Against all odds, Santos thrashed Grêmio on Wednesday night to secure a spot in the Libertadores semifinals. A 4-1victory at Vila Belmiro saw Peixe advance on a 5-2 aggregate after both legs.
Santos literally went all out from the onset. In less than a minute on the clock, they were in the lead already. There was history to be made as Kaio Jorge found the net just after 11 seconds to score the fifth fastest goal in the Libertadores history.
Santos kept their intensity early on and it soon paid off once again.
In the 16th minute, a swift counter-attack was finished off by Marinho to put his side 2-0 up. The energy died off after then and the first half ended that way.
Santos put the game beyond doubt when Kaio Jorge scored again just nine minutes after the break to put his side 3-0 up. Thaciano pulled one back for Grêmio in the 81st minute but Santos added yet another through Laercio who was only just on the pitch for seven minutes.
For their next opponents in the Libertadores, Santos will face the winner between Racing and Boca Juniors. Racing have a one-goal advantage from the first leg and the second leg will be played next week. The semi-final fixtures are already set for January 6th and 13th.
Over to the Brazilian Championship, Grêmio take on Sport on Saturday while Santos return to the pitch on Sunday to face Vasco. Grêmio will be looking to bounce back with a win that could take them into the top four.
