This Sunday, Vasco da Gama handed Santos a crushing 6–0 loss on Matchday 20 of the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A. The result triggered a raw emotional response from Neymar Jr., who has recently been under the spotlight as the team’s performance continues to disappoint.
Ney’s second stint at Santos has so far been more negative than positive. The forward endured several injuries during his initial months back at the club, which prevented him from contributing his talent to lift the squad. And now that he’s recovered and playing with the consistency he hadn’t shown in years, both the results and the team’s overall performance remain poor.
That crisis likely reached its peak on Sunday, when Santos were beaten 6–0 at home by Vasco da Gama. The match started off relatively evenly, with the teams going into halftime separated by just one goal. However, the visitors stepped on the gas in the second half and fully exposed Santos’ weaknesses.
The referee’s final whistle delivered an image that quickly spread across the soccer world. As he walked off the pitch, Neymar was caught on camera with tears in his eyes and a clearly distraught expression, a telling sign of Santos’ difficult moment.
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