Neymar’s Santos, one step away from relegation hell

Botafogo won 2-1 this Wednesday in Rio de Janeiro against Saintswho played without Neymar and is on the edge of the relegation zone, in the restart of the Brazilian Championship after the forced stoppage for more than a month for the 2026 World Cup. Lucas Emanuel opened the scoring for Botafogo in the 40th minute, the Argentine Álvaro Barreal equalized in the 66th minute and in the last minutes of replacement the Panamanian Kadir Barría extended the advantage for the Rio team.

Santos was superior on the field with several occasions in which goalkeeper Léo Linck was crossed or ended up colliding with the crossbar, as occurred with a shot by the Bolivian ‘Miguelito’ Terceros. But Botafogo’s thirst for victory led him to victory and he maintained the pressure until almost the end of the match when the Panamanian striker, who had just entered the field, defined the match.

Those led by ‘Cuca’ did not feel the absence of Neymar, on vacation after Brazil’s elimination from the World Cup, with whom they rarely shared the ball in the first six months of the season due to the Brazilian star’s continuous injuries. In box 16, Santos is one position above Vasco da Gama, who also failed to get out of the relegation zone during their visit to Vitoria, which won 1-0 against the Rio club.