Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Brazilian Serie A Week 31


Vasco surge back to the top.


In one of the last games before the final run in, slip ups by seven of the top eight allowed Copa Do Brasil winner Vasco Da Gama to reclaim the summit.



A solid 2-0 win away at Bahia in the North on Sunday allowed the intermittent league leaders to pull clear of Corinthians, with the latter being held to a point at Internacional.

Goals from Felipe and Diego Souza paced the new league leaders to their latest three point haul with Souza's injury time marker his tenth goal of the season. For Corinthians, Alex scored a late equalizer after the home side had gone ahead through Nei, just after the hour. Both side lost a man with Alessandro being dismissed for the visitors in the first half and Andres D'Alessandro picking up a second yellow three minutes from the end.


Botafogo, with big ambitions on the title themselves, fell to a damaging defeat at Avai, losing 3-2. Sebastian Abreu looked to have put the visitors on their way with an early strike but the hosts replied through Robinho and Cleverson. Renato then pulled Botafogo even just after the hour, only for Robert to score the winner for Avai late in the game, just minutes after Lucas had been dimissed for a straight red for Botafogo.

While Botafogo remain second, they are now level with Flamengo. The former league leaders are mounting a bit of a late revival and drew 1-1 at home to Santos with Neymar and Deivid trading goals. They are now tied with Botafogo on 52 points and with a difference of +11.

Fluminense, who had been on an excellent run of form promptly lost, that too at home to relegation candidates Atletico Mineiro as Daniel Carvalho and Andre scored the goals for the visiting side. Fluminense, the defending champions, remain fifth with 50 points.

Sao Paulo similarly dropped points, drawing goalless at home to Coritiba to move up to sixth, a point above Inter, who are seventh with 48 points. Both teams remain very much on the outside looking in, for the title.

At Para picked up another crucial win, beating Ceara at home with a goal from Paulo Baier while America Mineiro ensured that the bottom four teams all picked up points with a 2-2 draw at home to Gremio. Thiago Carleto and Anderson scored either side of a double from Andre Lima.

On Saturday, Palmeiras season reached new lows with another loss, this time at home, 2-1 to streaking Figueirense. Palmeiras have onw just twice in 18 games and are now 13th. Their season has gone from promising to middling to disappointing to an abject shambles. Surely too good to go down they are still nine points above the relegation zone. Wellington Nem and Julio Cesar put Fig into a lead they never relinquished while Ricard Bueno scored a late consolation.


The late game on Sunday threw up another thriller as Cruzeiro beat At Go 3-2 at home. Both sides traded goals before Anselmo Ramon's second of the game sealed the tie for Cruzeiro. Both teams remain in mid table. Ceara have now been dragged into the drop zone as At Mineiro moved up to 16th with their win at Fluminense.

Borges still leads the league with 22 goals, ahead of 12 different players with at least 10 goals.

A complete run in will be appearing soon on these pages.

Full League Details.



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