Rio de Janeiro, Oct 26 (IANS): Alexandre Pato struck a superb second-half winner as Sao Paulo defeated 10-man Coritiba 2-1 in Brazil's Serie A championship.
The 26-year-old Pato curled a left-footed shot from outside the area into the top left corner after being set up by his former Brazil international teammate Paulo Henrique Ganso during the match on Sunday, Xinhua reported.
Alan Kardec's 25th-minute strike had given the visitors an early lead before Luis Caceres equalized on the stroke of halftime with a fizzing 25m shot.
Coritiba were reduced to 10 men in the 72nd minute when Henrique Almeida was shown a second yellow card for a bad foul.
The result at the Couto Pereira stadium lifted Sao Paulo to fifth in the standings while Coritiba remained 17th.
In Sao Paulo, Corinthians edged closer to the title as a Vagner Love strike ensured a 1-0 home victory over Flamengo.