Botafogo won the Rio de Janeiro state title on Sunday after beating
Flamengo 2-1 with goals by Argentine striker German Herrera and
Uruguay forward Sebastian "El Loco" Abreu.
In the Sao Paulo state tournament, Neymar scored twice to
help Santos beat Sao Paulo 3-0 and advance to the final of the
traditional competition.
Botafogo had already won the Guanabara Cup, the first stage
of the Rio competition, and automatically clinched the overall
title by winning the Rio Cup, the second stage.
The victory in front of more than 50,000 fans at Maracana
stadium gave Botafogo - led by former South Africa coach Joel
Santana - its first state title since 2006, and ended a streak of
three consecutive runner-up finishes to Flamengo in the Rio
championship.
"The party is on, it's time to celebrate," Santana said.
"Enough was enough. These players will go down in history after
this victory."
Herrera converted a penalty in the 23rd minute after a
Botafogo player had been pulled down inside the area from a corner.
Flamengo equalized through striker Vagner Love just before
halftime from a cross into the box. Adriano - returning to action
after missing four matches because of a back muscle injury - headed
the ball toward the goal and Love tapped it into the open net from
close range.
Abreu scored the winner for Botafogo in the 73rd with another
penalty after Herrera had been pushed by Chilean midfielder Claudio
Maldonado inside the area. Maldonado received his second yellow
card in the play and was sent off.
Flamengo goalkeeper Bruno dived to his left and Abreu's shot
hit the crossbar - before falling just across the line.
Flamengo had a chance to equalize again when it received a
penalty in the 79th, but Adriano's low shot from the spot was saved
by goalkeeper Jefferson.
"I have to keep my head up, there is nothing else I can do
right now," Adriano said.
Herrera was sent off after the penalty for complaining with
the referee.
Flamengo had to beat Botafogo in Sunday's Rio Cup final to
earn the right to face Botafogo again in a two-legged state final.
The winners of each stage in Rio face off for the overall title,
unless a team wins both stages. No team had won both the Guanabara
and the Rio Cups since Vasco da Gama in 1998.
Flamengo, the defending Brazilian champion, won the previous
three Rio titles in finals against Botafogo, which clinched its
19th state title on Sunday. Flamengo is the most successful Rio
champion with 31 titles.
In the Sao Paulo tournament, the 18-year-old Neymar extended
his streak of impressive performances by helping Santos defeat Sao
Paulo 3-0 in the second leg of the semifinals at Vila Belmiro
stadium in Santos.
Neymar opened the scoring from close range in the 59th and
added a penalty in the 83rd. Playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso sealed
the victory with an 87th-minute goal.
The team made famous by Pele in the 1960s had already beaten
Sao Paulo 3-2 in the first leg last week at Morumbi stadium in Sao
Paulo and could have advanced to the final even if it had lost by
one goal.
With Neymar in great form and with the help of Brazil striker
Robinho, Santos has scored 93 goals in 27 matches this season,
including 56 goals in its last 11 games.
Santos will play the final against Santo Andre, which
advanced despite a 2-1 loss to Gremio Prudente in Santo Andre. The
team from the suburbs of Sao Paulo had won the first match by 2-1
but advanced because it had a better campaign in the first stage.
Santos is trying to win its first state title since 2007,
while Sao Paulo hasn't won the tournament since 2005. Corinthians,
the defending champion and the most successful team in the
competition, failed to reach the semifinals despite having striker
Ronaldo and veteran left back Roberto Carlos in the team.
In the Rio Grande do Sul state championship, Argentine
midfielder Andres D'Alessandro scored a late goal to give
Internacional a 3-2 win over Pelotas and the title of the
competition's second stage. Inter, led by Uruguay coach Jorge
Fossati, will play in the state final against rival Gremio, the
first stage's winner.
