Neymar cries after Santos’ 6-0 defeat, coach sacked

Neymar’s Santos endured a dreadful night in the Brazilian Serie A on Sunday, suffering a humiliating 6-0 defeat to Vasco da Gama. The team looked completely out of sorts and offered no real resistance. For Neymar, who returned to the club last June, it was the most crushing loss of his career with Santos.

In the 2014 World Cup, Brazil’s 7-1 defeat to Germany came without Neymar, who missed the match through injury. This time, however, he was on the pitch, forced to watch the brutal loss unfold before his eyes. After the final whistle, Brazil’s all-time leading scorer broke down in tears, and even the consoling words of club staff could not calm him.

In the aftermath of the defeat, Santos dismissed head coach Cleber Xavier. In a statement, the club said, “We wish him success in his future career.”

At the La Beaujoire Stadium, Vasco opened the scoring in the 18th minute through Lucas Piton. The visitors then dominated the second half, adding five more goals to dismantle Santos’ defense. Newly signed former Barcelona and Liverpool forward Philippe Coutinho struck twice, while Correa de Fonesca, Rayan, and Danilo Neves each found the net.

The emphatic victory lifted Vasco da Gama out of the relegation zone, while Santos, after a string of poor results, slipped to 15th place and came under mounting pressure.