(Photo from santos.com.br)
With just under fifteen minutes left in last night's game, it seemed that the start to the season was going to get worse. Ituano were leading by a goal and it seemed like an equalizer - never mind a winner - would never come. Despite being the dominant team, Santos were looking quite pedestrian, and some divine inspiration was sorely needed. Alan Kardec was just the man to provide it.
The gangly forward struck his first blow with a superb diving header to bring the sides on levelterms. Then, with only stoppage time remaining, he produced another instinctive finish to turn one point into three as Santos got their first win of the season. The twenty-three year old turned what was going to be a night of grumbling among Santos fans into one where, "O time da virada!" became the phrase of choice.
Highlights
Kardec was without a doubt the Man of the Match, but how did the rest of the reserve team fare? Aranha, Anderson Carvalho, Felipe Anderson (it was his dribbling and superb cross that setup Alan Kardec's first goal), and the substitute Dimba (he assisted Kardec's second goal) played well. At the other end of the spectrum, Maranhão, Tiago Luis, and Rentería were very poor. The rest of the team was largely somewhere in the middle.
The game marked Muricy Ramalho's return to the bench, and we'll have to wait and see if he makes any changes based on these two games going into Sunday's match against Paulista. Most likely the reserves will get another chance to show what they have to offer.
Vai pra cima deles Santos!
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