SE Palmeiras dealt a heavy blow to Santos FC with a commanding 3-0 victory in the quarter-finals of the Copa do Brasil. Santos struggled to find rhythm in the absence of star forward Neymar Jr, who did not feature in the match day squad.
Palmeiras took early control of the match, breaking the deadlock in the 34th minute through José Manuel López. Just before the halftime whistle, Andreas Pereira doubled the lead in the 45th minute, sending Palmeiras into the break with a comfortable 2-0 advantage.
Santos attempted to react in the second half with substitutions, bringing on Gabriel Barbosa and Rony, but failed to create decisive scoring opportunities. López sealed the victory for Palmeiras in the 61st minute by striking his second goal of the match. The 3-0 scoreline leaves Santos with a tough road ahead as they shift focus back to their league campaign.
