Even without an injured Robinho or a suspended Neymar, the Santos soccer team crushed Ituano 9-1 on Sunday.

After 15 rounds of play in the Sao Paulo state championship, Santos reclaimed 1st place with 35 points.

For the first time in 2010, Santos began a match without Neymaror Robinho. Nevertheless, the lack of the talented strikers did not hold Santos back. Paulo Henrique Ganso, Andre and Madson stepped up and lead their team to another impressive victory.

Despite Ituano’s Joao Leonardo scoring in the first minute of play, Santos responded by an onslaught of offense. Andre led Santos with three goals (14, 39, 91), followed by Paulo Henrique Ganso (28, 72), Madson (45, 53), Maicon Leite (61) and Ze Eduardo (85).

“Today’s victory shows that we are an offensive-minded team. We will always look to produce as many goals as possible,” described Andre after the win.

With only four rounds of play left before the four-team playoffbegins, Santos stands two points in front of second place Santo Andre. Sao Paulo holds onto third place with 30 points, followed by Corinthians in fourth place with 26 points.

The 9-1 victory was Santos second largest margin of victory this year. The team demoralized Naviraiense by the score of 10-0 in the Brazilian Cup on March 10.