Sao Paulo finally solves Inter

Sao Paulo defeated Internacional 2-0 this Sunday at the Morumbi Stadium to remain atop the standings in the Brazilian Serie A, four points clear of new second place Gremio. The gauchos defeated Botafogo 4-0 in Porto Alegre to reach 42 points, but have played one more game than Sao Paulo and Inter (now third, with 40 points). Santos fell to fourth place after a 1-0 away loss to Ponte Preta.

At the Morumbi, just over 13,000 people showed up to watch Sao Paulo face Inter, in a rematch of this year's Copa Libertadores final. Still worried about the recent poor results from the team, fans preferred to stay home rather than spend a trip to the stadium. In the field, Sao Paulo had trouble finding enough healthy bodies, particularly in attack - where the main attacking duo of Aloisio and Leandro remained out with injuries. Shifting away from its traditional 3-5-2, the team was finally able to solve Internacional, defeating the current continental champions for the first time since 2004.

Sao Paulo scored its first goal quickly, after a good play by Danilo and Thiago left Lenilson in good condition to make it 1-0. Inter did not stay back though, and created several chances of its own before the first half was over. Due to poor finishing or great saves by goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni, the visitors still trailed when the players left for the dressing room.

Things seemed to get worse for Sao Paulo at the start of the second half, after Alex Silva was sent off in the 54th minute. The team managed to handle the pressure and still scored another goal after right-back Ilsinho passed the ball to left-back Junior, who had no trouble putting it into an empty net to seal the final 2-0 score. The result softened the doubts that started appearing at the Sao Paulo camp after the scoreless draw against Corinthians last week, when the team had two more men for most of the match and still couldn't beat the crosstown rivals.

Meanwhile, Gremio proved again that the team that came from the Serie B is back to its glorious form, humiliating Botafogo 4-0 at the Olimpico Stadium in Porto Alegre. Despite starting without one of its top players, midfielder Tcheco, the locals were able to control the game from the start, and opened a 2-0 advantage before two Botafogo players were sent out. With the two-men advantage, Gremio had no trouble administering the result and building the final score. Romulo scored a hat trick, with Herrera getting the other goal to help Gremio reach a six-game unbeaten streak. After a four-game winning streak, Botafogo has now lost two in a row and is again just one point clear of the relegation group.

Santos went to Campinas to face Ponte Preta, but came out empty handed in a 1-0 loss that distanced the team even more from the leaders, now in 4th place and seven points behind Sao Paulo - which has one game in hand. Midfielder Ze Roberto was making his debut and almost opened the score for the visitors in the first minutes of the game, but the locals gradually gained more control and even hit the crossbar before the first half was over. Santos complained about a penalty kick that should have been awarded in the 35th minute, but the referee didn't think the foul had happened. In the second half, Santos took up a more aggressive approach. After missing a few chances, however, the visitors saw Ponte Preta regain its confidence and star risking more in attack. Ponte had a penalty kick of its own, this time awarded by the referee, in the 72nd minute. Tuto had no trouble converting the kick to help his team temporarily escape the relegation zone.

Palmeiras finally lost after the World Cup break, ending its eleven-game unbeaten streak with a 1-0 loss away to Cruzeiro. With two teams trying to win the game, the match saw a very entertaining display of soccer, with goalkeepers Fabio and Diego Cavallieri saving several goal scoring chances. Cruzeiro scored the only goal of the game in the 28th minute, on a penalty kick converted by Geovanni. Cavallieri still touched the ball as it went into his lower right-hand corner. Cruzeiro was the better team for the remainder of the first half, but Palmeiras improved in the second, and almost scored an equaliser late in the game. Luckily for the locals, however, Palmeiras would hit the crossbar or post three times in the final 15 minutes, frustrating any chances of keeping the unbeaten streak alive.

Another streak came to an end in Rio de Janeiro. Fluminense defeated Figueirense 2-0 at the Maracana Stadium, with great performances by Petkovic and Marcelo, to end a nine-game winless streak. Petkovic and Tuta scored for the locals, while Figueirense was unable to create much during the game.

In other games, Goias and Vasco tied 0-0, while Flamengo went to Fortaleza to win 4-3 in a very entertaining match. The locals seem destined to the Second Division in 2007, alongside Santa Cruz, 2-1 losers at Atletico Paranaense. Juventude is now in sixth place after a 1-0 win at home over Sao Caetano, the same result obtained at home by Corinthians over Parana.

The weekend confirmed the balance between the teams in the First Division, with Ponte Preta leaving the bottom four in the standings thanks to a win over third placed Santos. Six teams, including Ponte, are now tied with 30 points, just one clear of the relegation zone. Goias (29), Sao Caetano (26), Fortaleza (23) and Santa Cruz (18) would be relegated if the season ended today. Goias, by the way, could still make the Libertadores, since it's only seven points behind fifth place Vasco.