Santos played with 12 players and the referee only yellowed the captain | VIDEO

An unusual detail marked Santos vs Blooming last Thursday at the Urbano Caldeira stadium, where both teams drew goalless at the end of the group stage of the Copa Sudamericana. The ‘Peixe’ played at one point with 12 footballers and the referee took notice, but only sanctioned the captain of the Brazilian team with a yellow card. The episode is viral on social media.

Aside from the incident, Santos and Blooming from Bolivia tied in a lackluster closing game of Group E between those eliminated from the Copa Sudamericana 2023. The two teams, who fielded substitutes, said goodbye with an opaque presentation, consistent with their poor conduct in the tournament, at the Vila Belmiro stadium in the port city of Santos.

Although he dominated the ball and had more chances to beat goalkeeper Braulio Uraezaña, the ‘Peixe’ showed his little offensive depth, even when starting players such as the Venezuelan Yeferson Soteldo, Lucas Lima or the Colombian Stiven Mendoza entered in the second half.

Lima had the chance to break the tie with a penalty in stoppage time (90+10), after a foul on the promising attacker Deivid Washington, 18, but the shot hit Uraezaña’s right post.

The Brazilians have gone eleven games in a row without winning in all the competitions they play (five losses, six draws), a sporting crisis that led to the departure of coach Odair Hellmann last week.

The recent arrival of Paulo Turra does not seem to have shaken them either, not even against a squad that played with ten men in the final minutes after midfielder Christian Latorre (84) was sent off for a double yellow card.

Commanded by the Argentine Carlos Bustos, Blooming at least added a point on Brazilian soil, after having lost five times in the previous cup matches.

The two reached the last day of Group E with no chance of going to the round of 16 or the play-offs of the international tournament. The Brazilians finished in third place with 5 points and the Bolivians at the bottom, with 1.