Neymar criticizes Santos fans: If you're in a bad mood, stay home

In the first leg of the Copa Sudamericana round of 16, Brazilian side Santos defeated Ecuadorian club Macará 2–1 at home in a hard-fought match. According to Goal.com, Neymar, the key figure behind the victory, was booed by his own fans during the game and reacted sharply to their negative attitude after the final whistle. This was reported by Goal.com.

The match at Vila Belmiro got off to a very difficult start for the hosts. In just the fourth minute, Franco Posse opened the scoring for the visitors, throwing the fans in the stands and the players on the pitch into confusion. Santos then intensified its attacks in an effort to turn the game around, and the balance was restored before half-time.

Neymar's assists and tension in the stands

Before the break, Gabriel Barbosa converted a pass from Neymar to equalize. In the second half, the Brazilian star once again displayed his class. In the 75th minute, Willian Arão finished a corner delivery to score the winning goal for his team.

Although Neymar provided two assists and made a huge contribution to his team's comeback victory, some fans in the stands booed him after one of his inaccurate passes. The incident angered the player, who made no attempt to hide his frustration in his post-match interview.

The player's message to the fans

In an interview with ESPN, Neymar openly said he was hurt by the fans' negative reaction while the team was losing: "I know the fans have been suffering for many years, but if you always come to the stadium in a negative mood and keep thinking about bad things, you should stay at home. There were still 60 minutes to play, so support us instead of criticizing us," the forward said.

The player also added that it is easy to support the team only when it wins, but the squad must be encouraged during difficult moments as well. Following his performance in this match, Neymar's tally over his last 24 appearances rose to 13 goals and 8 assists.

The victory gave Santos an important advantage ahead of the second leg in Ecuador. However, next week's return match in the high-altitude city of Ambato is expected to demand a major physical effort from the team. Cuca's Santos side will need to secure a positive result away from home to reach the quarter-finals.