Curitiba (Brazil), January 18: A stunning second-half strike from midfielder Danilo Pinheiro earned leaders Sao Paulo a 1-1 draw at Athletico Paranaense in Brazil's Serie A championship on Sunday.
Neves received a pass from Igor Gomes and took one touch before curling an unstoppable 25-yard shot into the top left corner just after the hour mark. Renato Kayzer had given the hosts the lead with a first-time finish after a counterattack just before halftime.
The result at Arena da Baixada left Sao Paulo clinging to top spot in the 20-team standings with 57 points from 30 matches. Fernando Diniz's men have now gone three games without a victory.
Paranaense, who are undefeated in their past five matches, are 11th and maintain slim hopes of qualifying for this year's Copa Libertadores.
In Belo Horizonte, Atletico Mineiro kept their title aspirations alive with a 3-1 home win over Atletico Goianiense. Hyoran Dalmoro and Junior Alonso netted first-half goals for the hosts before Jair Rodrigues Junior added a third in the 62nd minute. Midfielder Janderson Souza pulled back a late goal for Goianiense.
And Santos secured a 2-1 home victory over Botafogo thanks to goals either side of halftime from Yeferson Soteldo and Bruno Marques. Pedro Raul converted a penalty just before halftime for Botafogo, who are last in the standings with just 23 points from 30 matches.
Source: Xinhua
