Neymar Jr endured a rather difficult moment of his career so far on Sunday as Santos were humiliated 6-0 by Vasco da Gama in the Brazilian Serie A, a result that left the forward in tears at full-time and cost head coach Cléber Xavier his job. The 33-year-old, who rejoined Santos earlier this year, was left distraught after the final whistle. He was visibly emotional on the pitch and had to be consoled by members of the coaching staff. “I’m ashamed. I’m totally disappointed with our performance. The fans have every right to protest, obviously without using violence … But if they want to curse and insult, they’re in their right,” Neymar said after the defeat . “It’s a feeling of extreme shame. I’ve never experienced this in my life. Unfortunately, it happened. The tears were from anger, from everything. Unfortunately, I can’t help in every way. Anyway, it was total s*** that’s the reality,” he added. The defeat, the heaviest in Neymar’s career, came in a high-stakes clash against fellow relegation rivals. Vasco surged ahead early through Lucas Piton before Philippe Coutinho, Neymar’s Brazil teammate, struck twice in the second half. Further goals from David Correa De Fonseca, Rayan and Danilo Neves sealed their fate. While the result lifted Vasco out of the relegation zone, Santos slipped dangerously closer to it, stuck on 21 points in 15th place. Neymar’s frustrations were made worse as he collected his third yellow card of the campaign, ruling him out of the next match against Bahia.
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Head coach Cléber Xavier was sacked by the club’s board right after the game. Santos are now only two points clear of the relegation zone.
