Neymar Scores As Santos Defeats Flamengo In The Brazilian Série A

The FIFA 2025 Club World Cup has finished and the Brazilian Série A is back with a bang. Neymar scored the only goal in a 1-0 victory for Santos against Flamengo, Cruzeiro moved top of the table and a man with the surname Ancelotti has taken charge of Botafogo.

Neymar Shines Against Flamengo

Santos defeated Flamengo 1-0 at home this week thanks to a late strike from none other than Neymar Junior. The visitors return from a solid world cup campaign, but it’s out of the frying pan and into the fire for the ‘Mengão.’

Flamengo was unlucky to meet a strong Bayern Munich side in Miami during the round of 16, but by defeating eventual tournament winner Chelsea and coming first in the group stage the Rio based team certainly didn’t leave anything on the pitch in the U.S.

For Santos it’s a big victory and up to 13th in the rankings. Neymar has had an up and down few months since returning to Brazil. Every grand return seems to be followed by another injury, but a winning goal against Flamengo is a huge moment for the famous number 10. Not for the first time it gives football fans the hope that a Brazil return for the FIFA 2026 World Cup could be possible.

Cruzeiro On Top

The Brazilian heroes of the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup were undoubtedly the Fluminense squad and management team. ‘Flu’ reached the semi-finals of the tournament and defeated the likes of Inter Milan on the way.

However, like rivals Flamengo, Flu received a swift reminder that you have to be on top form in every game of this super competitive league. Cruziero defeated Fluminense 2-0 which moved the away side to the top of the table.

Cruzeiro invested a lot in its squad before the start of the season, and it’s so far so good for the team from Belo Horizonte. The result takes Cruzeiro three points ahead of both Flamengo and RB Bragantino at the top of the charts.

Star player Jhon Arias waved farewell to the Maracana on Thursday evening. The Colombian has been incredible for Fluminense but he is the subject of a $20 million move to Wolverhampton Wanderers and will be playing in the Premier League next month. It’s a deserved move to a top European league for Arias, who has been a stellar servant to Fluminense.

Ancelotti Is The New Manager Of Botafogo

Davide Ancelotti, the son of Carlo Ancelotti, is the new manager of Botafogo in Rio de Janeiro. David has taken charge of the team since its return from the Club World Cup. There, Botafogo suffered an underwhelming last 16 exit at the hands of Palmeiras, but beat European champion PSG in the group stage.

Ancelotti will be assisting his father in his new role as Brazil boss, but he has also taken on his first role as manager with the club known as ‘O Glorioso’ who won the league and Copa Libertadores double last year.

Botafogo has a win and a draw since the Club World Cup, and it’s been a solid start at the helm for Ancelotti, who has displayed incredible Portuguese in recent press conferences despite just picking up the language. The team currently sits sixth in the table, amongst the Copa Libertadores qualifying places, and still has domestic and international cup competitions to fight for this year.

All four Brazil representatives at the FIFA 2025 Club World Cup lost or drew in the league this week. This says two things. That those sides are rightfully feeling the load of the extra games played whilst their respective opponents were resting, and that the Brazilian league is extremely competitive.