Neymar scored twice from the penalty spot after coming on at half-time as Santos recovered from two goals down to draw 2-2 with league leaders Flamengo at Vila Belmiro on Friday, a result that also marked his return from an injury layoff.

The turning point arrived after a VAR review for a Jorginho handball that lasted almost ten minutes, one of the longest in Brazilian championship history, and ended with the Flamengo midfielder sent off, leaving the leaders with ten men and Santos with a penalty.

Neymar calmly converted that first spot kick in the 82nd minute to halve the deficit, then stepped up again in the 88th, after Gabriel Barbosa was fouled by Luiz Araujo inside the area, sending the second penalty into the bottom left corner to level the contest.

Flamengo had controlled the first half, with Danilo finishing Pedro’s pass in the 43rd minute and Lucas Paqueta heading in a second four minutes into stoppage time, leaving Santos two goals down at the interval and prompting coach Cuca to turn to Neymar.

Neymar replaced Philippe Coutinho at the interval, with Rony also coming on for Alvaro Barreal, and the double change transformed the contest. It was his first appearance since a right thigh muscle injury sidelined him on September 2, making the impact even more striking.

The point leaves Flamengo top of the table on 61 points from 29 matches, though their lead over the chasing pack has narrowed, and head coach Leonardo Jardim was left frustrated after seeing his side drop points in the dying moments.

Neymar’s evening came three months after he retired from Brazil duty following their last 16 World Cup exit to Norway, a tournament in which he played twice and scored a penalty. He finished his international career with 80 goals in 130 appearances.

Santos travel to Atletico Mineiro in their next fixture, while Flamengo host Fluminense as the Brasileirao title race enters its closing stages.