Neymar scores four in Santos rout
Reuters - Sunday 30 October 2011, 09:07
Santos striker Neymar scored four goals
and had two more disallowed in a 4-1 Brazilian championship home
win over Atletico Paranaense.
The Brazil striker opened the scoring after two minutes of
Saturday's match from a penalty, controversially awarded after
the 19-year-old was adjudged to have been fouled by Cleber
Santana.
Neymar then put the ball in the net twice more before the
break but both were disallowed for offside. On the second
occasion, the referee initially awarded the goal but changed his
mind after consulting the linesman amid Paranaense protests.
Joffre Guerron equalised six minutes after the restart only
for Neymar to put Santos back in front three minutes later from
another penalty, this time awarded for a foul on Edu Dracena.
He needed just two more minutes to complete his hat-trick
with a cool finish following a slip-up in the Paranaense defence
and scored again in the 70th minute with an individual goal
after breaking clear of the visitors' rearguard.
The South American champions are ninth in the table while
Paranaense are stuck in the relegation zone in 18th.