed to worsening the rival’s crisis. It was the fifth consecutive defeat for the black and white team from the capital, who are in the relegation zone of the Campeonato Paulista. The Baixada team won the fifth duel in six matches.

João Schmidt, taking advantage of a corner kick from former Corinthians Otero, in the 23rd minute of the opening stage, scored the only goal of the match. The midfielder appeared unmarked in the penalty area before testing the ball into the back of the net, to the outrage of Cássio. The goalkeeper completed 700 games with the Corinthians shirt in the classic.

Not even the debut of Argentine midfielder Rodrigo Garro, regularized by the club a month after being hired, changed the face of Corinthians. Despite improving offensive production in the second half, the team created few clear chances and, in the best opportunities, ran into goalkeeper João Paulo.

Since the first round, when they beat Guarani, in Itaquera, the Corinthians ended up defeated by Ituano, São Bernardo, São Paulo —which they won for the first time at Neo Química Arena—, Novorizontino and, now, Santos.

The negative sequence made the Corinthians board opt to dismiss coach Mano Menezes at the beginning of the week. In Vila, the team was led by interim Thiago Kosloski. The club, however, has reached an agreement with Portuguese coach António Oliveira, 41, who was at Cuiabá.

The Portuguese has been in Brazilian football since 2020. Firstly, he started working in the country as an assistant for Santos on the coaching staff of his compatriot Jesualdo Ferreira. Later, still as an assistant, he worked at Athletico, where he moved to the role of coach.

As provided for in the Campeonato Paulista regulations, Corinthians will only be able to register their new coach in the competition when they “prove the discharge or formalization of a labor termination agreement for the dismissed professional”. The board is still negotiating how to pay the termination fine, estimated at R$12 million.

Meanwhile, the team is in the penultimate position in the overall State table, with just three points. The club is at the bottom of Group C, led by Red Bull Bragantino, with Mirassol in second and Inter de Limeira, in third.

Santos has their fifth victory in six games in the competition and leads Group A, with 15 points, 11 more than Ituano, in second place. The game that confirmed Santos’ good form was witnessed by Neymar, who was in Vila on Wednesday night. The player is in Brazil while recovering from injury.