League-leading Corinthians fall again
Defender Jonas scored a second-half goal as newly promoted Coritiba beat leader Corinthians 1-0 in the Brazilian league on Sunday.
It was Corinthians' third loss in four matches, cutting its lead over Sao Paulo and Vasco da Gama to two points. Sao Paulo defeated Figueirense 2-1 with a goal by World Cup veteran Rivaldo on Saturday, while Vasco lost 4-1 to last-place America on Sunday.
Botafogo, with a game in hand, is three points back in fourth place, while Flamengo stayed four points behind after losing 3-1 to Bahia at home, with Ronaldinho absent.
Defending champion Fluminense needed only eight minutes to score three late goals in a 3-2 win over Atletico Goianiense in Volta Redonda on Saturday, jumping to seventh place in the 20-team standings.
Argentine midfielder Damian Escudero scored in Gremio's 4-0 routing of Atletico Paranaense, while countryman Walter Montillo netted Cruzeiro's goal in a 1-1 draw with Palmeiras.
Jonas scored the winner in Curitiba with a 73rd-minute header, finding the net after Corinthians' defenders failed to clear a long cross into the area.
Corinthians had two great chances to equalize in the final minutes but twice was denied by the post at the Couto Pereira stadium. Former Spartak Moscow Midfielder Alex struck the woodwork in the 85th and 90th minutes.
The result snapped a three-match winless streak for Coritiba, the 1985 national champion which last year played in the second division.
The loss keeps Corinthians with 40 points from 21 matches. Coritiba moved to eighth place after reaching 29 points.
Sao Paulo moved closer to the lead with the help of Rivaldo, the former Barcelona star who helped Brazil win the 2002 World Cup. The 39-year-old midfielder came off the bench to score the winner from near the penalty spot in the 60th at the Orlando Scarpelli stadium in Florianopolis.
Sao Paulo, a six-time Brazilian champion, hadn't won in five league matches.
Many Fluminense fans had already left the stadium when the Rio side mounted its comeback against Atletico Goianiense on Saturday. Atletico, which had won five in a row, was winning 2-0 by the 17th, but Rafael Sobis scored in the 82nd and 86th minutes to equalize, and Rafael Moura netted the winner with a header off a free kick in the 90th. Moura had missed a first-half penalty when Fluminense was trailing 1-0.
It was Fluminense's first win in five matches. Atletico remained 12th in the standings.
Flamengo lost to Bahia at the Engenhao stadium in Rio de Janeiro, due in part to the absence of two-time FIFA player of the year Ronaldinho, who is with Brazil's national team for a friendly against Ghana in London on Monday.
World Cup veteran Juninho Pernambucano scored but Vasco was upset 4-1 by last-place America in Sete Lagoas, missing a chance to take sole possession of first place for the first time.
Escudero helped Gremio rout second-to-last-place Atletico Paranaense 4-0 at the Olimpico stadium in Porto Alegre. Striker Andre Lima scored the other three goals for the two-time national champion.
Montillo scored the equalizer for Cruzeiro against eight-time champion Palmeiras at the Pacaembu stadium in Sao Paulo. Former Roma and Real Betis midfielder Marcos Assuncao missed a last-minute penalty for Palmeiras, which is sixth in the standings with 33 points.
Also Sunday, Internacional drew host Ceara 1-1, while on Saturday Atletico Mineiro defeated Avai 2-0 in Sete Lagoas.
Botafogo's match against Santos at the Vila Belmiro stadium was postponed until October because Santos had too many players called up for Brazil's friendly against Ghana.
---
Follow Tales Azzoni at http://twitter.com/tazzoni