It was supposed to be the clash of two Campeonato Paulista titans, as Santos took on Corinthians at the Morumbi on Sunday afternoon but ultimately offered little in the way of entertainment for the neutral.
All the pre-match billing had been of Neymar vs. Pato and the potential joy that the clash of two young stars could bring. Ultimately, though, the sum total of their contribution to the game was a Neymar yellow card for diving.
Indeed, among all the turgid football, it was one of the oldest players on show who nearly decided the encounter. Marcos Assunção, a recent addition for Santos, was the man denied as he struck the bar with a superb free-kick that was well saved by Cássio late in the game.
Both teams attempted to alter the flow of the game with a raft of substitutions but neither side were willing to give an inch in a game that ultimately resembled trench warfare.
For the first time in recent matches between the two sides, Neymar failed to make any impact at all but he was far from alone on a rather forgettable afternoon in São Paulo.
