Botafogo missed out on the chance to take a share of the leadership of Brazil's Campeonato after a 1-0 home defeat to Figueirense.
Julio Cesar's sixth-minute goal settled the contest, lifting the visitor up to fifth and leaving Botafogo three points adrift of joint pacesetters Corinthians and Vasco da Gama.
Bahia showed commendable spirit to move further clear of the bottom five, hitting back from 3-1 down to sink Sao Paulo 4-3.
The visitor would have moved to within five points of the summit with a win - and they looked like collecting it as goals from Wellington, Lucas Moura and Santos Cicero had them in control on the hour.
However, goals from substitute Lulinha and Leandros Matos tied things up, before Luiz Eduardo's 83rd-minute own goal capped the Bahia comeback. Rodrigo De Souza got the host's other goal, making it 1-1 early in the second half.
Atletico Mineiro beat mid-table Gremio 2-0 in the other game, with Andre De Souza and substitute Marcos Marquinhos netting in each half.
