Santos booked a spot in the Libertadores finals as they beat Boca Juniors 3-0 at the Vila Belmiro. The stage is set for an all-Brazilian final as they will face Palmeiras to decide who lift the crown.
Diego Pituca put Peixe ahead in the first half while Soteldo and Lucas Braga added to the goal tally in the second half to secure the victory. Elsewhere, Fabra got sent off for Boca Juniors after a bad foul on Marinho.
Santos put up a bright performance from the onset. They showed the drive and hunger they wanted to win the match. Marinho hit the cross-bar seconds into the first half before Kaio Jorge also came close just few minutes after.
Pituca finally opened the scoring for Santos in the 16th minute. The midfielder got the loose ball into the back of the net following a Soteldo shot that -deflected off Lisandro Lopez’s arm in the 18-yard box.
Russo made two changes for the Argentine side after the break. He brought on Capaldo and Buffarini but the introduction of both players didn’t change the dynamics of the game. Soteldo extended the host’s lead four minutes into the second half before Lucas Braga made it 3-0 barely two minutes later.
Boca Juniors’ nightmare continued that evening as Fabra lost his cool and stomped Marinho. It got him sent off and crowned what was a poor outing for the Argentine side.
This will be the third time an all-Brazilian Libertadores final will take place. It will also be Santos’ fifth final appearance, having won three out of their previous four. They will be hoping to lift their fourth crown of the competition when they go head-to-head with Palmeiras.
The finals will be a one-legged tie and will take place on Saturday 30th of January.
