Struggling side beaten 6-0 at home by Vasco da Gama
Cléber Xavier dismissed as head coach after rout
An emotional Neymar said he was left “ashamed” after his Santos side were on the end of a 6-0 home defeat by Vasco da Gama on Sunday – a humiliation that led to the sacking of their head coach, Cléber Xavier.
Philippe Coutinho was on the scoresheet twice as Vasco found the net five times in the space of 16 second-half minutes as part of a rout that leaves Santos two points above the relegation places in Brazil’s Serie A. At full-time, home supporters turned their backs to the pitch in the latest protest against the state of the team and club as a whole.
“I’m ashamed,” said Neymar, who was in tears as he left the pitch. “I’m totally disappointed with our performance. The fans have every right to protest, obviously without using violence. But if they want to curse and insult, they’re in their right. To sum up our attitude on the field, it was terrible.
