Neymar double continues Santos revival

Rio de Janerio: Brazil international striker Neymar scored twice as Santos rallied from behind to beat Palmeiras 2-1 in Brazil`s Serie A football championship.

The 20-year-old slotted a free-kick into the top corner on the stroke of half-time before a 62nd-minute strike from outside the penalty area rebounded in off the post Saturday. Earlier, Carlos Correa had given Palmeiras the lead with a low 25 metre shot which made its way past a maze of Santos defenders and a flat-footed keeper Rafael. After a torrid start to the season, Santos has now won three games in succession to move to ninth in the standings. "I said that we were going to be hard to beat and now we are starting to string some wins together," Neymar said. "Who knows, maybe we can be there at the end." In other matches, a Thiago Neves double gave Fluminense a 2-1 victory over Vasco da Gama while Ponte Preta also won 2-1 at home against Portuguesa. IANS