In a night that will be etched into the memory of Santos fans for all the wrong reasons, the legendary Brazilian club suffered a humiliating 6-0 home defeat to Vasco da Gama on August 17, 2025. The result sent shockwaves through the Brazilian football world, not just for its magnitude but for the emotional aftermath that saw Neymar Jr., the club’s marquee returnee and Brazil’s all-time top scorer, leave the field in tears. The fallout was swift: head coach Cleber Xavier was sacked just hours after the final whistle, leaving Santos in turmoil and hovering dangerously above the relegation zone.
The defeat marked the heaviest of Neymar’s illustrious career and the first time Santos have ever conceded six goals at home in a Brazilian Serie A match. For a club that counts legends like Pelé and Robinho among its alumni, such a result is almost unthinkable. To make matters worse, it came at the hands of a Vasco team that had not won in their previous six league outings and sat just below Santos in the table before kickoff.
Philippe Coutinho, the former Liverpool and Aston Villa midfielder, was the architect of Santos’ misery, netting twice and orchestrating several of Vasco’s attacks. His performance propelled Vasco to their biggest league win in 17 years and lifted them out of the bottom four, at least temporarily. As the goals rained in, the mood inside the Vila Belmiro turned from disbelief to outright protest. Many Santos fans turned their backs on the pitch in silent condemnation, while others streamed out of the stadium before the final whistle. The sense of crisis was palpable.
Neymar, who returned to Santos in January 2025 after a turbulent spell with Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal, was visibly distraught. The 33-year-old, who signed a contract extension in June to stay at the club until December, has endured a difficult homecoming marked by injuries and inconsistent form. After the final whistle, Neymar couldn’t hold back his emotions, needing consolation from backroom staff as he wept openly on the pitch. His post-match comments pulled no punches.
“We were so sh*t. It was a disgrace. The fans have the right to curse and insult people today. It’s acceptable. I feel ashamed. I had never experienced anything like this in my life,” Neymar told reporters, his voice tinged with anger and disappointment, as reported by The Touchline. He continued, “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. To sum up our attitude on the field, it was terrible. I’ve never experienced this in my life. The tears were from anger, from everything. Unfortunately, I can’t help in every way. I think everyone today needs to go home and think about what they want to do.”
Such raw honesty from one of football’s global icons only underscored the gravity of the crisis. Neymar’s return was supposed to signal a new era for Santos, who had just clawed their way back to the Brazilian top flight in November 2024 after their first-ever relegation. Instead, the club finds itself in familiar peril, sitting 15th out of 20 teams after 19 games, with just 21 points from six wins, three draws, and ten defeats. They are now only two points above the relegation zone, with Vasco—now resurgent—breathing down their necks and holding a game in hand.
The pressure on coach Cleber Xavier had been mounting even before this catastrophic result. Appointed at the end of April 2025 after a lengthy career as an assistant at various Brazilian clubs and the national team, Xavier managed just five wins in 15 matches at the helm. His tenure was marred by inconsistent results and an inability to steady the ship following the club’s return to the top division. The club’s official statement was terse: “The club thanks the coach for the services provided and wishes him luck in the continuation of his career.”
For Neymar, the defeat was a personal low point. His 2025 season has been plagued by injuries, including a hamstring issue that saw him miss seven league matches. He’s managed three goals in 11 Serie A appearances since March, a modest return for a player of his caliber, though across all competitions he’s tallied six goals and three assists in 21 games. The expectation was that his presence would galvanize Santos, but the reality has been far more complicated. The star forward’s struggles mirror those of the team as a whole, as they battle to adapt to the demands of top-flight football after a year in Serie B.
The wider context only adds to the drama. Santos, eight-time national champions and a club synonymous with attacking flair, have rarely found themselves in such dire straits. Their fall from grace last season, which saw them relegated for the first time in their history, was a seismic shock to Brazilian football. Their promotion back to Serie A was supposed to be a turning point, but the current campaign has brought little respite. The 6-0 drubbing at the hands of Vasco, a team themselves fighting to avoid the drop, laid bare the fragility of Santos’ revival.
Philippe Coutinho’s brace was just one part of Vasco’s dominant display, as they capitalized on every defensive lapse from the home side. For Vasco, this was a night to remember—a statement win that could yet prove pivotal in their own battle for survival. For Santos, however, it was a night of soul-searching. The club now faces a daunting fixture away to fourth-placed Bahia on August 24, a match that could define their season. With the coaching position vacant and the squad’s confidence at rock bottom, the pressure is well and truly on.
As for Neymar, the tears and frustration captured on camera told the story of a player desperate to restore pride to his boyhood club. His commitment is unquestioned, but as he himself admitted, he can’t do it alone. The challenge now is for Santos to regroup, find leadership on and off the pitch, and avoid a repeat of last season’s nightmare. The fans, for their part, have made their feelings clear—protest without violence, but protest nonetheless. The next chapter in this storied club’s history is still unwritten, but after a night like this, the urgency for change could hardly be greater.
With a crucial away match looming and the threat of relegation ever-present, all eyes will be on Santos to see how they respond. For Neymar and his teammates, redemption can’t come soon enough.
