Tardelli's hat trick lifts Atletico Mineiro past Goias

Belo Horizonte, Brazil (SportsNetwork.com) - Diego Tardelli bagged a hat trick on Saturday as Atletico Mineiro cruised to a 4-1 victory over Goais at the Estadio Independencia.

The home side wasted no time finding the back of the net as Fernando opened the scoring in the 22nd minute and Tardelli collected his first goal of the day 10 minutes later for the quick two-goal margin.

Goias pulled one back when Amaral scored two minutes prior to the break, but Atletico put the result away in the second half as Tandelli scored in the 65th and 72nd minutes to complete his hat trick.

The result sees Atletico Mineiro improve to 55 points with two games remaining in the campaign, while Goias sits in fourth position with 59 points.

Elsewhere in Brazil on Saturday, Thalles scored just three minutes in for Vasco da Gama and the club held on for a 2-1 victory over league champions Cruzeiro, while Wellington Paulista and Dinei swapped goals as Criciuma and Vitoria battled to a 1-1 draw.

On Sunday, Felipe netted a brace as Atletico Paranaense rolled to a comfortable 6-1 thrashing of Nautico, while Adailton and Eduardo Vargas traded goals as Ponte Preta and Gremio played to a 1-1 draw.

Paulinho's 18th minute tally held up as the winner as Flamengo earned a 1-0 victory over Corinthains, while Thiago's second-half goal handed Santos a 1-0 win over Fluminense.

Bahia claimed a 1-0 result against Portuguesa on the strength of a 44th-minute goal from Fernandao. Sao Paulo and Botafogo played to a 1-1 draw, while Internacional and Coritiba finished scoreless.