Neymar scored twice, including an 89th-minute penalty, to salvage a 2-2 home draw for Santos against bottom-placed Chapecoense in the 20th round of the Brazilian Serie A on Saturday. The forward opened the scoring in the 35th minute after a one-two with Alvaro Barreal, but Chapecoense turned the match around in the second half through Marcinho and an own goal by Santos defender Joao Ananias before Neymar’s late equaliser.

Santos coach Cuca said the result was “very bad” and acknowledged that relegation is a real concern. “It worries me a lot,” Cuca told reporters after the match. “We have 22 points and need to make at least 23 more in the remaining 18 games to reach the ‘magic number’ of 45. It is possible to avoid relegation, but every game is a lesson.” The coach added that his side had “failed twice” defensively despite being numerically superior and that the draw “tastes like defeat” after a recent 4-1 away win in the Copa Sudamericana.

Neymar’s first goal was followed by a celebration in which he mimicked dealing cards and used a corner flag as a golf club, a response to criticism he received for attending a poker tournament in Sao Paulo while Santos played a Copa Sudamericana match in Venezuela. In a video posted on Instagram, Neymar said he had trained in the morning and attended the poker event on a day off, adding: “Can I train, or are you going to criticise that too? Go mind your own business.” The forward was playing his first match for Santos since Brazil’s World Cup round-of-16 elimination to Norway.

The draw left Santos 14th in the 20-team standings with 22 points, 12 points above last-placed Chapecoense, who have 10 points. Neymar received his third yellow card of the season during the match and will be suspended for Santos’ next league fixture against Athletico Paranaense on 9 August. Santos next face Universidad Central of Venezuela in the second leg of their Copa Sudamericana playoff on Tuesday, holding a 4-1 lead from the first leg.