Triumph and tragedy in Brazilian football last night. Santos FC – the ex-club of Pelé, Neymar and Rodrygo – was relegated for the first time in 111 years. Palmeiras won the national title for the second year in a row.
A true one annus horribilis for Santos. The club from São Paulo was relegated from the Brazilian Serie A last night after saying goodbye to football and club legend Pelé almost a year ago. Santos lost 1-2 to Fortaleza in the final seconds of the last match day, but could have saved themselves if they won.
Santos was passed by Vasco da Gama and Bahia in the defeat to finish 17th. Since the last four teams in Brazil are relegated, the first relegation in club history was a fact. Flamengo and São Paulo FC remain the only teams that have always played at the highest level in Brazil.
After the defeat against Fortaleza, riots broke out in and around the stadium. A number of fans tried to storm the field, but police controlled the crowd. The disturbances then moved to the vicinity of the Vila Belmiro stadium. Buildings, buses and cars were set on fire, causing huge plumes of smoke in São Paulo.
After Santos’ relegation, riots broke out in São Paulo
Neymar: ‘We will laugh again one day’
On Instagram Stories, club icon Neymar showed that he can still follow his team from yesteryear. The Brazilian – currently sidelined with a serious knee injury at Al-Hilal – posted a photo on Instagram Stories with the match between Santos and Fortaleza in the background, the shirt of his ex-club prominently displayed. After the relegation, Neymar also posted the Santos logo with the caption: ‘Always, Santos. One day we will laugh together again.’
About eighty kilometers away in São Paulo there was a party. Palmeiras were crowned national champions again after a draw against Cruzeiro (1-1). Super talent Endrick (17) – who will play for Real Madrid from next year – opened the scoring after 20 minutes. Nikao equalized ten minutes before the end. It didn’t spoil the fun, because Palmeiras was almost certain of the title before the match.
Endrick’s goal not only gave Palmeiras a 12th national title, it also set a record. The 17-year-old attacker now has the most goals (11) as an under-18 player in one season in Brazil. Endrick does better than Neymar (10). Ronaldo had 12 at the age of 18, but at 17 he ‘only’ had two.
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