Santos Beat Universidad Central 4-1, and Barely Needed Their Best Player to Do It
The debate going in was whether Santos deserved the "clear favourites" tag against Universidad Central. By full time in Valencia, there wasn't much left to argue. Santos won the first leg of their Copa Sudamericana playoff round tie 4-1, a result Cadena 3 Argentina and beIN Sports both described as a dominant, one-sided away performance.
What made it more emphatic was who wasn't playing. Neymar stayed behind in Brazil to focus on a fitness programme following a disappointing World Cup, and, as Goal reported, he spent the hours before kickoff at a poker tournament in São Paulo rather than travelling with the squad. Santos manager Cuca confirmed afterward that Neymar would return for the weekend's league fixture against Chapecoense, framing his absence as planned rather than disciplinary.
Universidad Central actually started the brighter side, testing the Brazilian defence early through Kendrys Silva and Edwin Mosquera, according to El Deportivo. But Gabriel Bontempo broke the deadlock just before halftime, and Santos pulled away after the break through Gabriel Menino, Thaciano and Rony. Maicol Ruiz got one back for the hosts late on, a small consolation in a tie that's now nearly decided.
The match itself was relocated from UCV's home ground in Caracas to the Polideportivo Misael Delgado in Valencia after the earthquakes that struck northern Venezuela on June 24, per RPP.
So the original question answers itself. Santos didn't just have the superior squad on paper, they proved it without their most talented player on the pitch. The second leg is at Vila Belmiro next Tuesday, and Universidad Central now need something close to a miracle just to keep the tie alive.
