Santos were held to a 2-2 draw by bottom placed Chapecoense at Vila Belmiro on 25 July 2026, with a Neymar brace unable to prevent the hosts surrendering a first half lead in a chaotic second half of the Brazilian Championship’s 20th round.
The result leaves Santos in a familiar bind, still hovering close to the relegation zone despite the point. They move up to 14th on 22 points, with Vasco, on 20 and yet to play their round fixture, currently occupying the drop zone. Chapecoense remain bottom on 10 points, still with only one win all season, though the point earned in Santos was a welcome one for a side fighting to close the gap on 19th placed Remo, eight points above them, and Gremio, the first team outside the relegation places.
Santos dominated for long spells and finished with 21 attempts to Chapecoense’s five, but were made to work for their point after conceding twice in the space of ten second half minutes. Neymar was the game’s outstanding performer throughout, and his display drew admirers beyond Vila Belmiro. Portugal forward Rafael Leao, in Brazil on holiday and preparing to join AC Milan’s pre season in Australia, attended the match as Neymar’s guest and later called him “an idol from my childhood,” adding that Neymar had promised him a show before the game and delivered.
The first half belonged almost entirely to the hosts. Santos took time to settle but gradually seized control, with Neymar the chief orchestrator of everything going forward. After three earlier attempts, he combined with Alvaro Barreal for a one two on the left of the box in the 36th minute and finished first time into the corner, giving goalkeeper Matheus Aurelio no chance. The celebration that followed was notably different from his usual routine. After his now familiar grimace, Neymar made a gesture mimicking the dealing of cards, a pointed reference to the poker controversy that had followed him through the week.
That controversy stemmed from Neymar’s decision to skip Santos’s Copa Sudamericana trip to Venezuela, where the squad faced Universidad Central on the Tuesday, and to instead use his day off on the Wednesday to appear at BSOP Winter, the fourth stop of the 2026 season of the Brazilian Poker Championship, held in Sao Paulo. Neymar was not included in the travelling squad for that match and, like the rest of the group, had the Wednesday free, but his appearance at the poker event drew heavy criticism, prompting a response from the forward himself before Saturday’s game. His celebration against Chapecoense, then, doubled as a message to his critics.
Chapecoense had two half chances of their own before the interval, through full back Fernando and Bruno Tubarao, but otherwise offered little threat to goalkeeper Gabriel Brazao.
The picture changed sharply after the restart. Chapecoense coach Rafael Lacerda made three changes at half time and the impact was almost immediate. Five minutes into the second half, Giovanni Augusto broke down the right and squared for an unmarked Marcinho to finish at the near post, levelling the score. Ten minutes later, an almost identical move ended with Bolasie’s low cross deflecting in off defender Joao Ananias for an own goal, via a touch off Brazao on its way in, handing Chapecoense the lead.
Santos coach Cuca responded with a triple substitution of his own, bringing on Caballero, Oliva and Gabriel Menino in search of a route back into the game. Wave after wave of pressure followed, with more than 30 crosses sent into the Chapecoense box, though clear chances remained scarce until the 89th minute, when Caballero was fouled in the area. Neymar stepped up himself and sent Matheus Aurelio the wrong way to complete his brace and rescue a point deep into stoppage time. He was booked earlier in the move for dissent and will now miss Santos’s next league fixture against Athletico-PR.
Barreal was influential throughout for Santos, setting up the opening goal and finishing with four key passes, three accurate crosses from eight attempts and 27 successful passes in the final third, while also winning possession six times. At the other end, Matheus Aurelio made five saves to keep Chapecoense in the contest despite their opponents’ territorial dominance, with Bruno Leonardo also contributing 14 clearances in a heavy defensive shift.
Santos next turn their attention to the Copa Sudamericana, hosting Venezuela’s UCV at Vila Belmiro on 28 July, holding a 4-1 first leg advantage in the play off tie. Chapecoense, meanwhile, host Cruzeiro on 2 August in the first leg of the Copa do Brasil round of 16.
