Neymar watches as Santos lose to Flamengo, stay in relegation zone | OneFootball

In one of the most talked-about matches of the round, Flamengo defeated Santos 3-2 this Sunday at Maracanã, for the 33rd round of the Brazilian Championship. Peixe had Neymar back for the match, but the number 10 of the Alvinegro could not match up to Rubro-Negro, who now put pressure on Palmeiras in the competition table. 

Flamengo opened the scoring with Léo Pereira, still in the first half. Jorge Carrascal and Bruno Henrique extended the lead for Mengão in the second half, while Gabriel Bontempo and Lautaro Díaz scored Santos' consolation goals.

Position in the Table

With the win, second-placed Flamengo equals Palmeiras in points (68), but trails in number of victories. Verdão still plays this round, this Sunday, at 8:30 p.m., against Mirassol. 

Santos remains stuck in the relegation zone. Peixe stays with 33 points after 32 games, in 17th place. Vitória is the first team outside the zone with 35. 

Next Matches

Santos returns to the field next Saturday (15th) for another classic against Palmeiras. At Vila Belmiro, the teams play from 9 p.m. (Brasília time), for the Brasileirão. 

Flamengo, meanwhile, visits Sport on the same day, at 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time), at Ilha do Retiro, also for the Brazilian Championship. 

The Match

First Half

Flamengo started the game pressing Santos, making their presence felt in the attacking field from the beginning. However, Rubro-Negro's momentum didn't last long and Santos soon began to create chances.

Around the 20-minute mark, Peixe's first chance: Igor Vinícius crossed, Barreal deflected the ball, and Neymar, diving, headed it wide.

Flamengo responded in the 28th minute. Bruno Henrique made a beautiful solo play and found Arrascaeta free at the edge of the six-yard box. The Uruguayan was off balance and shot wide, missing a great chance.

Flamengo's pressure paid off in the 37th minute of the first half. Willian Arão and Brazão miscommunicated on a corner kick and the ball fell to Léo Pereira, who finished with style to open the scoring for Flamengo at Maracanã.

After conceding the goal, Santos pushed forward more but couldn't create real chances of danger against goalkeeper Rossi. In the final moments of the first half, Neymar received a yellow card for complaining.

Second Half 

Flamengo started the second half in overwhelming fashion. In the sixth minute, Arrascaeta delivered a beautiful long pass to Carrascal. The Colombian advanced with the ball for several meters and finished powerfully past Brazão to extend the lead. 

Two minutes later, Flamengo threatened again. Ayrton Lucas crossed with spin and Brazão had to palm it back into the area. Arrascaeta attempted a bicycle kick, but Santos' defense cleared. 

At 15 minutes, Luan Peres collided with Arrascaeta in the box and fell unconscious. The defender had to be substituted.  

At 20, Bruno Henrique was brought down by Willian Arão in the box. After a VAR review, the referee awarded a penalty to Flamengo. Arrascaeta took the shot high and hard, but the ball crashed off the post and went out. 

In the final stretch, at 36 minutes, Igor Vinícius made a mistake and lost the ball coming out from the back. Bruno Henrique took advantage, dribbled past goalkeeper Brazão and calmly slotted it into the net for Flamengo's third goal at Maracanã.

With only a few minutes left in the match, Neymar was irritated when he was substituted by coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda. The star was consoled by members of the Argentine's coaching staff. At 44, Robinho Jr. hit a beautiful shot off the crossbar. In the sequence, Gabriel Bontempo scored Santos' consolation goal. A minute later, Rollheiser found Lautaro Díaz in the box and the striker scored Peixe's second.

📋 Match Sheet

🔴 FLAMENGO 3 x 2 SANTOS⚪

🏆 Competition: Brazilian Championship (33rd round) 🏟️ Venue: Maracanã Stadium, Rio de Janeiro. 📅 Date: November 9, 2025 (Sunday) ⏰ Time: 6:30 p.m. (Brasília time) 👥 Attendance: 69,612 people

🟨 Yellow Cards: Samuel Lino and Arrascaeta (Flamengo); Neymar and Zé Ivaldo (Santos) 🟥 Red Cards: None

Refereeing

Goals

🔴Flamengo

Rossi; Varela, Danilo, Léo Pereira and Ayrton Lucas (Viña); Erick, De La Cruz (Saúl) and De Arrascaeta (Michael); Carrascal (Luiz Araújo), Samuel Lino (Everton Cebolinha) and Bruno Henrique. Coach: Filipe Luís

⚪Santos

Gabriel Brazão; Igor Vinícius, Luan Peres (Gabriel Bontempo), Zé Ivaldo and Souza (Escobar); João Schmidt, Willian Arão and Zé Rafael (Thaciano); Barreal (Lautaro Díaz), Guilherme (Robinho Jr.) and Neymar (Rollheiser). Coach: Juan Pablo Vojvoda

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