Neymar Meltdown: Santos And Brazil Star Rages At Referee, Shows Frustration After Substitution; Video
Tensions flared during Santos’s 2–3 loss to Flamengo as Neymar clashed repeatedly with referee Savio Pereira Sampaio. The forward accused the official of threatening him and expressed his frustration both on and off the pitch. Speaking to television reporters at halftime, Neymar voiced frustration with both the officiating and his team’s performance, saying Santos needed to find him more often in attack to generate chances.
Post-match, the Brazilian star didn’t hold back: “The referee is very bad. Besides being bad, with all due respect, he’s arrogant. You try to talk to him, and he threatens you,” he told journalists.
The confrontation began early, with Neymar receiving a yellow card in the 36th minute moments before Flamengo’s opening goal. Arrascaeta’s corner from the right created chaos in the Santos box, allowing defender Leo Pereira to slot the rebound past goalkeeper Gabriel Brazao and give Flamengo the lead.
Earlier, in the 17th minute, Neymar was the target of a heavy challenge from Erick Pulgar that went unpunished. His visible protests grew in intensity after another collision with Pulgar five minutes later, culminating in the caution for dissent.
Neymar explodes after being subbed off
The tension didn’t stop there. Near the end of the game, when coach Juan Pablo Vojvoda decided to replace him with Rollheiser in the 85th minute, Neymar questioned the decision, “Are you taking me off?” before heading straight to the locker room. The defeat leaves Santos in 17th place with 33 points, hovering dangerously in the relegation zone.
Flamengo beat Santos
Flamengo grabbed the lead in the 36th minute through Leo Pereira, who capitalized on defensive confusion to open the scoring. Santos, featuring Neymar in the starting eleven for the first time since his injury layoff, found their best chances in the first half through their returning star. The number 10 tested goalkeeper Rossi with a powerful header but couldn’t find the net.
After halftime, Flamengo wasted no time doubling their advantage. Just five minutes into the second period, Arrascaeta produced a stunning first-touch pass to send Carrascal through on goal. The midfielder surged from his own half, cut into the box, and fired beyond Gabriel Brazão.
The Rio side added a third when Igor Vinícius, attempting a back pass, inadvertently set up Bruno Henrique. The forward dribbled past Brazão and finished calmly to make it 3–0.
In the dying minutes, with Neymar already substituted, Santos mounted a late but futile comeback. Gabriel Bontempo pulled one back, and in stoppage time, Lautaro Díaz pounced on a rebound from Rossi to slot home Rollheiser’s assist, closing the gap to 3–2.
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