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“Santos” frustrates the Brazilian captain
Brazil’s Neymar da Silva returned to action with Santos just days after the 2026 FIFA World Cup final against Norway, but he was unable to lead his side to victory, settling for a 2-2 draw against bottom of the Brazilian league table Chapecoense.
Neymar played in his first match in nearly 20 days and scored both goals for Santos, but the team dropped two valuable points at home to Villa Belmiro, continuing their disappointing run in the league after picking up just one point from their last two games in a 2-1 defeat at Botafogo.
Neymar opened the scoring in the 36th minute with a unique strike that showed off some of his technical skills, before Chapecoense made it 2-1, taking advantage of a lackluster display from the home side, although the visitors had not scored twice in an away game this season.
Goal 496
✋🏾😝🤚🏾 pic.twitter.com/c4UkgCIY8e— Neymar Jr Site (@NeymarJrSite) July 25, 2026
Santos were awarded a penalty a minute before the end of the game, which caused controversy as some Brazilian media thought it was a mistake, but Neymar managed to convert it into an equaliser, repeating his success from the penalty spot after Brazil’s World Cup goal against Norway.
Marcelo Barreto, no #trocadepasses: "Neymar is back with his full package, isn’t he? He fought with the players, with the referee, he noted in response to criticism…"#football: #santos #neymar #brazilian #ge: pic.twitter.com/XAroNomfkD
— ge (@geglobo) July 26, 2026
In celebration of his first goal, Neymar responded to criticism he has faced in recent days as he took part in a professional poker tournament in Sao Paulo as his side played a Copa Sudamericana round of 16 qualifier against Venezuela’s Universidad Central, a clash Santos won 4-1.
The Brazilian star chose to celebrate in remarkable fashion as he pretended to play poker with a clear message to his critics before getting into several altercations with Chapecoense players during the second half.
In the end, Neymar received a yellow card, officially missing his side’s next match against third-placed Atletico Paranaense.
The draw is another blow for Santos, who are still struggling close to the relegation zone, and also handed the latter a valuable point when their only league win this season also came at the expense of Santos in the first leg.
