Paulinho top scorer
In the year after the death of club legend Pelé, FC Santos fell into the second division for the first time in its 111-year history. The traditional club from the port city in the state of São Paulo, which became champions six times with Pelé in the 1960s and won the Copa Libertadores and the World Cup twice, slipped to relegation place 17 on the last match day.
While their pursuers Vasco da Gama (2-1 against Red Bull Bragantino) and EC Bahia (4-1 against Clube Atlético Mineiro) left the field victorious, Santos lost 1-2 against Fortaleza after conceding a goal in the sixth minute of stoppage time. A draw wouldn’t have been enough for Pelé’s club, as in that case EC Bahia, tied on points, would have had more wins.
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After the final whistle there were violent riots. The Santos fans threw several projectiles onto the field, including seats and fireworks, so that the police had to intervene and the players had to sit in the center circle for a long time, where they were insulted by the supporters as a team of shame. Anger also erupted outside the stadium and several vehicles were set on fire. “That was a historically bad night. The first thing we have to do is apologize with great humility,” said Technical Director Alexandre Gallo.
Palmeiras defends championship title – ex-Leverkusen player Paulinho top scorer
The championship title in the season named in honor of the three-time world champion “Rei Pelé” was secured by last year’s winner Palmeiras São Paulo, who achieved a 1-1 draw at Cruzeiro Belo Horizonte on the last matchday. With their twelfth title, the record champions also benefited from an unprecedented crash by Botafogo Rio de Janeiro, which squandered a 13-point lead and remained winless in the last eleven games. Final result: only fifth place.
The top scorer was ex-Leverkusen player Paulinho (23), who returned to Brazil to Clube Atlético Mineiro in January and scored 20 goals in 36 games. Veteran star Luis Suárez (36), who made Grêmio Porto Alegre runner-up with a brace in his last game, came in second.
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