Neymar was once again the protagonist in the Brasileirao. The Brazilian striker scored a double, including a penalty goal in the final minutes, to give Santos a 2-2 draw against Chapecoense, a result that prevented the São Paulo team from suffering a painful defeat at home.

The former Barcelona and PSG player opened the scoring in the first half, but the visiting team reacted after the break and took the lead. When it seemed that Santos would add another setback, Neymar appeared from the eleven steps to seal the tie.

Neymar paved the way for Santos

The first goal of the match came in the 35th minute. Neymar took advantage of an assist from Igor Vinicius, quickly combined with the Argentine Álvaro Borreal and scored to put Santos ahead.

However, the situation changed in the second half. Chapecoense equalized in the 50th minute thanks to Marcinho and just ten minutes later took the lead after an own goal by João Ananias, who deflected the ball into his own goal while trying to clear a dangerous attack.

A penalty saved Santos at the end of the game

The team led by Santos insisted during the final minutes in search of an equalizer. Gabriel Menino, Bontempo and Neymar himself generated dangerous options, although without success until the decisive moments.

The reward came in the 88th minute, when a foul on Paraguayan Gustavo Caballero was awarded as a penalty. Neymar took the ball and converted with confidence to declare the final 2-2 and avoid defeat for his team.

Santos remains committed to permanence

Although the tie avoided a new setback, Santos' situation continues to be delicate in the Brasileirao.

The São Paulo team remains just one point above the relegation zone, where Vasco da Gama, Mirassol, Remo and Chapecoense are currently located. The result keeps the club alive, but makes it clear that it will still have to fight in the coming days to ensure its permanence in the highest category of Brazilian football.

Neymar Jr's return to the Brazilian championship left good feelings on an individual level thanks to his double, although Santos still needs to improve its collective performance to definitively move away from the bottom of the standings.