Neymar comeback brace stuns Flamengo

Brazilian forward Neymar Jr scored twice on his return for Santos on Friday after spending nearly a month on the sidelines with a right thigh injury. However, his side were held to a 2-2 draw by Flamengo in the Brazilian Serie A.

Santos faced a tough challenge against Flamengo at their home ground, Vila Belmiro, and went into the break trailing 2-0. Neymar scored both goals in the second half to help his side avoid defeat and share the points.

Flamengo took the lead through Danilo in the 43rd minute before Lucas Paqueta doubled their advantage in first-half stoppage time.

The visitors were reduced to 10 men after Jorginho received a red card in the 79th minute. Neymar then converted penalties in the 82nd and 88th minutes to rescue a point for Santos.

Neymar came on at half-time as a replacement for Philippe Coutinho and showed impressive determination after missing six Santos matches due to a torn right thigh muscle sustained against Palmeiras on September 2.

Tensions also flared between Neymar and his former Brazil teammate Paqueta, who received a yellow card for fouling the Santos forward.

The draw ended both teams' winning runs of five consecutive matches. Dropping two points after taking a two-goal lead was a major setback for Flamengo in the title race, with Palmeiras just one point behind the league leaders.

Flamengo remain top of the table with 61 points, while Santos sit eighth with 42 points.

Neymar also played through injury last season and scored in several consecutive matches to help Santos avoid relegation. His latest return to action offers fresh hope that Santos can climb further up the table before the season ends.

-AJM