Neymar scored his first league goal of the Serie A season to secure Santos a 1-0 victory over Flamengo, a win which he believes is a "new beginning".

The Brazilian has suffered with injuries in recent years, which led to the termination of his contract at Al-Hilal and a return to his boyhood club, Santos.

Neymar rejoined Santos in January and recorded six goal contributions in 14 appearances across all competitions before extending his contract until the end of 2025.

However, Wednesday's victory saw Neymar complete a full 90 minutes for the first time since February, and he netted the winning goal in the 84th minute after a standout performance against Flamengo.

It marked just his third start in Serie A since his return, and just the second time he had managed an entire match.

Neymar had turned down offers to play in the FIFA Club World Cup in order to work on his fitness, a move which appears to have paid off.

"I'm really happy to be able to contribute in every way, both in attack and defence," Neymar said.

"In my opinion, Flamengo is the best team in the league. It's a new beginning for us. We showed that we can play against any team in the Brasileirao.

"I want to play every game for 90 minutes.

"I'm not 100%, but I'm getting better every day. I want to be in better shape, and that takes time. Both playing and training.

"My body is still adapting, getting used to everything again. It's not easy to deal with the injury I had."