Inter Stunned by Santos Comeback; Flamengo Drop Out of Top Four

SKP has had a rather busy week, dear reader, so please excuse the tardiness of this round-up. The second half of the Campeonato Brasileiro started in exciting fashion; no fewer than 38 goals were scored around the country. With no further ado, then...

Brasileirão Gameweek 20 Round-up
After their recent wobble, Corinthians consolidated their leadership with a hard-fought victory against Grêmio on Wednesday night. The Timão finished the match with nine men after the dismissals of Liédson and Edenílson, but withstood a late siege to emerge 3-2 winners. In-form Vasco da Gama also picked up maximum points, moving up into second place after a routine win over Ceará. Former Benfica forward Éder Luís was excellent at the São Januário, scoring one goal and setting up another with a slalom run. São Paulo, meanwhile, fell to yet another home loss; goals from Argentine starlet Manuel Lanzini and Rafael Sobis gave Fluminense a 2-1 win over the Tricolor.

All smiles; Éder Luís celebrates his goal for Vasco.

Flamengo, who looked almost unbeatable just a few short weeks ago, are also enduring a lengthy blip; the Rubro-Negro came unstuck against lowly Avaí at the Ressacada. Ronaldinho Gaúcho scored a gol olímpico (a goal direct from a corner kick) in that one, but strikes from Róbson, Lincoln, and Rafael Coelho handed the hosts a much-needed win. Fellow strugglers Atlético Mineiro also picked up three points, beating Atlético-PR thanks to a penalty from Mancini. América-MG, however, remain rooted to the bottom of the table after a dire goalless draw with Bahia.

With a three goal cushion and just fifteen minutes left on the clock, Internacional probably thought they were home and dry against Santos. Big mistake. The Peixe dragged themselves back into contention with goals from Borges and Alan Kardec, before a fine individual effort from the former restored parity in the dying minutes. Borges now leads the Série A scoring charts, with fourteen goals to his name. That match wasn't the week's only six-goal thriller; Figueirense stunned Cruzeiro with a 4-2 win at the Ipatingão. Elsewhere, both Botafogo and Atlético-GO picked up comfortable wins, against Palmeiras and Coritiba respectively.

Série A results; Corinthians 3-2 Grêmio, Vasco 3-1 Ceará, Atlético-GO 3-1 Coritiba, Atlético-PR 0-1 Atlético-MG, Cruzeiro 2-4 Figueirense, São Paulo 1-2 Fluminense, Botafogo 3-1 Palmeiras, Internacional 3-3 Santos, Avaí 3-2 Flamengo, Bahia 0-0 América-MG.

(Photo credit; Vasco.com.br.)