Sao Paulo, Brazil – Fred scored his 11th goal of the season and Fluminense extended its unbeaten streak to 11 matches with a 1-0 win over Internacional on Sunday in the Brasileiro.
Fluminense secured its place atop the standings over Atletico Mineiro, and has a six-point six cushion over third-place Gremio. Internacional lost for the third time in its last five matches, and is 15 points off the pace.
Fred scored before the half-hour mark to take sole possession of the scoring lead, and red cards highlighted the rest of the fixture as three players were sent off.
Internacional lost Fabricio and Nei inside the hour, and Leandro was sent off just after the hour for Fluminense - has won seven times during its undefeated run.
Elkeson scored a brace in the first half as Botafogo defeated Nautico, 3-1, to push its winning streak to three games on Sunday. Nautico lost for the second time during a three-game winless skid.
Also Sunday, Atletico Mineiro scored three times in the second half of a 3-0 victory over Palmeiras, with two of the goals coming from Bernard, while last- place Goianiense finished in a 1-1 draw with Portuguesa.
Bahia rolled to a 4-0 win at Vasco da Gama with two goals apiece from Rodrigo Souza and Jones, Gilbero's goal in the 61st minute helped Sport Recife to a 2-1 victory over Cruzeiro and Santos tied Sao Paulo, 0-0.
On Saturday, Ralf and Guilherme scored in a five-minute span inside the first 10 minutes as Corinthians won for the second time in its last three and ended a five-game unbeaten streak for Gremio with a 3-1 win.
Lincoln Adams, Rafinha and Everton scored as Coritiba ended a two-game losing skid and left Flamengo winless in five with a 3-0 win, and Marcinho scored 12 minutes from time as Ponte Preta extended its unbeaten run to five with a 2-2 draw against Figueirense.
