Sao Paulo beat Cruzeiro to open title race

Sao Paulo, Sep 15: Sao Paulo cut Cruzeiro's lead at the top of Brazil's Serie A championship to four points after defeating the defending champions 2-0.

Veteran goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni converted a first-half penalty and Alan Kardec added a second goal after the interval at the Morumbi stadium Sunday, reports Xinhua.

The result lifted Sao Paulo to 42 points, five points ahead of third-placed Internacional after 21 matches.

In Rio de Janeiro, a second-half strike from Wallace gave Flamengo a 1-0 victory over Corinthians at the Maracana stadium.

Vanderlei Luxemburgo's team are now 10th in the standings while Corinthians have slipped to fourth, 10 points behind Cruzeiro.

In other matches Sunday, Bahia beat Figueirense 3-0, Internacional defeated Botafogo 2-0, Gremio held Atletico Mineiro 0-0, Atletico Paranaense overcame Vitoria 2-0 and Criciuma eclipsed Goias 1-0.