Neymar Scores his 1st Goal since Returning to Santos in Brazil
Neymar scored his first goal for Santos since returning to Brazil when he converted a penalty Sunday in a 3-1 win over Sao Paulo-based Água Santa.
Finding the net from the spot in the 14th minute of the Sao Paulo state championship match will provide the 33-year-old star some relief after a tough restart.
Thaciano in the 26th and Guilherme, with an assist by Neymar, in the 70th rounded out the scoring for Santos.
So far, Neymar has not managed to play all 90 minutes in a match for Santos. His performances were below par in the first three games for the club, but he showed some improvement on Sunday as he continues his recovery from a knee injury, The Associated Press reported.
Neymar officially returned to soccer in October after an entire year out.
He confirmed last month that his contract with Saudi club Al-Hilal had been terminated by mutual consent. He had an injury-marred spell at Al-Hilal, where he played only seven matches and scored once.
Neymar has signed a six-month contract with Santos, which he said could be extended later.
In his first professional spell at Santos from 2009 to 2013, he scored 138 goals in 225 official matches.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
2 days ago
- Arab News
Vinicius Junior's goal sends Brazil to 2026 World Cup, delighting fans in Ancelotti's home debut
SAO PAOLO: A goal by Vinicius Junior secured Brazil a place in the 2026 World Cup, quite a momentous home debut for Carlo Ancelotti as head coach. For the latest updates, follow us @ArabNewsSport The once prolific duo at Real Madrid helped Brazil to a 1-0 win over Paraguay at Sao Paulo. Ecuador secured its place at next year's global tournament later Tuesday with a 0-0 draw at Peru. Defending champion Argentina, held to a 1-1 draw by Colombia, had already qualified and are assured of finishing atop South American qualifying. Ecuador and Brazil each have 25 points in the standings, but the Ecuadorians are in second spot based on victories. The two nations are 10 points behind Argentina but, crucially, more than six points clear of the seventh-place team with two games remaining in the qualifying campaign. The top six teams in South America earn direct entries to the 48-team World Cup. Chile will miss a third consecutive World Cup after losing 2-0 at Bolivia to remain last in 10-nation round-robin competition, a result that cost head coach Ricardo Gareca his job. Uruguay beat Venezuela at home 2-0, with goals from Rodrigo Aguirre and Giorgian de Arrascaeta, and edged closer to one of the direct spots with 24 points. Venezuela, with 18, is one ahead of Bolivia in the contest for seventh place that grants an intercontinental playoff berth. Lionel Messi had a quiet night in Argentina's draw with Colombia in Buenos Aires. Luis Diaz opened the scoring for the visitors in the 24th minute. Enzo Fernandez was sent off in the 70th minute to the disappointment of more than 80,000 fans at the Monumental de Nunez Stadium. But Julian Alvarez scored the equalizer in the 81st with a low crossed shot. Madrid-Sao Paulo Ancelotti received some frustration from fans after Thursday's 0-0 draw with Ecuador, as his team focused on defending the entire match. The Italian coach, who turned 66 Tuesday, promised changes to make his team more aggressive at the Neo Quimica Arena. He was welcomed by 46,000 fans, including NBA star Gianni Antetokounmpo, who displayed a tifo in yellow and green that read 'Parabens, Carleto' (Happy birthday, Carleto in Portuguese). Gabriel Martinelli replaced midfielder Gerson and was one of the best players of the encounter. Raphinha returned after suspension and created many problems for Paraguay's defense. And Vinicius Junior was often seen as a targetman, sharing the duties with Matheus Cunha. A mistake by Paraguay's defense, a low cross by Cunha and a gentle touch by Brazil's new No. 10 produced the only goal of the match. 'It is for you,' the striker told the coach as he celebrated. Despite the low score, the hosts were much more aggressive than in most of its games in this World Cup qualifying campaign. 'We needed to win here for our people. Now we have more time to work, see what we can improve,' Vinicius said after the match. He won't play Brazil's next game in qualifying against Chile due to suspension. 'We need to celebrate this. After September it is all about the World Cup.' After the final whistle, a clip of Ancelotti's first days on the job was shown in big screens around the stadium. A raucous celebration erupted again, as if the Italian coach had brought new life to a team that only three months ago appeared lost and doomed. He said the team was balanced despite having four strikers. He also said that Cunha's role, as a playmaker, is the one he figures will be Neymar's if the veteran fully recovers his fitness. 'It's no problem to play with three or four up front. We need 10 players to run, to sacrifice,' Ancelotti said. 'Rodrygo did this many times, I know him well. And Neymar will also do it.' Golden generation gone Chile's golden generation won two Copa America titles — in 2015 and '16 — but is out of contention for next year's expanded 48-team tournament. 'Sad, I am feeling bad. Never lived something like this. We have to ask people to forgive us,' veteran Chile striker Alexis Sánchez said. 'We have to keep working. There's change already, the golden generation is buried, I am the only one left.' Bolivia scored first via Miguel Terceros in the fifth minute and added a second in the 90th with Enzo Monteiro at the 4,150-meter high El Alto Stadium, outside La Paz. Gareca, the 67-year-old Argentinian coach who took Peru to the 2018 World Cup, told a post-game news conference he was leaving the team after a 17-match stretch that included four wins, four draws and nine losses. Final rounds The South American qualifying tournament will finish in September. Uruguay and Paraguay each need one point to secure their direct spots. The Uruguayans will face Peru and Chile. The Paraguayans will take on Ecuador and Peru. Colombia, in sixth place with 22 points, will play for its World Cup future against Bolivia and Venezuela. Bolivia will seek its first chance to play at the World Cup since 1994 against the Colombians and then Brazil. Venezuela's rivals will be Argentina and Colombia.
