Santos and Neymar Jr. were dumped from the Brazilian Paulistão after a 2-1 loss to Novorizontino. The Brazilian failed to shine and misses out on a crucial opportunity to earn his place in the World Cup squad for Brazil.
Neymar was made aware from the start that it wasn’t going to be an easy match. Novorizontino’s players targeted him throughout, with Alvariño’s foul on the veteran superstar one of a number of tough tackles on Neymar. The Brazilian was able to play on but was blamed for Novorizontino’s opening goal. Careless play by Neymar gave the ball to Tavinho, who delivered a precise assist to Rômulo to slot into the back of the net.
With little intensity in his game and positioned too far from the penalty area, the Santos captain was virtually invisible in the first half. Neymar failed to create any real danger, just like the rest of the team, who only managed three shots on target compared to the opposition’s 12.
Early in the second half Santos’ Gabriel Bontempo managed to convert from close range to level the game but they could not find a second. The score remained tied until the final minutes when Léo Naldi headed in Vinicius Paiva’s cross to give Novorizontino a dramatic late win.
Novorizontino maintained their home record in the Paulistão with five wins in five matches, including victories against Palmeiras and Santos. The Tigers remain in first place and will host the semifinal, marking only the second time in their history that the Aurinegro have reached the Paulistão semifinals. The only previous time came in 2024.