Brazilian star Neymar couldn’t hold back tears as he left the pitch on Sunday after his team, Santos, suffered a humiliating 6–0 defeat at home to Vasco da Gama. It was the heaviest loss of Neymar’s career and marked the first time in history that Santos had conceded six goals at home in a Brazilian Serie A match.
The result sent shockwaves through the club, and head coach Cleber Xavier was sacked just hours after the final whistle. The defeat leaves Santos dangerously close to the relegation zone — only two points above the drop.
Vasco, who had gone five games without a win before Sunday, put on a dominant performance. Former Liverpool and Aston Villa forward Philippe Coutinho led the charge with two goals, helping secure Vasco’s biggest league win in 17 years.
Neymar, visibly emotional, didn’t hide his frustration after the game.
“I’m ashamed,” he said. “Totally disappointed with our performance. The fans have every right to protest — as long as it's peaceful. If they want to curse and insult us, I get it. What we showed on the pitch was terrible. I've never gone through something like this in my career. The tears were from anger, from everything that’s been building up. Unfortunately, I can’t fix everything myself. Everyone on this team needs to go home and seriously think about what they want to do moving forward.”
Neymar returned to Santos — the club where he first made his name — earlier this year after leaving Saudi side Al-Hilal. He initially signed in January and extended his stay in June with a six-month deal. Since returning, the 33-year-old has scored six goals and provided three assists in 21 appearances.
Earlier this season, he suffered a hamstring injury just 34 minutes into his first Serie A start, causing him to miss five straight league matches.
Coach Cleber Xavier, who had only been in charge since April, won just five of his 15 games. Santos now sit only two places above the relegation zone, just ahead of Vasco — who, thanks to this win, climbed out of the bottom four.
Santos are still trying to rebuild after winning promotion back to the top light last November, following their first-ever relegation from Brazil’s Serie A. Their next match is a tough away fixture against fourth-placed Bahia on Sunday, 24 August.
