Goalkeeper Ceni scores 4th goal in six matches

Sao Paulo:

Goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni scored his fourth goal in six matches to help Sao Paulo come from behind to beat Cruzeiro 3-2 and keep alive a five-match winning streak in the Brazilian league on Wednesday. Leader Internacional defeated Fortaleza 2-1 to remain atop the standings with 50 points from 27 matches, while defending champion Santos stayed close by beating rival Palmeiras 2-1. Record goal Ceni netted his 18th goal of the year a€" and 57th of his career a€" with a penalty kick in the 71st minute, capping Sao Paulo's second-half rally against Cruzeiro at Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte. Cruzeiro, the 2003 national champion, went ahead with goals from midfielder Kelly in the 16th and striker Diego in the 56th, but Sao Paulo, the reigning Copa Libertadores champion, came back with three goals in a 15-minute span in the second half. Defender Flavio scored with a header in the 57th, striker Christian added with a shot from inside the area in the 60th, and Ceni closed with the penalty kick after a foul from Chilean midfielder Claudio Maldonado on Christian. Ceni also converted a penalty kick in Sao Paulo's 4-2 win over Vasco last Sunday. Sao Paulo moved to 11th place in the 22-team standings with 37 points. Sao Paulo is unbeaten in seven matches, and hasn't lost since a 4-2 defeat to Atletico Paranaense on Aug. 20. Cruzeiro, which also has 37 points but trails Sao Paulo on goal differential, has lost six in a row. Striker Rafael Sobis, a regular in Brazil's Under-20 squad, netted the game-winning goal in Internacional's road victory over Fortaleza at Castelao stadium. The goal was Sobis' fifth in four matches. Inter has won eight of its last 10 matches, and was unbeaten since a 3-2 loss to Palmeiras on Aug. 13. In Santos, substitute striker Basilio scored a 77th-minute game-winner to help the defending champion beat Palmeiras and move closer to the leaders. Santos, which hadn't scored in two matches, is fourth in the standings with 47 points. Palmeiras midfielder Marcinho missed a 42nd-minute penalty kick for Palmeiras, which has lost only twice since coach Emerson Leao took charge on July 24. Fluminense draw with Flamengo Third-place Fluminense drew rival Flamengo 2-2 in Rio de Janeiro with two goals from striker Tuta. Flamengo, which got on the board with midfielders Renato and Diego Souza, played without Paraguayan striker Cesar Ramirez from the third minute because of a knee injury. Goias, unbeaten at home in seven matches, moved to second place by thrashing last-place Paysandu 4-1 at Serra Dourada stadium in Goiania behind two goals by striker Souza. Sao Caetano fell 1-0 to second-to-last Figueirense at Anacleto Campanella stadium to lose its seventh consecutive match. Sao Caetano hasn't won since Aug. 10. On Thursday, fifth-place Corinthians faces Atletico Mineiro, Vasco hosts Ponte Preta, Botafogo plays at Atletico Paranaense, and Juventude meets Coritiba. (AP)