Santos didn’t just beat Cruzeiro — they detonated the script everyone expected and saved their top-flight status with a ruthless 3–0 win that felt more like a movie finale than a routine league match.
A Survival Match With Everything on the Line
Coming into the final round of the
Brasileirão 2025, Santos were level on points near the bottom, tangled in a relegation fight they’d spent months trying to escape. Cruzeiro, by contrast, arrived safely in the top three, already assured of a strong finish and a Copa Libertadores spot.
On paper, this was supposed to be Cruzeiro’s night of control and calm.
On the pitch, it became
Santos’ redemption story.
Thaciano’s First-Half Blitz Stuns Cruzeiro
Manager Paulo Turra (interim names vary by outlet, but the setup was clear) sent Santos out aggressively in a 4-2-3-1, with
Neymar as the creative hub and
Thaciano pushed high from midfield.
It took just over 25 minutes for the plan to explode into life:
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26' – Goal Santos 1–0 Cruzeiro: Thaciano scores from close range, assisted by Guilherme after a corner routine.
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28' – Goal Santos 2–0 Cruzeiro: Thaciano again, this time finishing after a move involving I. Vinícius on the flank.
In two brutal minutes, Thaciano turned a tense relegation decider into a Santos party. By the 28th minute he already had:
-
2 goals-
3 shots on goal- Heavy involvement in linking midfield to attack
Cruzeiro, sluggish and a step late on every second ball, spent the rest of the half chasing shadows.
Neymar Orchestrates, Schmidt Finishes the Job
While Neymar didn’t get on the scoresheet, he was at the center of almost every dangerous move Santos created. Corners, set pieces, quick combinations — everything flowed through the number 10.
Early in the second half, Santos made sure there would be no late drama:
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59' – Goal Santos 3–0 Cruzeiro: João Schmidt smashed in the third after sustained pressure and another Santos corner phase, effectively killing the game and the relegation threat in one shot.
Fox Sports’ play-by-play shows Santos still pushing for more after the third goal, with Neymar, Barreal and Thaciano all taking further shots. This wasn’t a team hanging on; it was a team
finally playing with freedom.
The Final Whistle: Santos Safe, Cruzeiro Stalled
The match finished
Santos 3–0 Cruzeiro.
Key stats and outcomes:
| Stat / Outcome | Santos | Cruzeiro |
|-------------------------|------------------------|----------------------|
| Final score |
3 |
0 |
| Goal scorers |
Thaciano (2), João Schmidt (1) | — |
| Final league position | 12th,
47 points | 3rd,
70 points |
| Relegation status |
Survived | Safely in top 3 |
The final Brasileirão table on ESPN confirms that Santos
finished with 47 points, level with Corinthians but ahead on other criteria, and above the drop zone. Cruzeiro, despite the heavy defeat, held on to third place with 70 points.
According to Tribuna’s match report,
“Santos beat Cruzeiro 3–0 to secure their place in the Brazilian top flight”, underlining that the result mathematically guaranteed their survival.
Neymar’s Season Arc: From Doubts to Deliverance
This wasn’t just another end-of-season fixture; it was the culmination of
Neymar’s emotional homecoming storyline.
- Earlier in the campaign, Neymar had been battling fitness issues and a knee problem.
- In a prior key relegation clash, he delivered a second-half hat-trick against Juventude to drag Santos out of the bottom four.
- Against Cruzeiro, he again played
from start to finish, driving the team’s attack and drawing constant attention from defenders.
Tribuna highlights how Neymar “shook off all fitness problems and played from start to finish” as the symbolic leader of this survival run. Even without scoring, his presence, movement between the lines and set-piece delivery gave Santos the control they’d lacked for much of the season.
How Santos Turned a Crisis Into a Statement
A few threads explain why this win felt so seismic:
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Psychological flip: A team afraid of relegation turned into one that went after a top-three side from the opening whistle.
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Tactical discipline: The 4-2-3-1 shape allowed Thaciano to constantly arrive in the box while W. Arão and Schmidt anchored the midfield.
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Star power used smartly: Neymar wasn’t just a marketing figure — he was integrated as the primary playmaker, pulling defenders out of position and freeing teammates.
For Cruzeiro, this was a reminder that even a settled, high-flying side can be overwhelmed by a desperate opponent with everything to lose. Their attack generated shots, but lacked the edge needed to break through a locked-in Santos defense.
What This Means Going Forward
For
Santos:
- They
avoid back-to-back relegation heartbreaks and buy themselves another year to rebuild around Neymar and a promising core.
- The win gives the board a mandate to invest smarter rather than starting over from Série B.
- Thaciano and João Schmidt have likely secured bigger roles heading into 2026 after delivering in the club’s biggest game of the season.
For
Cruzeiro:
- Despite the defeat, a
3rd-place finish and 70 points mark a strong campaign overall.
- The heavy loss on the final day may sharpen their recruitment and tactical plans for continental competition, where defensive lapses get punished even more.
For
Brazilian football fans, this match goes straight into the “remember where you were” category — not for a title race twist, but for a survival act powered by one of Brazil’s most polarizing stars, returning to lift the club that made him famous.
If there was any doubt about whether Neymar’s return to Santos was just a nostalgic PR stunt, the 3–0 against Cruzeiro — and the escape from relegation it sealed — answered that loudly.
Santos didn’t just stay up.
They made a statement.
Sources
1. Santos vs. Cruzeiro (Dec 7, 2025) Live Score - ESPN
2. Santos vs. Cruzeiro - Live Score - December 07, 2025 - FOX Sports
3. Neymar leads Santos to escape relegation after big win against Cruzeiro
4. Cruzeiro EC MG vs. Santos FC SP - December 07, 2025 | Live Scores, Updates, Odds, Injury News and Recaps
