Neymar disappoints in first start

Neymar da Silva made his first start for his new club Santos in Sunday night's Paulista Championship match at Novorizontino. Despite playing for 74 minutes, Neymar was not at his best, failing to help his team avoid a goalless draw. Although the match did not look particularly dangerous for Santos, Novorizontino played strongly, controlling the game at times and showing an organized defense, which kept Neymar under constant watch throughout the match. Santos coach Pedro Caixinha had decided to field an attacking lineup that included Venezuelan Jefferson Soteldo and Brazilian Tiquinho Soares, who recently joined from Botafogo. After a long absence due to a knee injury, Neymar made his first appearance for Santos this week, coming on as a substitute in the team's match against Botafogo. Despite showing better performances against Novorizontino, he is still suffering from a physical decline, which prompted the coach to substitute him in the 74th minute, to be replaced by Gabriel Boumtempo. Neymar has not yet regained his usual level, after a year away from the stadiums with the Brazilian national team and the Saudi club Al-Hilal, with which he ended his contract last January. Neymar returned to Santos, the team he left in 2013, to begin his European adventure first with Barcelona and then Paris Saint-Germain. Santos is currently third in its group in the Paulista Championship with 9 points from 8 rounds, one point behind the leader Guarani.