Neymar shines against Corinthians, but suffers his first defeat in his return

O menino da Vila is starting to shine, but it's not enough for Santos. Neymar played his third match since returning to the team he started with and, for the second time in a row, he was back in the starting line-up. It happened against Memphis Depay's Corinthians, the toughest opponent he had faced so far. Despite a good individual performance, 'O Peixe' ended up losing 2-1 with a double from Yuri Alberto made up for by his teammate Guilherme.

The former Barcelona player played the match as an attacking midfielder, not as a left winger. It is a position he knows and which, a priori, should be comfortable for him, as it has fewer physical demands than the wing. 'Ney' played 68 minutes, until he ended up being replaced by Yeferson Soteldo. In the time he was on the pitch, he touched the ball 49 times and lost it in 12, the match in which he lost the least possession. He also completed 4 of the 6 dribbles and crosses he attempted, had an 85% pass accuracy rate and conceded 4 key passes. He also shot once on goal and won half of the duels he played.

Despite his performance on the pitch, the reality is that Vila Belmiro's team has not won since the match before the return of the 'Príncipe', against São Paulo (3-1), and his current situation in the Campeonato Paulista is becoming complicated. He occupies third place in group B, made up of Guaraní, Portuguesa and Bragantino. He is one point away from first and second place, but also from last place. He still has three matches left to play and two of them at home, but he will have to start winning if he wants to finish among the top two to advance to the next round. Neymar will have to put in more performances like the one on Thursday to help his team.