After just one season in Brazil's second division, Santos FC returned to the top flight with major ambitions — including a dramatic homecoming for superstar Neymar. The club made it clear: they’re aiming for the Brasileirão title.

But their 2025 Serie A campaign got off to a rocky start. Without Neymar, who is still recovering from injury, Santos surrendered a 1–0 lead and suffered a 1–2 defeat away to Vasco da Gama, triggering frustration from club president Marcelo Teixeira.

Brazil - Serie A: Fixtures, Results & Standings

"Overall, the performance wasn’t terrible, but we dropped three points," Teixeira told reporters after the match. "Santos, a club starting the campaign with title aspirations, must win matches like this — with all due respect to Vasco da Gama. We opened the scoring and had no real issues defensively, but we missed chances even at 1–1."

"If we want to be among the top contenders, we cannot concede goals like the ones we did — set pieces, headers, simple mistakes. It’s astonishing. We train for these moments, and still, we concede in the same way. And in attack, when you have a chance to close the game, you must do it. The Brasileirão is one of the most competitive leagues in the world, and we must start acting like we understand that."

2025, Brazil - Serie A

Vasco da Gama - Santos 2:1 (0:1)
Goals: Barreal, 21 (0:1); Moreira N., 53 (1:1); Vegetti, 78 (2:1)

Vasco da Gama: Jardim; Lemos; Piton; Victor Joao; Paulo Henrique; Moura H. (Jair, 81); Coutinho (Payet, 68); Garré (Adson, 68); Moreira N. (Augusto L., 77); Paulinho Paulo (Tche Tche, 68); Vegetti
Bench: Fuzato; Rodriguez J. L.; Luis Victor; Freitas L.; Carvalho; Alex Teixeira; Rayan
Yellow Cards: Piton 33

Santos: Gabriel Brazão; Zé Ivaldo; Gil; Escobar G.; JP Chermont; Joao Schmidt (Diego Pituca, 83); Gabriel Bontempo (Thaciano, 83); Guilherme Augusto; Barreal (Gabriel Veron, 69); Rollheiser (Luca Meirelles, 86); Soares T. (Washington D., 68)
Bench: João Paulo; Basso; Luan Peres; Luisão; Godoy; Kevyson; Rincon T.
Yellow Cards: JP Chermont 90+5