Asharq Al-Awsat
2 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Brazil, Ecuador Qualify for 2026 World Cup Finals
Brazil and Ecuador secured their spots at the 2026 World Cup on Tuesday, taking the second and third of South America's six automatic qualifying berths after champions Argentina booked their ticket in March. Brazil beat Paraguay 1-0 while Ecuador drew 0-0 with Peru as both teams climbed to 25 points with two matches to play, beyond the reach of Venezuela in seventh place. Uruguay (24 points), Paraguay (24) and Colombia (22) occupy the remaining three automatic qualification positions ahead of the final two fixtures in September, Reuters reported. Venezuela (18) would earn a playoff spot against a team from another confederation by finishing seventh. In Sao Paulo, a goal from Real Madrid attacker Vinicius Jr. on the stroke of halftime made it a winning home debut for Brazil's new coach Carlo Ancelotti. "I'm very happy with today's result. We needed to win at home for our fans too and qualify for the World Cup, which was our goal," Vinicius said. "Now (Ancelotti) will have more time to work, to see what he can improve. Today wasn't one of our best games, but the important thing in qualifying is to win and prepare well for the World Cup." Brazil extended their record as the only team to play in every edition of the World Cup, with the five-times winners set to make their 23rd appearance in next year's tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Ecuador qualified for their second straight World Cup by avoiding defeat in Peru. The visitors were penned in their own half for the final 20 minutes after midfielder Alan Franco was shown a second yellow card. draw all but ended Peru's hopes of qualifying, leaving them with 12 points, six behind Venezuela. Earlier on Tuesday, Uruguay took a step closer to securing a spot with a 2-0 home victory over Venezuela at the Estadio Centenario, a victory which also snapped a four-match winless run in South American qualifiers. Uruguay dominated much of the first half but struggled to break down a well-organized Venezuelan defense until Rodrigo Aguirre put the hosts ahead in the 42nd minute, heading in at the far post from a Maxi Araujo corner. Giorgian De Arrascaeta doubled Uruguay's lead just two minutes into the second half, firing a superb shot into the top-left corner to seal a win that secures Marcelo Bielsa's side of at least an inter-confederation playoff berth. Uruguay need only one point from their final two matches against Peru and Chile to make sure of a place at the finals. Argentina needed an 81st-minute equalizer from Thiago Almada to cancel out Luis Diaz's goal and secure a draw with Colombia, avoiding a second straight defeat to Nestor Lorenzo's side. Chile's hopes of reaching the finals ended with a 2-0 loss in Bolivia. Chile coach Ricardo Gareca resigned after the match.
Asharq Al-Awsat
5 days ago
- Asharq Al-Awsat
Neymar Sidelined after Testing Positive for COVID-19
Brazil forward Neymar has been sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19, his club Santos said in a statement as quoted by Brazilian media. The 33-year-old began showing symptoms on Thursday and was immediately removed from team activities. Medical tests later confirmed the viral infection, the Brazil Serie A side said on Saturday. The club did not disclose how long Neymar will be out of action and did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Neymar is already ruled out of Thursday's league match at Fortaleza through suspension. The Fortaleza match will be Santos' last outing before the Brazilian league pauses for the June 14-July 13 Club World Cup in the United States. The former Barcelona forward's future at Santos remains undecided, with his contract set to expire on June 30. Limited by injury, he has made 12 appearances for Santos across all competitions this season, contributing three goals and three assists.
