Late goal by Luciano Neves secures Sao Paulo’s 1-0 win over Cruzeiro

Following a closely contested first half, the visitors went down to 10 men shortly before the hour mark, as goalkeeper Anderson received a straight red card for a risky challenge on midfielder Alisson Castro.

Rio De Janeiro: Forward Luciano Neves scored late as Sao Paulo eased their relegation concerns with a 1-0 home victory over Cruzeiro in Brazil’s Serie A championship on Thursday night.

After an evenly matched first half, the visitors were reduced to 10 men just before the hour when goalkeeper Anderson was shown a straight red card for a dangerous challenge on midfielder Alisson Castro.

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Sao Paulo capitalized on their numerical advantage in the 84th minute through Luciano, who headed into the bottom right corner after Alisson’s cross.

The result leaves Sao Paulo 10th in the 20-team standings, eight points clear of the relegation zone with seven match days remaining.

Cruzeiro are 16th with 37 points from 30 outings, just three points above the drop zone.

In other Brazilian Serie A fixtures on Thursday, Vasco da Gama won 2-0 at Cuiaba and Bragantino prevailed 2-0 at Goias.