Match report
Santos hold off late Cruzeiro fightback to claim home win
Santos beat Cruzeiro 2-1 at Estadio Urbano Caldeira in a Brasileirão Série A round 27 fixture, moving further clear of the away side despite sitting below them in the table. The hosts raced into control before the break and never fully surrendered that advantage, even as Cruzeiro threatened a grandstand finish.
AI-assisted match report written from official match data.
Benjamín Rollheiser put Santos ahead in the 28th minute, and four minutes later Fabrício Bruno turned the ball into his own net to make it 2-0, leaving the visitors to chase the game from before half-time. Santos took that two-goal cushion into the interval and largely dictated the second half without adding to it.
Cruzeiro finally found a way through deep into stoppage time when Matheus Pereira converted an assist from Luciano Rodríguez in the 90th minute, but there was no time left to find a leveller and Santos held on for the win.
Santos dominated the underlying numbers, dominating possession and firing 31 shots to Cruzeiro's nine, a gulf reflected in the final scoreline despite the away side's late reply.
Rollheiser scored the opening goal and finished with a match-high rating of 8.03, underlining his influence in a first half that put the contest beyond Cruzeiro's control.
Santos overwhelmed Cruzeiro in shot volume, outshooting them 31 to 9 across the match.
Santos beat Cruzeiro 2–1 (half-time 2–0).
Santos met Cruzeiro in the Brasileirão Série A (Regular Season - 27). Kick-off was Sunday, 13 September 2026, 00:00 UTC at Estádio Urbano Caldeira. Referee: Bruno Arleu de Araujo. Attendance: 13,877.
Team pages: Santos · Cruzeiro · Brasileirão Série A
Key moments
- 28' Goal: Benjamín Rollheiser — 1–0 · Watch Benjamín Rollheiser's goal video (28')
- 32' Goal: Fabrício Bruno — 2–0 · Watch Fabrício Bruno's goal video (32')
- 90' Goal: Matheus Pereira (assist: Luciano Rodríguez) — 2–1 · Watch Matheus Pereira's goal video (90')
Starting line-ups
Santos (4-2-3-1)
Cruzeiro (4-2-3-1)
Sirius · Why these numbers
Before kick-off Sirius gave Santos 35%, the draw 31%, Cruzeiro 34%. It finished Santos 2–1 Cruzeiro.
Anyone's game — Cruzeiro are the stronger side on our strength rating, and Brasileirão Série A home advantage is not enough to separate them. The draw at 31% is helped by a draw-heavy league.
Why Santos at 35%?
Home ground, against the rating. Cruzeiro sit 115 points higher on our strength rating — 1654 to 1769. Sides with a 100–200-point rating edge on the road won 40.1% of 13,164 such games. Brasileirão Série A home sides out-perform the global norm — and the difference mostly flows to draws (27.0% vs 24.9% norm) and away wins (24.9% vs 30.2%). Brasileirão Série A homes won 48.1% of 4,436 games vs 44.9% across all 100,077 — outside the noise band, so the tally moves accordingly.
Why only 35%?
Because Cruzeiro are the stronger side on our strength rating. The rest is the draw at 31% and Cruzeiro at 34%.
Why the draw at 31%?
With a rating gap this size the draw starts at 27.2%. These teams' recent games average 2.4 goals — a typical goals environment. Games in that environment drew 26.2% of 27,797. Brasileirão Série A runs draw-heavy, adding 2.1 points. The goals environment adds 1.5 points to the draw.
What did we measure but not count?
Santos are missing 4 regular starters — Gonzalo Escobar, Álvaro Barreal, Gabriel Barbosa — about 44% of their usual starting-XI weight. Our measured receipt covers one-sided absences only, and the picture here isn't one-sided — both squads are short. Cruzeiro are missing 2 regular starters — Jonathan, Fabrício Bruno — about 21% of their usual starting-XI weight.
Sirius probabilities, frozen at kick-off. Analysis, not betting advice. How Sirius is doing this season · Full breakdown, evidence cards and squad news in the Match Insights tab
About this match
On this page: the Santos vs Cruzeiro final score and result, goal highlights and video clips of every goal, who scored, starting lineups, match stats and the full match report from this Brasileirão Série A fixture.
- Who scored and when — a goal-by-goal timeline of the match.
- Match stats — possession, shots, expected goals (xG), corners and cards.
- Starting lineups and player ratings for both teams.
- Head-to-head record and recent form for both sides.
- Watch Benjamín Rollheiser's goal against Cruzeiro (28').
- Watch Fabrício Bruno's goal against Cruzeiro (32').
- Watch Matheus Pereira's goal against Santos (90').
Watch the goals: goal highlights and video clips of every goal from Santos 2–1 Cruzeiro. Explore more on the Santos and Cruzeiro team pages or the Brasileirão Série A page.
Quick answers
›What was the final score of Santos vs Cruzeiro?
Santos beat Cruzeiro 2–1 (half-time 2–0).
›Who scored in Santos vs Cruzeiro?
Benjamín Rollheiser (28') for Santos; Fabrício Bruno (32') for Santos; Matheus Pereira (90') for Cruzeiro.
›Where can I watch Santos vs Cruzeiro highlights?
Goal highlights and video clips from Santos 2–1 Cruzeiro are on this page — open the videos tab to watch every goal.
›What is the head-to-head record between Santos and Cruzeiro?
Santos and Cruzeiro have met 10 times — 4 wins for Santos, 5 wins for Cruzeiro and 1 draw.