Molina scores four times as Santos routs San Jose

Santos has seven points, one less than Group 6 leader Cucuta Deportivo of Colombia. San Jose remains with four points, one more than Mexico’s Chivas. Each side has only two matches remaining in the group stage. The top two advance to the round of 16.Molina scored in the 22nd, 32nd, 63rd and 86th minutes.San Jose had beaten Santos 2-1 on March 19 in the high altitude of Oruro, but on Tuesday Domingos started Santos rolling at Vila Belmiro Stadium in the 17th with a header from a free kick by defender Kleber.Molina scored his first goal dribbling past a defender before firing a bouncing left-footer from outside the area.The Colombian made it 3-0 with a shot from near the penalty spot after San Jose defenders failed to clear a cross inside the area.San Jose played a man down from the 34th after Luis Mario Palacios was ejected because of a vicious foul on Kleber Pereira.Molina’s third goal came with a neat one-timer fired into the right-upper corner of San Jose goalkeeper Daniel Vaca.Striker Kleber added another with a header in the 79th – while apparently offside – and Ecuadorean midfielder Michael Jackson Quinonez came off the bench to score from inside the box in the 81st.Molina closed the scoring five minutes later, dribbling past a defender before striking from close range.The score would have been higher if Uruguayan referee Liber Prudente hadn’t disallowed striker Wesley’s 52nd-minute goal because of offside.Santos has its focus solely on the Copa Libertadores after being eliminated from the traditional Sao Paulo state championship on Saturday in a disappointing 1-1 draw against Rio Claro.The club is seeking its first Copa Libertadores title since consecutive championships in 1962 and 1963, when Pele was still in action.Next week, Santos travels to Mexico to face Chivas, while San Jose hosts Colombian Cúcuta Deportivo.

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