Brazil striker Adriano scored a hat-trick as Flamengo crushed Internacional 4-0, while Corinthians beat Sao Paulo 3-1 in their Brazilian championship derby on Sunday.
Unbeaten Atletico Mineiro opened a three-point lead at the top with 17 points from seven matches after a controversial finish to their 3-2 win at Santos.
Adriano, who left Italy’s Inter in April because he was unhappy and appeared to have lost his desire for soccer, opened the scoring for Flamengo in the 13th minute when he lobbed Internacional keeper Lauro from the edge of the box.
PHOTO: AP
Emerson increased Flamengo’s lead in the 36th minute and Adriano, left out of Brazil’s Confederations Cup squad because of his recent lack of regular soccer and form, scored with a left-footed free-kick before halftime.
Adriano, who took his tally to four goals in four games, completed his hat-trick with a 68th-minute penalty after defender Leonardo Moura was brought down and despite demands from teammates Ibson and Juan that one of them should take the spot kick.
Flamengo coach Cuca will have been relieved to see his team win at home after 4-2 and 5-0 away defeats in their previous two matches had fans calling for his head.
No such luck for title holders and three-time champions Sao Paulo, who have had a week to forget, having been knocked out of the Libertadores Cup on Thursday by fellow Brazilians Cruzeiro and sacked coach Muricy Ramalho on Friday.
Midfielder Cristian, captain Chico and substitute Juciclei scored for Corinthians, while star attraction Ronaldo had a quiet game.
Richarlyson scored for Sao Paulo, who will officially unveil former Brazil captain and Monaco coach Ricardo Gomes as their new coach today and are 16th after one win in seven matches.
At Santos, referee Djalma Beltrame announced four minutes’ stoppage time, then whistled for the end of the match after only two.
Pressured by the home team’s players, he restarted the match to play the remaining two minutes.
Molina then scored what appeared to be a valid equalizer against Atletico Mineiro, only for the referee to whistle for a dubious foul on another player and send off fullback Leo for protesting.
“He [the referee] got scared of complications having made a mistake by ending the game early. So, when he saw the ball go in, he invented a foul. It’s absurd,” Leo said.
Taiwan kept their hopes of advancing to next year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Saturday, backed by solid pitching. Taiwan last night played against Nicaragua. As of press time, Nicaragua was leading 6-0. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan on Saturday kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen struck out one and allowed no hits, except for a hit-by-pitch over
Taiwan kept its hopes of advancing to the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC) alive with a 9-1 victory over South Africa in a qualifier at the Taipei Dome last night, backed by solid pitching. Bouncing back from Friday’s struggles on the mound, when Taiwanese pitchers surrendered 15 runs to Spain, Team Taiwan kept the visiting team in check, allowing just one run in the bottom of the fourth inning. The win was crucial for Taiwan, as a loss would have eliminated the team from contention for the next WBC. Starting pitcher Sha Tzu-chen (沙子宸) struck out one and allowed no hits, except for
Team Taiwan are set to face Spain in a win-or-go-home match tonight for the final berth at the 2026 World Baseball Classic (WBC), despite losing to Nicaragua 6-0 in the WBC qualifier at the Taipei Dome on Sunday. The home team’s loss on Sunday means Nicaragua finish first in the qualifier round in Taipei with a perfect 3-0 record and advances to next year’s finals. After crushing South Africa 9-1 earlier on Sunday, Spain took second place in the four-team qualifier with a 2-1 record. With a 1-2 record, Taiwan finished third while South Africa placed at the bottom with
Team Taiwan avoided missing the World Baseball Classic (WBC) for the first time by defeating Spain 6-3 in a do-or-die game in Taipei last night. After narrowly escaping a mercy-rule loss to Spain in the WBC Qualifiers opener on Friday last week, the home team — winner of last year's WBSC Premier12 title three months ago — got their revenge against the 2023 European champions at Taipei Dome. "It felt quite different from when we won the Premier12," Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien (陳傑憲) said after the game, recalling the ups and downs the team has experienced over the past few days. Unlike in
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