Santos FC held by Palmeiras at Vila, out of the 2026 Copa do Brasil

Santos FC fought hard and applied plenty of pressure early in the derby, but could not overturn Palmeiras’ large advantage. After a 0-0 draw this Wednesday (2) at Vila Belmiro, they are out of the 2026 Copa do Brasil. Peixe did try to break through and created chances, but their rivals knew how to protect the result after winning the first leg of the quarterfinals 3-0 on the 26th at Nubank Parque in São Paulo, thus securing a place in the semifinals.

Out of the national knockout tournament, coach Cuca’s squad now shifts focus to the 2026 Brazilian Championship. Riding high after beating Corinthians 1-0 last Sunday (30) at Neo Química Arena, Alvinegro Praiano now aims to climb even higher in the table and move away from the danger zone.

This Sunday (6), Santos FC visits Internacional at Beira-Rio Stadium at 4 p.m. for the 26th round of the Brasileirão. If they can win in Porto Alegre, Peixe could open up as much as a seven-point gap from the relegation zone and start dreaming of bigger things in the national competition.

Santos FC now turns its full focus to the Brasileirão (Photo: Raul Baretta/ Santos FC)

The match – Driven by the “fire corridor” on arrival and by a roaring Vila Belmiro, Santos came out on top of Palmeiras. Just 4 minutes in, Igor Vinicius reached the edge of the box and struck with his left foot, forcing a save from Carlos Miguel.

Taking charge of the game, Neymar Jr drew defenders at the 12-minute mark and won a free kick in midfield. The number 10 himself hit it powerfully, and the Palmeiras goalkeeper made another save.

The pressure continued and, in the 23rd minute, Lucas Veríssimo appeared unmarked inside the box after a scramble. However, the ball came at him too fast and the center back could not control it, even with the goal open, wasting Santos’ best chance in the derby.

Santos supporters put on a great show inside and outside Vila Belmiro (Photo: Reinaldo Campos/ Santos FC)

After failing to turn the early pressure into goals, Santos FC could not keep up the same pace in the following minutes and saw Palmeiras hold on for the 0-0 draw at Vila Belmiro.

In the second half, Peixe did threaten a few times through Gabriel Barbosa, Rony, and Davizinho, but the match ended goalless, with their rivals advancing.

MATCH SHEETSANTOS FC 0 x 0 PALMEIRAS

Copa do Brasil – Quarterfinals – Second legLocation: Vila Belmiro, in Santos (SP)Date: September 2, 2026Time: 9:30 p.m.Referee: Davi De Oliveira Lacerda (ES) Assistant referees: Guilherme Dias Camilo (MG) and Neuza Ines Back (SP)Yellow cards: SANTOS FC: Escobar, Gabriel Bontempo and Gabriel Barbosa. PALMEIRAS: Giay, Luis Pacheco, Vitor Roque and Felipe Anderson.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.