Neymar strikes in Santos home win

Neymar scored his second goal in as many games as Santos eased to a 2-0 home win over Bragantino in Brazil’s Serie A on Sunday.

The former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward broke the deadlock just before halftime, finding space in the box after Gabriel Bontempo’s layoff and drilling a low shot past goalkeeper Tiago Volpi. Adonis Frias doubled the advantage, taking a touch to control a loose ball before smashing a right-footed effort that rebounded in off the far post.

The result leaves Santos 15th in the 20-team standings with 18 points, two behind seventh-placed Bragantino.

Neymar, seeking a Brazil recall after a two-and-a-half-year injury absence, praised his team’s performance.

“I’m happy about the goal and about being able to help the team, but above all about the win,” said Neymar, who also scored in Santos’ 1-1 draw at Recoleta in the Copa Sudamericana last Tuesday.
“We had gone some time without winning, so there was no way we were going to let it slip today,” the 34-year-old added.

In other Serie A fixtures on Sunday, Vasco da Gama won 1-0 at home to Athletico Paranaense, Flamengo prevailed 1-0 at Gremio, Corinthians edged to a 3-2 home win over Sao Paulo, Chapecoense drew 1-1 at Mirassol, and Remo held Palmeiras to a 1-1 home draw.