体坛英语新闻：Adriano aids Corinthians to win, team remains in first place

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 20 (Xinhua) -- In an exciting conclusion to the 36th round of the Brazilian Championship, Corinthians' 2-1 come-from-behind win against Atletico-MG kept the team in first place.

Adriano scored the game's winning goal, marking his first with the team since his arrival.

Additionally, Flamengo continues to struggle as it played out to a scoreless draw against Atletico-GO. Led by Fred, Fluminense eased to a 4-0 win over Figueirese and Botafogo lost at home 2-1 against Internacional.

In front of a festive Corinthian crowd, Atletico-MG scored the game's first goal returning to the second half. In the 54th minute Daniel Carvalho centered the ball to a diving Leandro Silva, heading the ball past keeper Julio Cesar and into the Corinthians goal.

Corinthians scored the equalizer in the 77th minute when Alessandro crossed the ball to Liedson who headed it past keeper Renan Ribeiro and into the goal.

Adriano scored the game-winning goal in the 88th minute, firing a great shot from the lower left side of the field past an off-guard Ribeiro and into a tough angle at the upper right corner of the goal.

The win maintains Corinthians in first place with 67 points, two points ahead of second place Vasco da Gama. Atletico-MG remains in 14th place with 42 points.

Fluminense holds onto third place with 62 points after a convincing 4-0 road win over Figueirense. Fred led the team, producing another hat-trick, while Marquinho also scored. Over the past two games, Fred has scored seven goals and now totals 20 goals in the competition.

Figueirense's 14-game undefeated streak came to an end. The team drops to fifth place with 57 points and will next face first place Corinthians on November 27.

In another highly anticipated match, home team Botafogo ran into difficulties against Internacional. The visiting team scored in the third minute of additional time of the first half when Oscar gave a great assist to Leandro Damiao who appeared freely behind the Botafogo defense to tap the ball into the goal.

Internacional increased its lead in the 73rd minute when Oscar was on the receiving end of a lofted pass from Andrezinho and slipped the ball past an approaching keeper, Jefferson.

Botafogo's only goal came in the 76th minute when Felipe Menezes stepped into a shot from the top of the penalty box and blew it past a diving goalie, Muriel.

Internacional's win catapults the team into fourth place with 57 points, improving four positions. Botafogo drops to eighth place with 55 points.

In an uneventful match, home team Atletico-GO battled to a scoreless draw against Flamengo. The stadium was filled over its allowed capacity as thousands turned out to see Ronaldinho Gaucho play. Largely cheering for Flamengo, the crowd was disappointed with the empty scoreboard.

The result keeps Flamengo in fifth place with 57 points, unable to climb in the rankings. Atletico-GO drops to 13th place with 44 points.

In the day's other matches, host Cruzeiro tied 1-1 against Atletico-PR, Palmeiras beat home team Bahia 2-0 and Coritiba edged out Santos 1-0.

Two rounds of play remain in this year's running-point tournament.