Gabriel fires Flamengo to victory over Internacional

Rio de Janeiro, Oct 23 (IANS) Flamengo eased their relegation fears after a Gabriel double gave them a 2-0 victory over Internacional in Brazil's Serie A championship.

On Wednesday, the midfielder struck twice in the second half at the Maracana stadium as the Rio club rose to 10th in the standings, nine points clear of the drop zone, reports Xinhua.

The result left Internacional in fifth spot, 10 points behind leaders Cruzeiro with eight games remaining in the season.

Meanwhile, two-time champions Botafogo fell to second-last place after a 0-2 defeat at Coritiba, with Joel Tadjo and Alex on target.

In Sao Paulo, Luciano and Fabio Santos struck either side of halftime as Corinthians rose to third with a 2-1 victory over Vitoria, while a late Edson goal gave Fluminense a 1-0 win at Santos.