Neymar nets hat trick as Santos beats Sao Paulo in Campeonato semifinal

Santos forward Neymar added to his burgeoning reputation by scoring a hat-trick in his side's 3-1 win over Sao Paulo in the semi-final of the Campeonato Paulista.

The 20-year-old wonderkid netted a superb penalty in the first half to give his side the lead; his 13th of the competition and also his 100th for the club.

The man who Pele has described recently as 'the best in the world' then made it two. Receiving the ball off Ganso, he outpaced Paulo Miranda and slotted the ball home with a composed finished.

Willian Jose got a goal back for the hosts', before Neymar completed his hat trick late in the second half. A rasping shot, from the edge of the area, was too hot to handle for Denis in the Sao Paulo goal, as he could only palm the ball into the back of his own net.

The treble from the youngster takes his Santos to within a game of winning the Paulista for the third consecutive time; a feat not achieved by any club since 1969.