Sao Paulo, Brazil (SportsNetwork.com) - Ricardo Goulart netted a first-half double on Saturday to lift defending champions Cruzeiro to a 3-2 victory over Coritiba and into second place.
After cruising to the league title last season, Cruzeiro got off to a bit of a slow start this season, earning two wins in their first four matches, but Goulart made sure the club took three points against Coritiba on home soil.
Goulart opened the scoring for the hosts after just 11 minutes, but Coritiba responded with an equalizer in the 22nd minute through Alexsandro de Sousa.
But Goulart put his side back in front in first half stoppage time when he fired home his second goal of the match.
The game opened up in the second half as Coritiba drew level again in the 55th minute through Norberto, but they couldn't hang onto the result as a goal from Borges in the 69th minute handed all three points to Cruzeiro.
The result sees the defending champions rise to second place in the table with 10 points, one behind league leaders Internacional, while Coritiba stays second from the bottom with three points.
On Sunday in Brazil. Cleberson de Souza and Tiago Luis traded goals as Atletico PR and Chapecoense played to a 1-1 draw, while Giovanni's 48th-minute goal held up as the winner for Figueirense in a 1-0 win over Corinthians.
Paulo Ganso netted a double to lift Sao Paulo to a 2-0 victory over Flamengo, while Gremio handed Fluminense a 1-0 defeat. Andre netted a brace to lift Atletico Mineiro to a 2-1 win over Santos, Palmeiras topped Vitoria, 1-0, and Criciuma and Internacional played to a scoreless draw.
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