In the 94th minute of the match at the Urbano Caldeira stadium, with home team Santos trailing Internacional 2-1, Neymar's volley deflected off goalkeeper Sergio Rochet, hit the post, and rolled along the goal line.
Thinking he had scored the equalizer, the 33-year-old forward ran off in excited celebration. He kicked over the corner flag and roared with joy to celebrate with the fans. However, the ball was actually safely in Rochet's hands. Upon realizing his mistake, a stunned Neymar raised his hands to the sky and held his head in disbelief. The match ended shortly afterward with a victory for Internacional.
After the final whistle, Neymar went into the stands to confront a spectator who had criticized him earlier. The 33-year-old forward only left when his teammates intervened.
In the match, Johan Carbonero opened the scoring in the 9th minute for Internacional before Rafael Santos Borre doubled the lead with a penalty in the 75th minute. Substitute Alvaro Barreal scored Santos' only goal in the 91st minute.
This ninth defeat in 15 matches of the 2025 Brazilian championship drops Santos to 17th place out of 20 teams. Neymar and his teammates need to improve in the remaining 23 rounds if they want to avoid being one of the four relegated teams. Santos just returned to the Brazilian championship after winning the second division last year.
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Neymar's disappointment after realizing his premature celebration in Santos' 1-2 loss to Internacional at the Urbano Caldeira stadium, Santos, Brazil, on 24/7/2025. Photo: AP |
Neymar's disappointment after realizing his premature celebration in Santos' 1-2 loss to Internacional at the Urbano Caldeira stadium, Santos, Brazil, on 24/7/2025. Photo: AP
Neymar returned to Santos, where he played from 2009-2013, in February. He had been sidelined for a year at Al Hilal due to injury. The 33-year-old forward has only scored four goals in 15 matches this season. New injury setbacks, a red card in a loss to Botafogo on 1/6 for handling the ball, and a Covid-19 infection have continually disrupted his return to form.
At his peak, Neymar scored 105 goals in 186 matches for Barca and 118 goals in 173 matches for PSG. He also holds the record for Brazil with 79 international goals. Neymar hopes to regain top form in time for the World Cup in 6/2026. His best result in three previous World Cups was reaching the semi-finals on home soil in 2014.
Thanh Quy
