Palmeiras, the second-placed side in Brazil’s top division, proved to be a formidable opponent for Santos. Yet, for Neymar Jr.’s team, a draw simply wasn’t an option—only a victory could keep them from slipping into the relegation zone. In a tense and emotionally charged match, Santos finally broke the deadlock deep into stoppage time, securing a crucial 1-0 win.
Playing at their historic Vila Belmiro Stadium, Santos maintained a strong tempo and dictated possession throughout large stretches of the game. They registered 17 attempts and 3 on target, but the breakthrough remained elusive until the 91st minute. Despite Neymar playing the full match and creating multiple openings, it was Benjamin Rollheiser who scored the match-winning goal.
As one local commentator noted,
“𝑺𝒂𝒏𝒕𝒐𝒔 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒄𝒉𝒂𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒑𝒐𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒔—𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒚 𝒘𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒔𝒖𝒓𝒗𝒊𝒗𝒂𝒍.”
Late Winner Brings Relief as Santos Neymar’s Side Stay Above Drop Zone
Palmeiras started brightly, but Santos gradually took control as the game progressed. Even though Abel Ferreira’s men struggled to create dangerous opportunities, Santos also failed to convert several chances in the first half. Neymar’s finishing woes continued, with one powerful strike deflecting off a defender.
The second half saw both teams pushing desperately for a goal, but the deadlock persisted as time began to run out. Just when a goalless draw seemed inevitable, Rollheiser fired home a low strike from Robinho Junior’s pass in the first minute of added time, sending the home crowd into chaos.
A Brazilian TV analyst summarized the moment by saying,
“𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒈𝒐𝒂𝒍 𝒅𝒊𝒅𝒏’𝒕 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒎𝒂𝒕𝒄𝒉—𝒊𝒕 𝒔𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒂 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏.”
With the victory, Santos climbed to 16th place with 36 points after 33 matches, narrowly staying above the relegation line. However, with Vitoria just one point behind, the danger is not completely over. Meanwhile, Palmeiras remain in second place with 68 points, three behind leaders Flamengo.
For Neymar, the final whistle brought immense relief. After battling injuries, missing national team selection, facing contract uncertainty, and weathering several off-field controversies, avoiding relegation—at least for now—felt like a much-needed moment of redemption.
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