Neymar scored one goal and set up another as Santos eased relegation fears with a 3-0 home win over Sport Recife in Brazil's Serie A on Friday, reported Xinhua.
The hosts opened the scoring in the 25th minute when Neymar ran onto Guilherme's pass on the counterattack and cut inside before lashing a low drive that beat goalkeeper Gabriel Vasconcelos at his near post.
Sport midfielder Lucas Kal gifted Santos a second goal when he inadvertently pushed the ball into his own net after a scramble inside the six-yard box.
Joao Schmidt put the result beyond doubt with a glancing header after Neymar's delivery from a corner.
"We've been facing a very difficult fight against relegation," Neymar told reporters after the match. "We didn't want this, but now it depends on us. We know that goal difference could be decisive and that made this [victory] even more important."
The result leaves Santos 15th in the 20-team Brazilian Serie A standings, two points clear of the relegation zone with two matches remaining. Sport is last with two wins from 36 games and has already been relegated to Serie B.
Neymar said he was still struggling with a knee problem that kept him out of Santos' 1-1 draw with Internacional on Monday.
"Honestly, things aren't great," said the 33-year-old, who has been limited to 18 of a possible 36 top flight appearances for Santos this season due to injuries.
"The decision about whether or not I would play [tonight] was internal. I'm not going to jeopardize my career and I didn't go against doctor's orders. I'm just trying to do what's best for me and for Santos," the former Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain forward added.
- Neymar
- Santos
Source: www.dailyfinland.fi
