Player Ratings: Kashiwa Reysol 1-3 Santos

Saved well from Danilo in the early stages of the second half but could do nothing about the stunning strikes that were Santos' goals.

Made a hash of a clearance that almost gifted Neymar a goal in the opening minutes. He did well to block an effort from Borges that could have put the game beyond doubt.

He regularly got down the right flank to help add to the attack. When used as an outlet he often supplied good crosses, particularly when he found Jorge Wagner in the 37th minute. He rose well to get a vital goal back for his side early in the second half.

Failed to get tight enough to Borges, allowing him to turn and get his shot off for the game’s second goal.

Looked impressive on the ball down the left but his delivery was not always accurate enough. He did not contribute to the attack as much as Sakai and left his side a bit lopsided.

An unspectacular performance from the midfielder as he pressed hard to ensure Kashiwa enjoyed good spells of possession.

Some early efforts from distance preceded a series of clumsy challenges that earned him a booking in the first half. Disappointing from set-pieces but showed touches of quality including his ball to Kitajima mid-way through the second half.

After a slow start his great shot after his original attempt from a set-piece hit the wall forced a save from Rafael. He supplied a superb delivery from the corner for Sakai’s goal.

Put in some good challenges and regularly closed down the play. He was booked for a poor challenge as he struggled to keep pace with Danilo, conceding the free kick that led to Santos’ third goal.

Only had one opportunity in the first half and his shot was deflected wide. He was rarely involved and arguably should have been taken off instead of the more impressive Kudo.

Caused some problems for the defense and almost broke through shortly after Neymar’s goal. Supplied the pass to Tanaka for an effort on goal which was deflected wide. He regularly caused problems for Edu Dracena at the back.

Was rarely called into action but could have been beaten on a couple of occasions when Kitajima missed and Sawa hit the post. However, this is more the fault of an absurdly complacent defense.

Some last ditch defending stopped Kudo from getting a shot off in the area shortly after Neymar’s goal and then again with half an hour gone. He was largely to blame for the gaps in the defense that created these opportunities, however.

A top-notch performance from the versatile youngster. He showed great pace to attack from the right full back position and always caused problems for his opponent. He won the free kick which he then expertly converted for his goal.

Playing out of position at left back he allowed Sakai to get the better of him too many times. It was disappointing from the player as he rarely got forward as his position demands.

Brought into the side due to his aerial presence, he was strong in the air for the majority of the game. He will be disappointed with his sides collective defending but was the best of a bad bunch.

A trademark performance from the deep-lying midfielder. Did his part defensively with some strong tackles to win possession before storming forward. Almost assisted the opening goal but Neymar hit the post.

A combative midfield performance from the former Cruzeiro man. He picked apart the play and fed Ganso which initiated the Santos attacks. He was occasionally clumsy in the challenge as he lacked space when pressed hard.

Not the performance the veteran midfielder would have wanted. His form has tailed off since the beginning of the year and he had little to no influence on the game. His opening set-piece was poor by his standards.

Got a foot in to avoid Kashiwa breaking into the box after 18 minutes. Assisted Neymar for the opening goal and showed a great range of passing. Failed to really take control of the match as space was hard to come by.

Got in dangerous areas on numerous occasions but could not add to his terrific opening strike. He did not really test Sugeno at any other point in the game though.

Hit post in an opportunist strike early on and went on some coruscating dribbles to win free kicks. He produced a finish of extreme finesse to open the scoring but went quiet for the second half, despite always looking hungry for the ball.