Santos Turnaround: Neymar Shines, Gabigol Hits 100
Santos walked into a chaotic night at Vila Belmiro and walked out with a lifeline. Two injury scares, a deficit on the scoreboard, and a restless crowd. Even VAR seemed determined to spoil the script. Yet by the final whistle on Thursday (13), Peixe had a 2-1 comeback win over Macará and a narrow edge in the Copa Sudamericana round of 16.
Gabigol and Willian Arão delivered the goals. Neymar delivered just about everything else.
It was only Santos’ third victory in 14 games this year with Neymar and Gabigol both starting. This time, the stars refused to let the moment slip.
Shock start and early chaos
The night began with a jolt. Five minutes in, Santos were asleep and Macará pounced.
Luan Peres backed off, Arão didn’t cut out the danger, and Franco Posse took full advantage, sliding the visitors into a 1-0 lead. Vila went quiet. Suddenly, the home side had to chase not just the game, but their own composure.
From there, Santos’ mission was clear: settle, find their shape, and let their superior technique finally show. Gabigol started to wake the team up. He drifted, dropped deep, attacked the box, and carved out good chances as the hosts slowly wrestled control back.
But Cuca’s plans took another hit. First Gabriel Menino, then Bontempo, both forced off before the break. Two substitutions burned, two pieces of the puzzle gone. The bench was already in play before halftime.
So the responsibility fell, inevitably, on the two biggest names on the pitch.
Neymar, already fiddling with his boots and later slipping awkwardly to spark concern over pain in his left knee area, still found the moment that changed the game. A precise pass from the No. 10 to the No. 9, and Gabigol did the rest.
One touch, one finish, and one milestone: his 100th goal in a Santos shirt.
Vila roared back to life. The tie, and the night, had been reset.
VAR steals the spotlight
After the interval, Santos came out flying. The pressure was constant, the attacks sharper, and Gabigol looked determined to turn the game into his own personal show.
He put the ball in the net twice more. Twice the stadium exploded. Twice the celebration was cut short.
On the first, Neymar’s dummy opened the space and Gabigol finished. On the second, another perfect ball from the No. 10 put him through again. Both times, the flag – and then VAR – intervened. Both goals ruled out for offside.
The technology didn’t just correct; it became the villain of the night in Vila.
Still, Santos refused to sulk. The team kept Macará pinned back, battling not only a stubborn opponent but the tension of a side under heavy pressure, desperate for a convincing result and some breathing room in a turbulent season.
Arão steps up as unexpected hero
With the clock ticking and frustration growing, Neymar took control again.
This time, not with a dribble or a through ball, but from the corner flag. A sharp, clever delivery caught Macará’s defense napping. Willian Arão attacked the space and buried his chance.
First goal in a Santos shirt. A crucial one.
The comeback was complete. Santos were finally where their performance suggested they should be: in front, in charge, and pushing for more. They were clearly the better side by the end, but the scoreline stayed tight. No third goal, no cushion, just a 2-1 advantage to carry into Ecuador.
All to play for in the second leg
The tie is far from over.
The second leg is set for next Thursday (20) at Estadio Bellavista. Santos travel with the comfort of knowing a draw will be enough to see them through. Macará, though, still have a clear route: win by at least two goals in regular time to qualify, or force penalties with a one-goal victory.
Waiting on the other side of the bracket are Atlético or Red Bull Bragantino. Galo hold a 1-0 lead after the first leg in Bragança, but that duel remains open as well.
For Santos, there’s no time to bask in the Sudamericana glow. They drop straight back into the grind of the Brasileirão, where the table tells a harsher story: Peixe are the team currently opening the relegation zone. On Sunday (16), they go to São Januário to face 18th-placed Vasco in a direct scrap near the bottom.
A continental comeback, a Neymar masterclass, Gabigol’s 100th, Arão’s first. All of it now feeds into a bigger question: can this night at Vila be the spark that drags Santos out of trouble on every front?
