Neymar-less Santos claim narrow win over Sao Paulo

Guilherme's 60th-minute strike secured victory for Santos FC in Sunday's clash against a heavily rotated Sao Paulo side. Hernan Crespo's team clearly had one eye on overturning the 2-0 deficit from their Copa Libertadores quarter-final first leg against LDU Quito.

The 'Tricolor' fielded a starting XI devoid of regular first-team players, with the likes of Damian Bobadilla and Emiliano Rigoni only introduced in the second half. The home side prevailed despite the absence of Neymar, who suffered a recurrence of a right thigh injury this week.

The result marked Argentine manager Juan Pablo Vojvoda's first win in charge of Santos FC since taking over on August 22nd. Sao Paulo remain 7th in the table with 35 points, while the hosts climbed to 14th place with 26 points.

In other action, Cruzeiro overcame Red Bull Bragantino 2-1 to move into second place on matchday 24 of the Campeonato Brasileiro. Goals from Lucas Silva and Kaiki Bruno completed the turnaround for Leonardo Jardim's side after Bragantino had taken an early lead, and they held on despite late pressure.

Elsewhere, Flamengo and Vasco da Gama played out a 1-1 draw, while Gremio emerged victorious in the 'Gaucho' derby, defeating Internacional 3-2. This setback led to the dismissal of the visiting coach Roger Machado. Additionally, Sport Recife triumphed over Corinthians 1-0, and earlier, Mirassol secured a 2-0 victory against Juventude, solidifying their fourth-place position in the Brasileirao with 42 points.