“I went to take the corner, they provoked me” - Neymar opens up on what he told rival fans who booed him moments before scoring Olimpico goal
Neymar has opened up about what he told rivals fans who booed him before he scored an Olimpico goal for Santos on Sunday, February 23. The Brazilian forward returned to his boyhood club Santos last month after his contract with Al-Hilal was terminated following a woeful spell at the Saudi Pro League club.
So far, Neymar has made six appearances for Santos since he returned to the club, scoring twice and providing three assists. They are currently playing in the Campeonato Paulista, a league contested by sixteen clubs divided into groups of four. Neymar and Santos took to the pitch on Sunday to face Internacional de Limeira.
The 33-year-old starred in the match, scoring a goal and registering two assists as Santos cruised to a 3-0 victory at Estadio Major Jose Levy Sobrinho. However, the standout moment in the game came in the 27th minute when Neymar scored directly from a corner. Before the forward scored the first Olimpico goal of his career, he was subjected to jeers from Internacional de Limeira fans.
The jeering rival fans were silenced when the former Al-Hilal man bent a right-footed shot from the corner, which struck the far post and ended up in the net. After scoring Santos’ second goal of the game, Neymar walked towards the opposition fans and celebrated by sitting on the advertisement boards.
The Brazilian star opened about his interaction with the opposition fans in an interview with CazéTV (via ESPN). Neymar said:
"I went to take the corner, they provoked me. I asked to sing more, I took it and gave the assist. Then, the second time I went there, they said it again, so I thought to myself: 'Now I'm the one who's going to score the goal' (laughs). I hit a great shot and managed to score my first Olimpico goal."
"I’m taking it game by game" – Neymar after Santos’ 3-0 win over Internacional de Limeira
Neymar’s fitness has been an issue ever since his time at Paris Saint Germain. His injury problems followed his move to Al-Hilal and curtailed his game time, which seemingly led to the termination of his contract.
Since he made his first appearance for Santos in his second stint as a substitute, he has started every match. After the match against Internacional de Limeira, the 33-year-old spoke about his fitness and said he is feeling better. He said (via ESPN):
"We are happy with our current form, the team has been playing better and better. Today was a game where we managed to score goals, but the pitch made it very difficult, as did the light. That gets in the way."
"I'm taking it game by game, preparing myself and feeling better on the field. I'm not going back to being 19 years old, I miss that so much, but I'm feeling better and more relaxed every day."
