Novorizontino Advances to Paulista Semifinals After Thrilling 2-1 Victory Over Santos

Novorizontino secured their spot in the semifinals of the Campeonato Paulista, defeating Santos 2-1 in a tightly contested quarterfinal match played this Sunday (February 22nd). The game, held at Estádio Doutor Jorge Ismael de Biasi in Novo Horizonte, went down to the wire with a dramatic late goal sealing the victory for the home side.

Match Highlights

Rômulo opened the scoring for Novorizontino just before halftime, giving them a 1-0 lead. Santos responded in the second half with a goal from Gabriel Bontempo, leveling the score. However, Novorizontino had the final say, with Léo Naldi scoring the winning goal in the closing moments of the match.

Single-Game Elimination Format

The Campeonato Paulista quarterfinals are decided in a single match. This format meant that Novorizontino’s victory automatically propelled them into the semifinals, joining São Paulo and Palmeiras as confirmed semi-finalists.

Home Advantage in Semifinals

Thanks to their overall best campaign in the competition, Novorizontino will have the advantage of playing their semifinal match at home. The opponent will be determined after the quarterfinal match between Portuguesa and Corinthians, also played on February 22nd.

Key Goals

Novorizontino’s opening goal came after a missed touch by Neymar during a Santos throw-in, allowing Tavinho to recover possession. Tavinho’s subsequent cross found Rômulo, who successfully converted the opportunity in the 45th minute.

Santos equalized in the 69th minute when Igor Vinicius crossed the ball to Gabigol, whose shot was initially blocked but fell to Gabriel Bontempo, who finished into the corner of the net.

The decisive goal arrived in the 90+6th minute when Vinícius Paiva crossed for Léo Naldi, who headed the ball into the net, securing the 2-1 victory for Novorizontino.

Match Statistics

According to ESPN, Novorizontino had 32.6% possession compared to Santos’ 67.4%. Novorizontino recorded 6 shots on goal from 19 attempts, while Santos had 4 shots on goal from 10 attempts. Each team received one yellow card and Novorizontino had 10 corner kicks to Santos’ 4. The goalkeepers made 2 and 4 saves respectively.

Neymar’s Return to Santos

The match was notable as it marked Neymar’s return to Santos, with the club announcing his arrival with a video honoring Pelé’s legacy. ESPN reported on Neymar rejoining his boyhood club after leaving Al Hilal.