Sao Paulo opens five points at the top of the Brazilian league

The game was obviously not as good as many had anticipated. But to the fans of Sao Paulo, it didn't really matter in the end, after the team managed to beat Botafogo on the road, 2-0, to reach 37 points, five more than Botafogo itself, which continues in second place.

Close to 50,000 people showed up at the Maracana Stadium to watch the game between the two best teams in the league. But the first half was a total disappointment, with almost no real scoring chance created, and with Sao Paulo's full-back Reasco having to leave the field after being kicked by a Botafogo player and breaking his leg - he's out for the remainder of the season.

In the second half, both teams seemed to open up a little bit more, pushing forward and not waiting so much for the opponent to take action. Rogerio Ceni had to make a few good saves to keep the scoreless draw. In the 64th minute, Sao Paulo surprised Botafogo on a corner kick, and Alex Silva headed the ball into the left side of the goal defended by Marcos Leandro. In the 71st minute, Botafogo's Tulio got upset with Sao Paulo's Leandro and kicked him on the face while he was laying down, after being fouled on by the Botafogo player. He was promptly sent off, and from there on Botafogo lost any hope of making a comeback. Leandro himself would score the second goal of the night for the defending champions, connecting a perfect shot from outside of the penalty box three minutes later.

It was the first loss at home for Botafogo in the season, and the end of a 25-game unbeaten streak at the Maracana Stadium. Sao Paulo got its sixth win in nine matches on the road in the Brazilian Serie A, its second straight 2-0 road win over teams that are directly fighting for the title this season - on Sunday the team had beaten Gremio in Porto Alegre. Botafogo still has one game in hand, but the 2-0 loss at home may have a significant psychological impact if the team fails to get a few wins in the upcoming rounds.

In other matches, Nautico got its second win of the season at home, beating Figueirense 4-2 in Recife. The team was winless at home in seven games. Acosta scored twice and had an assist for Nautico. The result took the team to 20 points, out of the relegation zone ahead of Corinthians, which faces Vasco on Thursday.

In Belo Horizonte, Cruzeiro beat Sport 2-0 in a game marred by three red cards - two for Sport. Not many chances were created in the first half, when both teams preferred to stop the play by consistently fouling an opposing player. The locals took advantage of the sending offs in the second half to score twice with Alecsandro and reach 29 points, third in the standings. Sport was held to 24 points, in tenth place.

Fluminense and Juventude played yet another poor match in Caxias do Sul, with defense taking preference over the attacks and very few chances created by both sides. The result left the locals still struggling to come out of the relegation zone, where they remain in 18th place with 16 points. Fluminense is a little better, in 14th place with 23 points.

Goias beat Atletico Mineiro in Goiania, 3-2, to stop the visitors' two-game winning streak on the road. The locals showed why their home record is so good this season, reaching their sixth win in nine matches at home in the Brazilian Serie A. The first goal was scored by Paulo Baier in the first minute of play, after a mistake by Atletico goalkeeper Edson. Baier scored the second at the start of the second half, on a penalty kick. Atletico scored next with Marcos, but Goias made it 3-1 with Cristiano. Atletico still had a second goal with Vanderlei on a penalty kick with eight minutes to go, but was unable to tie the game in the dying minutes of the game. Goias returned to the top four in the standings, now with 29 points.

Finally, Flamengo went to Curitiba and lost 2-0 to Atletico Paranaense. It was the second loss in a row for Flamengo under new coach Joel Santana, with the team conceding five goals and scoring none in those games. The locals scored early with Marcelo, in the third minute, and then again with Edno, in the 60th minute. It was the first win in five games for Atletico, which reached 22 points, good for 15th place in the standings. Flamengo is second last, with 12 points - but the team has played only 14 games.

Four games complete the 18th round of the Brazilian Serie A soccer league on Thursday: America Natal travels to Porto Alegre to face Gremio, Vasco hosts Corinthians, Palmeiras plays at home against Internacional and Parana has a road game at Santos.