A heavily changed Brazil side suffered defeat for the first time under Carlo Ancelotti, in a game that should have been special for Andrey Santos.
The midfielder was handed just his second start for his country in their final World Cup qualifier against Bolivia.
Ancelotti decided to heavily rotate his side due to the testing altitude the game was played at. Joao Pedro and Estevao Willian were amongst those who dropped to the bench.
Santos’ side were defeated 1-0, seeing them drop to fifth and be overtaken by Moises Caicedo’s Ecuador after their win over Argentina.
Photo by DANIEL MIRANDA/AFP via Getty Images
An impressive 18 months of action for Strasbourg and Chelsea have seen him become a genuine option for his national team, as well as a side now competing in the Champions League.
Despite the poor result, Brazilian media praised Santos for his ability to win the ball back, as well as keep hold of the ball when they were in possession.
GE Globo said: “Positioned in front of the defense, he made several tackles and blocks and was one of the players who had the ball at his feet the most. He practically never missed a pass (completed 43 of 45), although almost all of them were short and low-demanding.”
Defeat does not take away from a very positive international break for the youngster. Santos impressed against Chile when he came off the bench in a dominant victory.
Photo by Jonathan Moscrop/Getty ImagesSantos set for big Chelsea opportunity
Despite being a regular off the bench, Santos is yet to start a Premier League game for the Blues since finally getting his Stamford Bridge career underway.
Dario Essugo is now out injured for a prolonged period of time, and even though Romeo Lavia is back in training, it may be a few games before he is ready to start again.
With fixtures coming thick and fast now, it can be expected that Santos will be in line to start for the Blues soon, potentially in the West London derby against Brentford.
It will be interesting to see if he features in the position normally occupied by Caicedo or Enzo Fernandez, with it surely not long before Santos has a genuine case to become a starter at Chelsea.