By Gareth Chetwynd
RIO DE JANEIRO, Feb 11 - Carlos Alberto scored the
winning goal against his old club on Sunday as Sao Paulo marched
to a 3-2 win over Santos in Brazil's biggest state championship.
Ponte Preta moved to top spot in the Sao Paulo championship
standings on 19 points with a 1-0 win over Rio Preto.
Sao Paulo climbed into the top four, occupying a qualifying
slot for the semi-final stage of the championship for the first
time since it got under way a month ago.
Santos, the 2007 state champions, are languishing near the
relegation zone with eight points from eight games.
The visitors survived early Sao Paulo pressure and took the
lead when a defensive slip allowed Kleber Pereira a free run on
goal.
Fabio Santos headed the equaliser and then Juninho took
advantage of a poorly positioned wall to put Sao Paulo ahead.
Rodrigo Souto headed a Santos equaliser from a looping cross
by Alemao, but sustained a head injury in the process.
Carlos Alberto's deflected effort gave Sao Paulo the points.
Santos were incensed when a penalty appeal was waved away
after Miranda appeared to handle.
Santos midfielder Rodrigo Tabata was dismissed for dissent
late in the game and Sao Paulo's on-loan striker Adriano was
also shown a late red card after a scuffle with Santos defender
Domingos.
Ponte Preta battled their way to victory over Rio Preto in a
game where torrential rain turned the playing surface into a mud
bath.
Marcelo Soares embodied Ponte Preta's fighting spirit by
forcing his way through the muddy penalty area to toe-poke the
winning goal.
Modest club Guaratingueta slipped to second place, on 18
points, but will play their game in hand against Rio Claro on
Tuesday.
RIO CHAMPIONSHIP
The semi-finalists for the first stage of the Rio de Janeiro
state championship have already been decided.
Vasco da Gama made a successful late dash into a qualifying
berth by trouncing Cabofriense 5-1.
The convincing performance, capped by Morais's fine play,
suggested that the players have not been adversely affected by
the departure of former coach Romario, who resigned last week
alleging board interference in playing affairs.
Fluminense and Flamengo, who had already qualified, fielded
under-strength teams in their clash at the Maracana stadium.
Striker Thiago Neves scored a brilliant hat-trick to help
Fluminense to a flattering 4-1 win.
The game was interrupted by a fierce thunderstorm that
caused a power cut.
(Editing by Rex Gowar)