At the MorumBIS stadium in Sao Paulo on 4/8, Neymar played the full 90 minutes. He had 75 touches, an 89% passing accuracy, created five chances, had six shots with four on target, and earned an 8.7 rating from Sofascore—the highest of the match. Neymar became the first Santos player to register at least five shots and five key passes in a single game in the past five seasons.
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Neymar celebrates a goal during Santos' 3-1 win over Juventude in the 18th round of the Brazilian Championship at MorumBIS Stadium, Sao Paulo, Brazil on 4/8. Photo: *Gazeta Press* |
Neymar was involved in all three of Santos' goals. In the 37th minute, the Juventude goalkeeper failed to hold onto a shot, allowing Neymar to pounce on the rebound and open the scoring. In the 80th minute, the 33-year-old forward converted a penalty down the middle to complete his brace. He also initiated the play that led to Santos' other goal, scored by Barreal.
This was Neymar's first brace at the club level since scoring two goals in Paris Saint-Germain's (PSG) 7-1 Ligue 1 victory over Lille in August 2022. His last brace, including international matches, came in Brazil's 5-1 win over Bolivia in a World Cup 2026 qualifier in September 2023.
With his brace against Juventude, Neymar increased his career goal tally in Brazil to 170. The 1992-born forward has scored 141 goals for Santos and 29 for the Brazilian national team. In total, Neymar has played 280 matches in Brazil, winning 150 and providing 89 assists.
Neymar has also played the full 90 minutes in his last five Brazilian Championship matches, against Flamengo, Mirassol-SP, Internacional, Sport Recife, and Juventude, respectively. This is the first time Neymar has had such a long run of appearances since his time at PSG in 2022.
This latest brace could help Neymar impress the Brazilian national team coaching staff. Present in the stands were assistants from coach Carlo Ancelotti's team, including technical coordinator Juan Santos.
"I don't need to prove anything to anyone," the forward said after the match. "They know my style of play. I am ready to play and feeling very fit. The decision is theirs."
Carlo Ancelotti is expected to announce his squad at the end of August, in preparation for two World Cup 2026 South American qualifiers—against Chile on 4/9 and Bolivia on 9/9.
Compiled by Hong Duy
