The absence of the manager with back-pain seemed to inspire Santos and after 12 minutes, Danilo had gone close with a good effort, denied only by Seleção keeper Jefferson.
However, it was the returning Neymar who would break the deadlock a moment or two later, turning midfielder Borges inside out before slipping the ball home with a delightful outside of the boot finish past Jefferson.
Bruno was soon substituted, having picked up a yellow card for fouling Neymar, but Botafogo also created their first chance when Maicosuel almost levelled proceedings following Loco Abreu’s flick header.
It was soon 2-0 however, when Borges sprang into life to put an end to the contest before half-time. The striker received the flicked-on long ball from Danilo, held of Fábio Ferreira before turning and hammering the ball home, via the inside of the post. A stunning effort, with the keeper helpless.
Botafogo introduced Herrera at the break to try and turn it around, but despite chances coming at both ends no breakthrough could be found.
The defeat is damaging to Botafogo’s title hopes, as they would have moved outright top of the table with just eight games to go. For Santos, it is just an indication of their inconsistency once more.
