- Without Neymar or Gabigol in the squad, the 'Peixe' drew 0-0 at the Bellavista and took the tie thanks to the 2-1 first-leg win at the Vila Belmiro.
- Cuca's side will meet Atlético Mineiro in the quarterfinals; Macará, unbeaten leaders of their group, bowed out of the Copa with their heads held high.
Santos are through to the CONMEBOL Sudamericana quarterfinals, and they paid for their ticket in a different currency from that of their gala nights: no stardust, just order, sacrifice and a defense that never cracked. At 2,500 meters above sea level in Ambato, the 'Peixe' drew 0-0 with Macará and protected the 2-1 earned in the first leg at the Vila Belmiro, on a night when the hosts pushed them to the very last breath.
The talking point came on the team sheet before the pitch: neither Neymar nor Gabigol, the two headline names of the series, traveled to altitude. Cuca fielded an alternative eleven, with Thaciano and Gustavo Caballero in attack and a bench full of academy youngsters, and the plan was clear from the start: concede possession, close off the avenues, defend the first-leg lead and look for space on the counter.
The way it unfolded showed that the Brazilian side managed to impose their terms. Macará dominated the match from start to finish; and Santos, despite registering seven attempts, never once hit Rodrigo Rodríguez's target. The hosts ran permanently into the solidity of the visitors' back line, with Brazão alert to every cross to bring the Ecuadorian dream down to earth. Guillermo Sanguinetti's team piled up attacks, above all down the flanks through Viera and Campana, but never found the shot that would truly set the Bellavista alight.
In the second half, Cuca moved early — Benjamín Rollheiser and youngster Rafael Gonzaga came on at the break — and the match grew steeper and steeper for the hosts, who gambled with the introductions of José Klinger, Martín Tello and Luca Ferro. The reward never came: the 0-0 held until the seventh minute of stoppage time, and Macará were left with the frustration of an elimination without losing the second leg over 90 minutes.
The farewell of the 'ídolo ambateño' deserves a paragraph of its own. In their third CONMEBOL Sudamericana appearance, Sanguinetti's team produced the best continental campaign in their history: unbeaten group leaders, past the opening stage for the first time, and out of the Copa pushing until the end in front of their fans. The tie with Santos was decided, in the end, by a single goal across 180 minutes.
The 'Peixe', meanwhile, continue their journey toward La Gran Conquista, the only CONMEBOL title missing from their cabinet, and already have a heavyweight clash on the horizon: Atlético Mineiro, who knocked out Bragantino in a thrilling tie on Wednesday, in the quarterfinals. The first leg at the Vila — the one with Gabigol's 100th goal and the comeback — ended up being worth an entire series. In Ambato, without their stars, Santos showed they also know how to suffer their way through.
Match facts:
- Santos have knocked out Ecuadorian sides on all three occasions they have faced them in the Round of 16 of CONMEBOL competitions: against Liga de Quito in the 2004 and 2020 Libertadores, and against Macará in the 2026 Sudamericana. In the 2020 edition, moreover, they went on to reach the final.
- It is the first time since 2013 that Santos have avoided defeat in a CONMEBOL competition match without a shot on target. It is only the second time in that span that they have failed to register an attempt between the posts; the previous instance also came against an Ecuadorian side, Barcelona, though on that occasion they lost.
- Macará's Franco Posse and Agustín Campana (nine between them) attempted more shots than the whole Santos team (seven), and Franco Posse alone had as many touches in the opposition box as the entire Brazilian side combined (eight).
- Gustavo Henrique is the only Santos player to have won 5+ tackles in more than one match in a single edition of any CONMEBOL competition since at least 2013 (five of ten against Recoleta in April, and five of seven today against Macará).
- Only against Estudiantes de La Plata in April 2018, in the CONMEBOL Libertadores, have Santos made more clearances (57) and more aerial clearances (26) in a match in any CONMEBOL competition since at least 2013 than today against Macará in the CONMEBOL Sudamericana (24 aerial clearances out of 46 in total).
