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The two-time World Player of the Year continued his bright start to life with Galo as he converted from the penalty spot in a 5-1 trouncing of the Recife outfit

Ronaldinho scored his first goal in an Atletico Mineiro shirt as his new club mauled Nautico in an emphatic 5-1 triumph.

Bernard got the hosts off to a great start as he fired in with just three minutes on the clock, but the visitors levelled 10 minutes later and it was Araujo who struck to continue his excellent form so far. The game soon settled down but Galo continued to enjoy the majority of possession. They made it count in the 35th minute as Jo wriggled into the area before taking a tumble to win his team a penalty. Ronaldinho stepped up and converted by powering an unstoppable drive into the roof of the net. Two minutes later their lead was doubled as Marcio Rosario got a foot on Danilinho's cross and managed to divert it into his own net at the near post.

From then on it was all Galo with Leonardo Silva rattling the crossbar with two headers either side of half time. The fourth goal was eventually added just after the hour mark as Danilinho found space in the area and produced a pinpoint cross-goal finish. Nautico then had a goal correctly ruled out for offside but the rout was complete as Damian Escudero poked home at the back post in stoppage time after some absurdly lax marking from the visitors.

Galo now sit in second place and are just one point behind league leaders and local rivals Cruzeiro. Nautico's run of two consecutive wins comes to an end but they remain in mid-table.


Gremio's potency in front of goal was the difference as they ran out 2-0 winners over Flamengo at the Estadio Olimpico.

The game began fairly evenly with Renato Abreu coming close with two free kicks for the visitors, but Marco Antonio also fired narrowly wide for the Immortal Tricolor before Marcelo Moreno and Kleber both hit the bar inside the opening 30 minutes. But the duo combined soon after to put the hosts ahead and it was Moreno who found the net after rounding the keeper and eventually converting via a nick off a Rubro-Negro defender.

Soon after the restart, visiting goalkeeper Paulo Victor made a phenomenal save to turn the Bolivian international's deflected effort behind but from the resultant corner Werley beat Marcos Gonzalez to the ball and headed in at the near post. Joel Santana's men responded well enough but they were halted by Victor, who thwarted Luiz Antonio and Hernane with two excellent saves. As Mengao committed men forwards, Gremio found more opportunities to add another goal but Kleber failed to capitalise on their two best chances.

Flamengo's first defeat of the season means they remain in the top half of the table but are three points behind Gremio who occupy fourth position.

Vasco da Gama 1-3 Cruzeiro

Cruzeiro moved above Vasco da Gama to the summit of the league with a masterclass in pragmatic football to secure a 3-1 victory at the Sao Januario.

The Raposa look a completely different side from the one which narrowly escaped relegation on the final day of last season as Celso Roth has provided them with immense defensive organisation. They soaked up the pressure during most of the first half before striking with a quick break before the interval. In attempting to keep Fernando Prass' goal kick in touch, Eder Luis inadvertently handed possession straight to the visitors. They moved swiftly up the field and after Wellington Paulista's initial effort was blocked the ball fell kindly to Walter Montillo, who rifled an exquisite volley into the corner. Vasco almost pulled one back immediately but some last-ditch defending from Everton stopped Alecsandro from tapping in.

The Gigante da Colina upped the pressure in the second half and they almost restored parity as Alecsandro headed onto the post from Fagner's cross. Yet Cruzeiro proved devastating on the counter once more as Montillo slipped Wellington Paulista in behind and the striker finished with a delightful chip over the top of the keeper and into the far corner. A poor clearance from Fabio enabled Rodolfo to halve the deficit with a header moments later but the visitors restored their two-goal advantage in the 81st minute. Two substitutes combined as Anselmo Ramon added the finishing touch to Tinga's cross at the back post.

Victory moves the Belo Horizonte side to the top of the table as they remain unbeaten this season, inflicting Vasco's first defeat this term and shifting them down to third position in the process.


Santos failed to bounce back from Copa Libertadores elimination as Coritiba twice came from behind to rescue a point in a 2-2 draw at Vila Belmiro.

After an extremely drab opening 30 minutes the Peixe found the back of the net as Edu Dracena rose highest to nod in from Elano's expert delivery. However the centre-back cancelled out his good work as he gave the ball straight to Everton Ribeiro in his own half. The Coxa player ran past him before squaring to Rafinha, who slotted past Rafael to restore parity five minutes after the restart.

Santos were struggling to work effectively in a 4-3-3 formation with Borges, Alan Kardec and Neymar all on the field and moments after last season's highest scorer in the league was removed, the Alvinegro regained the lead. From Elano's free kick, Neymar showed fantastic reactions to stab in from Alan Kardec's flick on. But the hosts fell asleep once more and four minutes later the visitors pulled level. Rafinha won his side a penalty after coming in from the left and the experienced Lincoln converted from 12 yards.

Santos remain in the relegation zone, winless in six, while Coritiba stay stuck in the bottom half. However, they will have a shot at securing Copa Libertadores football if they can beat Palmeiras in the Copa do Brasil final next month.


After almost two years away from professional football, Dida made a triumphant return for Portuguesa as he kept a clean sheet in a 1-0 win over the under-performing Sao Paulo. On the back of securing a spot in the Copa do Brasil final, Palmeiras went down 2-1 to a second-string Corinthians side. Figueirense and Bahia shared the points with a 1-1 draw at the Orlando Scarpelli. Botafogo's inconsistency continued as they lost 2-1 at home to Ponte Preta but Internacional returned to winning ways with a 2-0 triumph over Sport Recife. Fluminense came from behind to beat bottom club Atletico Goianiense 4-1 at the Estadio Serra Dourada.

Player of the Round

Cruzeiro were fortunate to hold onto Walter Montillo during the off-season but the Argentine wizard showed just how integral he is to the club with an excellent showing against Vasco da Gama. He put his team ahead before the break with a magnificently-executed volley and then threaded a pass through to Wellington Paulista to score his side's second. His passing and hold-up play provided the defence with time to recover their shape and his ingenuity and quick thinking throughout helped make the difference.