🎥 Neymar stars as Santos beat Vasco and escape the drop zone | OneFootball

Santos and Vasco played the isolated match of the fourth round of the Brasileirão on Thursday night (26), bringing together the then two bottom teams in the standings.

Neymar took on the role of protagonist.

There was a celebration for Vini Jr., a spat with a nemesis, insults, and two goals from the number 10 in a World Cup year.

He secured the 2-1 victory for Peixe over Cruz-Maltino at Vila Belmiro amidst heavy rain.

A result that allowed Santos to breathe.

And sank the Carioca team, which is still looking for a new coach.

See the updated BR table below.

EMOTION from the start

The first great chance was for Vasco with Nuno Moreira. But Brazão said "no".

Santos didn't take long to respond, reinforcing that the game would indeed be open.

Until then unable to stand out, Neymar decided at the 25th minute.

He received from Moisés and shot with no chance for Jardim.

Goal 151 for Santos. Entering the Top-10 of the club's greatest scorers in history.

The celebration began with requests for silence directed at the Vasco fans present at Vila.

And then, a dance at the corner flag, reminiscent of Vini Jr., who was a target of racism against Benfica in the Champions League.

A commotion formed before the game resumed due to Neymar's celebration.

He argued with Thiago Mendes and pretended to have been headbutted.

Both ended up with yellow cards.

They were rivals in France, with an incident where the then Lille midfielder's tackle left Neymar injured for PSG.

At halftime, Neymar was asked about the incident with Thiago Mendes and didn't hold back.

"It's always him. He always wants to cause trouble, always wants to act tough, it's always like this. With all due respect, he's a jerk. He already broke me once at PSG and promised to do it again today. So let's see if he's man enough to break me again."

Vasco continued to be very dangerous on the left.

A mistake by Santos and Gómez set up Barros to score freely (43').

Securing the equalizer before halftime.

More Neymar vs. Thiago Mendes and another goal from the 🔟

Their encounter didn't take long to happen in the second half.

But Neymar was unsuccessful in getting Thiago Mendes sent off.

The duel continued with pure "exchange". And with mistakes on both sides.

It was after another mistake by Vasco that Santos took the lead again.

After a pass to Neymar, Paulo Henrique "set up" for the rival when jumping with Saldivia.

And the number 10 of Peixe thanked him, finishing with class (16').

Both coaches worked hard.

There was plenty of dedication. But they lacked stamina.

And Santos celebrated.

UPDATED Table* 📊

*The matches Flamengo x Mirassol, Botafogo x Vitória, and Bahia x Chapecoense did not take place due to the presence of Fla, Bota, and Bahia in Conmebol tournaments.

📅 Matches of the 5th round

10/3 - Tuesday

21:30 - Mirassol x Santos - Maião

11/3 - Wednesday

19:00 - Atlético x Internacional - Arena MRV

19:00 - Athletico x Botafogo - Arena da Baixada

20:00 - Bahia x Vitória - Casa de Apostas Arena Fonte Nova

21:30 - Flamengo x Cruzeiro - Maracanã

21:30 - Corinthians x Coritiba - Neo Química Arena

12/3 - Thursday

19:00 - Remo x Fluminense - Mangueirão

19:30 - Vasco x Palmeiras - São Januário

20:00 - São Paulo x Chapecoense - MorumBIS

21:30 - Grêmio x Red Bull Bragantino - Arena do Grêmio

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 Alexandre Schneider - 2026 Getty Images