Botafogo down America 4-2

Sao Paulo:

Midfielder Ze Roberto scored twice on Wednesday to help Botafogo down America 4-2 and hold on to top spot in the Brazilian soccer championship.

Ze Roberto's fellow midfielder Lucio Flavio scored the first goal of the evening in the sixth minute after receiving a pass from Alessandro.

America striker Paulo Isidoro made it 1-1 in the 18th minute and 16 minutes later, forward Andre Lima put Botafogo ahead 2-1. Paulo Isidoro struck again and scored the equalizer in the 54th minute.

In the 60th minute, Ze Roberto made it 3-2 and in the 71st minute he scored the last goal of the night.

Also on Wednesday, Goias picked up three points after defeating Parana 2-0 and now shares third place with Vasco.

Midfielder Paulo Baier scored the first goal on a penalty kick in the 45th minute and Andre Leone headed the ball into the net in the 66th minute.

In Sao Paulo, Sport rallied to defeat Palmeiras 2-1 with goals by defender Cesar and striker Da Silva.

Palmeiras midfielder Martinez scored he first goal of the game on a free kick in the 8th minute. Cesar evened the score in the 29th minute and Da Silva scored in the 45th minute.

In the southern city of Porto Alegre, Vasco defeated Internacional 2-0 with first half goals by strikers Alan Kardec and Leandro Amaral.

Kardec scored first, heading the ball into the net in the 30th minute. Moments later, a ball headed by Kardec hit the post and landed in front of Amaral who tapped it into the net in the 37th minute.

In other games, Nautico and Fluminense played to a scoreless tie in the northeastern city of Recife; Atletico Paranaense and Corinthians played to a 2-2 draw; and in the city of Minas Gerais, Santos downed Atletico Mineiro 2-1.