Flu silence Vila, Neymar booed, Santos assistant defends him: “Team star” | OneFootball

Fluminense’s 3-2 win over Santos on Sunday night at Vila Belmiro brought frustration on the Santos side. After the final whistle, assistant coach Cuquinha, who led the team in the absence of the suspended Cuca, tried to explain the factors behind the Tricolor’s comeback and also came to Neymar’s defense.

In the view of the Santos staff member, the home side was putting in a solid performance until conceding the equalizer late in the first half. According to him, the match also changed when Barreal, shortly after making it 2-1, had to leave the field due to injury, a situation that, in the assistant’s opinion, allowed Fluminense to grow back into the game and complete the comeback.

— The feeling is that we let points slip at home, even in a good game until we conceded the equalizer. We had chances to score the second, but in the final minutes we lost our way. At halftime, we adjusted things, controlled the second half and scored. We were left with one less player, Neymar moved to the left to help defend, but we conceded the goal — Cuquinha said after the defeat.

The assistant also tried to play down Santos’ current slump and pointed out that Fluminense was extremely efficient with the chances they created. In his view, the result cannot be treated as definitive, even with the growing pressure on the São Paulo side.

— It’s not a case of giving up. If lightning strikes, it strikes inside Santos’ goal. They had three shots on target and all three went in. It’s just a rough patch and it will pass. In today’s game our goalkeeper didn’t make a single save. This won’t last forever. It will stop, and luck will smile on our side — he continued.

Cuquinha also commented on Neymar’s performance. Even after the forward missed a good chance to put Santos back in front when the score was 2-2, the assistant highlighted the importance of the No. 10 and reinforced his confidence in the team’s biggest star.

— I don’t see any lack of confidence from Neymar. Sometimes he misses, sometimes he gets it right. But he’s the team’s star, the guy who makes the difference. If the ball has to fall to one person’s feet, let it be his — he explained.

After the match ended, Santos fans protested, directing criticism at the squad and especially at the club’s board, including chants against president Marcelo Teixeira. On that atmosphere, Cuquinha acknowledged the collective responsibility for the result and said he understood the reaction from the stands.

— In today’s case, we came close to victory, we couldn’t hold on, and that’s our fault — the players, the staff, all of us. We have to thank the fans, they put on a beautiful show. In the end, they complained, did what they did, and they had every right to — the assistant coach concluded.

With the away win, Fluminense strengthened its good run in the Brazilian Championship and remained among the top teams. Santos, meanwhile, stayed on 13 points from 12 matches in 15th place, with three wins, four draws and five defeats, as well as 16 goals scored, 19 conceded and a goal difference of minus three, a scenario that increases the pressure for the rest of the competition.

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