Santos and Bahia finished 1-1 in a match from the 32nd round of the Brazilian championship, played in heavy rain at the “Vila Belmiro“ stadium. The hosts were left with a man less for the entire second half after Neymar received a straight red card after a clash with Rodrigo Nestor, but reached the point with a goal by Luan Perez in the fourth minute of added time.
Santos started more actively. Philippe Coutinho missed an opportunity early on, and a little later his goal was canceled because the ball left the boundaries of the field when Neymar crossed from a corner. In the 17th minute, a shot by the Brazilian star hit the crossbar after a ricochet.
The conditions on the pitch gradually made the game difficult. The puddles that formed stopped the ball and both teams increasingly relied on long passes. Bahia took advantage in the 39th minute, when after a cross and an unsuccessful clearance, Luciano Zuba received the ball in front of the penalty area and opened the scoring with a left-footed shot.
Neymar received a red card after VAR intervention
The first altercation between Neymar and Nestor took place in the 31st minute and resulted in a yellow card for the Santos player. Before the game resumed, the two again got into a verbal conflict. Neymar covered his mouth with his hand, and referee Savio Pereira Sampaio was called to review the situation through VAR. After the check, the referee showed him a straight red card.
The decision was related to the rule known in Brazil as the “Vinicius Junior Law“, which provides for sanctions in certain circumstances when a player covers his mouth during a conflict with an opponent. After the match, Neymar admitted that he had made a mistake with the gesture, but denied making offensive remarks. “I was sent off in a fair way“, he said, while accusing Nestor of taking advantage of the situation.
Santos equalizes in added time
Despite being outnumbered, Santos searched for a goal. Gabigol missed a good chance after a pass from Roni, and in the 77th minute another goal for the home team was disallowed for offside. Bahia looked close to winning, but Benjamin Rolheiser crossed from a corner in the fourth minute of added time and Luan Perez equalized with a header.
Santos collected 46 points and remained in eighth place, while Bahia has 50 points and occupies seventh position. Neymar will miss the next derby with Palmeiras because of the red card, and the accumulated yellow cards will also remove him from the match with RB Bragantino. Coach Kuka said that he will first talk to the striker. “We don't need to throw him on the stake“, said the coach.
Sources: sportal.bg, ge.globo.com