da bwin: Santos fans set fire to players’ cars and filled the streets with explosions in response to the club's first ever relegation from Brazil's top flight.
da betcris: Article continues below
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Santos lost 2-1 to FortalezaWent down to Serie B Fans burn down the port city WHAT HAPPENED?
The club which earned global fame through Pele's stint from 1956 to 1974 sank to despair and darkness after they went down 2-1 to Fortaleza in the final game of the Brazilian Serie A. Although they had slipped to the relegation zone after going winless in their last five matches a win would have been enough to survive. But a 96th-minute winner from Juan Martin Lucero dashed Santos' hopes after he lobbed over Joao Paulo, the keeper, who had come up during a corner in the hope of finding a winner.
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Fans resorted to rioting in the port city as their emotions got the better of them. Furious fans set alight several cars and one of them belonged to Santos forward Stiven Mendoza. Whereas, black smoke was spotted bellowing out from various parts of the city in the aftermath of the defeat.
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Things were further bitter for Santos fans as cross-town rivals Palmeiras were crowned champions of the Serie A for the second successive time. Meanwhile, they will also miss out on cup competition next season after they failed to keep up in Serie A and also suffered disappointment in Sao Paulo's state championship.