In the penultimate round of the Brazilian Championship, Neymar scored three goals in Santos' 3-0 victory over Juventude in Caxias do Sul. The hat-trick pulled the team away from the relegation zone. With the result, Santos rose to 14th place with 44 points.
The match took place on Wednesday night, December 3, 2025, at Estádio Alfredo Jaconi in Caxias do Sul, for the 37th round of the Brazilian Championship. Santos faced Juventude seeking points to escape the relegation zone, and Neymar was the star. The first half was balanced, with chances for both sides: Santos pressed with Neymar's passes and a save by Jandrei on Guilherme's shot, while Juventude had efforts from Taliari and Souza, plus a disallowed goal for offside.
In the second half, Neymar decided the game in 15 minutes. At the 10th minute, he received a cross from Guilherme and scored the first goal, confirmed by VAR. At the 19th, on a counterattack from Igor Vinícius, he made it 2-0. At the 25th, he converted a penalty won by Lautaro Díaz, completing the hat-trick and the 3-0 score. It was Neymar's first hat-trick since 2022, against Clermont in France.
With the win, Santos reached 44 points, two more than Vitória, the first in the Z4, rising to 14th place. The team now depends on itself in the final round against Cruzeiro at Vila Belmiro on December 7. Already relegated to Série B, Juventude faces Corinthians. Neymar hit 150 goals for Santos, one shy of tying Tite as the historic top scorer, and has eight goals in the Brasileirão despite injuries, including to his left knee. After the game, he commented on his future at the club but avoided immediate relegation details.
