Neymar, A Hat-Trick Hero! Lifts Santos Out Of Relegation Danger Despite Injury | WATCH

Neymar Jr for Santos (X)

Neymar turned back the clock and lit up Alfredo Jaconi Stadium, dropping a vintage hat-trick to drag Santos to a massive 3-0 win over Juventude and keep their top-flight hopes alive.

For 45 minutes, though, it looked nothing like a survival surge. Juventude bossed the first half, even finding the net through Taliari before VAR stepped in. Santos, meanwhile, offered little more than a wasted Guilherme chance and a lot of anxiety for their travelling fans.

Then Neymar decided enough was enough.

The No. 10 cracked the game open in the 54th minute, finishing off a move sparked by Guilherme. Suddenly, Santos — sluggish all night — woke up.

Six minutes later, Neymar struck again, capping a slick counterattack to put real daylight between the sides.

By the 68th, Juventude were rattled, Lautaro Díaz drew a penalty, and Neymar buried it with ease — hat-trick complete, comeback complete, relegation panic temporarily eased.

It was his first three-goal outing since April 2022 with PSG. And he’s doing all this while managing a left-knee meniscus issue picked up back on November 19.

Pain or no pain, Neymar has been undeniable: five goals and an assist in his last four matches, spearheading a late surge that’s taken Santos to 14th on 44 points and firmly out of the drop zone.

Now it all comes down to the finale versus Cruzeiro — but Santos can breathe a little easier, knowing they’ve got fate in their own hands.

Post-match, though, Neymar didn’t commit to anything beyond Sunday.

“I don’t know, honestly,” he told Amazon Prime. “I want to finish the season and the Brasileiro first.”

Still, he made one thing clear: Santos remains his priority.

“My wish is always for Santos to come first,” he said — a line that will only heat up the speculation around his future.

Well, for now, Neymar and Santos live to fight another day.

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