Diógenes earns Santos a 0-0 draw with Palmeiras

A goalless draw decided by the goalkeepers

Santos and Palmeiras finished 0-0 in Serie A’s Regular Season - 33 at Estádio Urbano Caldeira. Neither team found a goal, despite Santos recording 16 shots and Palmeiras producing the higher expected-goals figure of 1.62 to Santos’ 1.35.

Diógenes was the standout performer, earning an 8.0 rating after making five saves for Santos. Palmeiras goalkeeper Carlos Miguel also protected the scoreline, recording four saves and receiving a 7.6 rating. Both teams managed five shots on goal, underlining how the goalkeepers shaped the result.

Balanced numbers and late changes

Palmeiras held 51% possession and completed 408 accurate passes, the same number as Santos. Santos created eight shots from inside the box and eight from outside it, while Palmeiras had 10 inside-box attempts and three from distance. Santos also had seven blocked shots, compared with two for Palmeiras.

The match became more physical after Philippe Coutinho and Marlon Freitas were booked in the 38th minute. Palmeiras collected four yellow cards overall, including cautions for Joaquín Piquerez, Alexander Barboza and Agustin Giay. Santos had three, with Gabriel Bontempo and João Schmidt booked later. Both sides made several changes from the 66th minute onward, but the score remained unchanged.

Going into the match, Santos were ranked #8 with 46 points from 32 games, while Palmeiras were ranked #2 with 69 points from 32 games. Palmeiras were 23 points ahead, with Flamengo leading on 70 points. Both teams entered off a draw and left with another.