Fortaleza recorded a crucial 2-0 victory over Santos on Thursday to move further away from the drop zone. Peixe fielded their reserve team with one eye on the finals of the Libertadores in mind.
Jean Mota missed a penalty and failed to strike first in the first half for Santos. It proved to be costly as Juninho from the spot and Wellington Paulista were on target for the home side in the second half to give them the win.
Fortaleza started the game more aggressively as they dominated play but Santos created the best chances.
The first chance of the game was with Guilherme Nunes; his shot from outside the goal area was way off the mark.
Later on, the game became boring and sluggish. Leão didn’t attack much and Santos couldn’t get the ball well on target. However, the match changed suddenly at the half hour mark, as the home side started to get control of the ball.
Right before the break, the visitors were awarded a penalty after Juninho brought Braga Ribeiro down in the 18-yard box. Mota took the spot kick but failed to convert and give his side the lead going into the break.
Leão returned after the break with more intensity as they did in the first half. They were awarded a penalty three minutes into the second period after Osvaldo was pushed by Madson in the area. Juninho stepped up to score the resulting penalty and put Fortaleza in the lead.
The goal forced Santos to come out more, gifting the hosts all the freedom and space at the back to operate and add to their advantage.
Fortaleza put the game beyond doubt as they grabbed their second goal of the night through Paulista in the 66th minute.
The result saw Santos’ four-game unbeaten run come to an end while Fortaleza returned to winning ways.
Fortaleza returns to the field on Sunday when they visit Atlético-GO in Goiânia while Santos hosts Goiás the same day.
