20 Shots, One Point: Santos Held 1-1 by Mirassol

Santos recover to draw 1-1 with Mirassol

Santos drew 1-1 with Mirassol in Serie A on Sunday, August 23, at Estádio Urbano Caldeira. Mirassol led at half-time through Eduardo, but A. Barreal equalised for Santos in the second half with an assist from Neymar. The result was a draw, despite Santos producing the stronger overall performance.

Mirassol took the lead in the 36th minute when Eduardo scored a normal goal. Santos responded after the interval, with Barreal finding the net in the 68th minute following Neymar’s assist. Barreal finished the match as Santos’ highest-rated player, earning a 7.5 rating after 74 minutes, with two shots on target and four tackles.

The contest changed again in the 73rd minute when Mirassol’s Wallisson was sent off, leaving the visitors with 10 players for the closing stages. Igor Formiga was booked three minutes later, while Neymar received a yellow card in the 88th minute. Santos also saw Joao Schmidt booked in the first half, and Mirassol’s Gabriel Knesowitsch and Neto Moura were cautioned before the break.

Santos control the numbers but cannot find a winner

Santos controlled most of the match, holding 64% possession and completing 495 of 572 passes, compared with Mirassol’s 36% possession and 246 accurate passes from 331 attempts. The home side also finished with a commanding 20-5 advantage in total shots, seven shots on goal to three, and 10 corners to Mirassol’s two.

Those figures made the 1-1 scoreline notable. Santos recorded eight shots inside the box and seven blocked efforts, while Mirassol had only three attempts from inside the area and no blocked shots. Santos’ expected-goals figure was 1.06 against Mirassol’s 0.23, but Walter’s six saves helped preserve a point for the visitors. Walter was rated 7.3, matching Eduardo’s mark, while Santos midfielder Willian Arão received a 7.2 rating after producing one shot on target, one key pass and one tackle.

Draw keeps both sides below the top half

The result leaves Santos listed 14th in Serie A with 25 points from 22 games, alongside a record of six wins, seven draws and nine losses and a goal difference of -3. Mirassol remain 17th with 23 points from 22 matches, six wins, five draws and 11 losses, with a -10 goal difference. Santos had entered the match with mixed recent form, while Mirassol’s recent sequence also included wins, draws and losses. Neither side claimed the full points, with Santos unable to turn their statistical dominance and numerical advantage into a late winner.