Corinthians reserves notch first league win
Reuters - Monday 25 June 2012, 01:03
Title holders
Corinthians notched their first win of the Brazilian
championship when they beat Palmeiras 2-1 on Sunday despite
resting their first team for the Libertadores Cup.
Corinthians, who reached the final of South America's elite
competition for the first time when they eliminated holders
Santos on Wednesday, had only taken one point from their first
five matches of the domestic championship.
The victory over Luiz Felipe Scolari's side in a Sao Paulo
derby lifted Corinthians off the bottom of the standings with
four points from six matches, two more than Palmeiras and
Goianiense.
Striker Romarinho scored once in each half for Corinthians
after Mazinho had put Palmeiras ahead in the fourth minute.
Corinthians were captained by former Portugal striker
Liedson who might have scored a brilliant goal had his bicycle
kick not hit the woodwork and run along the goal-line before
going out of play.
Their first team meet six-times South American champions
Boca Juniors of Argentina in the Libertadores final, with the
first leg at La Bombonera in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.
Santos, with a full team in the domestic championship for
the first time after failing to progress from the Libertadores
Cup semi-finals, were held 2-2 at home by Coritiba.
Brazil striker Neymar put Santos 2-1 up at a free-kick in
the 70th minute at the Vila Belmiro but Lincoln equalised four
minutes later with a penalty.
Cruzeiro lead the standings with 14 points after a 3-1 away
win over Vasco da Gama in a top-of-the-table clash in Rio de
Janeiro on Saturday.
Their Belo Horizonte city arch-rivals Atletico Mineiro,
equal second on 13 points with Vasco, crushed promoted Nautico
5-1 with their new captain Ronaldinho scoring his first goal for
them from a controversial penalty.
The score was 1-1 when Mineiro's former Everton and
Manchester City striker Jo went down in the box and Ronaldinho
put them 2-1 up from the spot, opening the floodgates.