Neymar turned provider with a brace of assists as Santos secured a narrow 2-1 advantage over Macara in the first leg of their Sudamericana round-of-16 clash.
The Ecuadorian outfit stunned the hosts just five minutes in when Uruguayan marksman Franco Posse broke the deadlock. It was a shock opener that left Santos reeling, struggling to find their rhythm for much of the opening period.
However, on the stroke of half-time, the momentum shifted. Neymar threaded a sublime first-time through ball to Gabriel, who made no mistake in drawing the sides level. It was a moment of redemption for the forward, who had earlier squandered two clear-cut openings carved out by the talismanic number 10.
The drama intensified after the break as VAR took centre stage, denying the striker a brace by chalking off two goals in the 50th and 56th minutes—the first of which had again been teed up by Neymar. Despite the frustration, Santos eventually found their winner through Willian Arao. Connecting with a pinpoint corner from the Brazilian superstar, Willian Arao flicked home with an audacious backheel. Although Rodrigo Rodriguez scrambled to claw the effort away, the officials ruled the ball had already crossed the line.
