Santos completed one of the most dramatic survival missions in recent Brazilian football history, defeating third-placed Cruzeiro 3–0 on the final day of the season to secure their place in Serie A on Sunday night.

At the center of the escape was Neymar — emotional, visibly in pain, yet decisive when Santos needed him most.

The 33-year-old forward, who returned to the club in January, has endured a difficult year recovering from a serious knee injury, but his influence in the closing rounds proved crucial.

He delivered a series of standout performances: scoring in a 3–0 win over Sport Recife, firing a hat-trick against Juventude in another 3–0 result, and acting as the creative heartbeat in the decisive victory over Cruzeiro at Vila Belmiro.

Those wins lifted Santos to 12th place with 47 points, rescuing a season that had once threatened to end in what would have been only the second relegation in the club’s storied history.

PUNCH Online reports that in Sunday’s game, Thaciano netted twice in two minutes for the home team, in the 26th and 28th minute, before J. Schmidt sealed it on the one-hour dot in the second half of the game.

Their first drop came in 2023, breaking a 111-year record of uninterrupted participation in the topflight.

The relief was clear across the stadium — and especially in Neymar’s reaction.

After the final whistle, he dropped to his knees in the centre circle, overcome with emotion.

Despite weeks of pain from a meniscus and knee problem, he had insisted on playing through the final stretch. Fans witnessed him later circling the ground, applauding the supporters who stood by the team during its tense battle for safety.

Santos’s late surge capped a season in which Neymar featured in only 19 league matches but still produced eight goals and several decisive contributions.

His insistence on playing through discomfort was confirmed afterward, when he publicly acknowledged the physical toll.

Tribuna on Monday quoted Neymar as saying, “I came for this, to try to help the best way I can. These have been tough weeks for me.

“I thank those who were with me to lift me up. If it weren’t for them, I wouldn’t have played these matches because of these injuries, this knee problem. I need to rest, and then we will have this knee surgery.”

He did not disclose medical details or a surgery date, though he remains hopeful of earning a place in Brazil’s 2026 World Cup squad.

The club’s captain on his official X account sharing images and a small caption, wrote in Portuguese, “Deus, OBRIGADO!” which is English means, “God, Thank You.”

Coach Carlo Ancelotti has yet to select him since taking charge in May, but the forward’s club form in the final run-in has revived national interest.

Sports Star on Monday also noted that Santos fans will remember this escape as one of the club’s great modern survival stories — and as a chapter where their most famous academy product once again carried the badge with pride, even while injured.

Sunday’s victory not only sealed safety but also reaffirmed Neymar’s enduring bond with the club that shaped him.

PUNCH Online reports that in 2013, Neymar departed Santos for Europe, signing a record-breaking deal with Spanish powerhouse Barcelona. He later continued his journey at Paris Saint-Germain in France, and eventually secured a move to Al-Hilal in Saudi Arabia.

In January 2025, Brazilian star Neymar on Monday ended his injury-plagued 18 month stay in Saudi Arabia as his club, Al-Hilal said they had “agreed to terminate the player’s contract by mutual consent.”

Kylian Mbappe is on the brink of writing his name into Real Madrid’s history books, according to manager Xabi Alonso, who says the French forward is beginning to mirror the achievements of his childhood hero, Cristiano Ronaldo.

Mbappe has been in outstanding form since joining the Spanish giants from Paris Saint-Germain in 2024. After finishing last season as Europe’s leading goalscorer, he has carried that momentum into the new campaign.

His tally for 2025 now stands at 55 goals, leaving him just four short of Ronaldo’s club record of 59 goals scored in a single calendar year, set in 2013.

Spanish media have regularly compared Mbappe to Ronaldo, who remains Real Madrid’s all-time leading scorer. Alonso believes the comparisons are now justified, given the influence the 25-year-old has on his teammates and the numbers he continues to produce.

“Kylian is on his way to making history at Real Madrid like Cristiano did. Not just because of the importance he has in the team, but also because of the ambition he conveys and the number of goals he scores,” Alonso said during a press briefing.

“Kylian is one of the chosen ones. He has this desire within him not just to do things well, but also to have a positive influence on others. This is something he shares with Cristiano, this contagious ambition that inspires the rest of the team.”

Mbappe finished last season as the winner of the European Golden Shoe and La Liga’s top scorer with 31 goals. He has since stepped up another level, hitting 16 goals in 15 league matches and scoring nine times in five Champions League appearances this season.

As a youngster, Mbappe decorated his bedroom walls with Ronaldo posters. Now he is within reach of a landmark set by the player he idolised. He will have the chance to close the gap when Celta Vigo visit the Bernabeu on Sunday.

Real Madrid’s upcoming fixtures also include a heavyweight Champions League meeting with Erling Haaland’s Manchester City on December 10, followed by league games against Alaves and Sevilla. That run gives Mbappe four matches to equal or surpass Ronaldo’s record.

Ronaldo scored 450 goals in 438 games during his time in the Spanish capital. Mbappe has delivered 69 goals in 79 appearances for Madrid.

Aston Villa ended Arsenal’s 18-match unbeaten run to blow the Premier League title race wide open on Saturday as Manchester City beat Sunderland 3-0 to close within two points of the leaders.

Emiliano Buendia’s stoppage time strike secured a 2-1 victory for Villa and a ninth win in 10 league games since taking just three points from their opening five matches of the season.

“We were pushing and we were really, really believing in our victory,” said Villa boss Unai Emery. “We pushed until the last minute, and we got it.”

Arsenal were without the injured Gabriel Magalhaes, William Saliba and Cristhian Mosquera in defence and the normally rock solid visitors struggled to cope with Villa’s variety of attacking weapons.

Eberechi Eze was caught on his heels as Matty Cash blasted Emery’s men into a half-time lead.

Arteta responded by introducing Viktor Gyokeres and Leandro Trossard at the break and got the response he demanded.

Trossard equalised with his 50th Premier League goal, from Bukayo Saka’s deflected cross.

Only a stunning save from Emi Martinez against his former club then denied Martin Odegaard giving Arsenal the lead.

But Arsenal’s quest to end a 22-year wait to win the title hit a rare bump in the road this season when Buendia fired into the top corner after a goalmouth scramble in the final minute of added time.

“Losing it in the manner that we did in the last kick of the game was very painful and disappointing,” said Arteta.

“It is a good test as well for us. We’ve been 18 games unbeaten, performing and winning almost every game and now we have to hit that one. Now we have to go again and every three days we have a game, so I’m sure we’ll be ready.”