Ronaldo returned to the field after nearly four months sidelined with injuries to help Corinthians beat Vitoria 2-1 and move within three points of leader Fluminense in the Brazilian league on Sunday.
Fluminense failed to get past goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni in a 2-2 home draw with Sao Paulo. Ceni scored from free kick in the first half and stopped a penalty that could've given Fluminense the win in the second. Former Chelsea playmaker Deco scored his first goal with Fluminense since returning to Brazilian football.
Fluminense has 37 points, three ahead of Corinthians after 17 rounds.
Also Sunday, defending champion Flamengo allowed two injury-time goals in a 2-1 loss to Guarani. Neymar's Santos won its fourth in a row to reach third place, while Luiz Felipe Scolari's Palmeiras beat Vanderlei Luxemburgo's Atletico Mineiro 2-1.
Admittedly overweight while trying to recover from muscle injuries, Ronaldo played in an official match for the first time since May 9. The three-time FIFA player of the year was far from his best at Pacaembu stadium on Sunday, but showed some of his skills and set up his teammates a couple of times before being substituted due to fatigue in the 63rd minute.
"It was good to be playing competitively again," Ronaldo said. "I'll keep working to see if I can play in more matches from now on."
Former Boca Juniors striker larley opened the scoring for Corinthians with a header in the 10th minute and midfielder Paulinho added to the lead from close range two minutes into first-half injury time. Vitoria, 14th on the table, got one back with a header by striker Kleber Pereira in the 83rd.
At Maracana, 33-year-old Deco scored his first goal since joining Fluminense with a one-timer from close range in the ninth, but Ceni scored his 90th career goal on a free kick in the 35th and a minute later striker Fernandao scored Sao Paulo's go-ahead goal with a header after Fluminense goalkeeper Fernando Henrique mistimed a cross into the area.
Defender Leandro Euzebio equalized for Fluminense in the 60th, and Ceni secured the result by stopping a 73rd-minute penalty taken by former Sao Paulo striker Washington.
"I'm sad, I feel responsible for the draw," Washington said. "Rogerio played it well, made the right decision on the penalty shot."
The result keeps Fluminense unbeaten in 14 matches and extends Sao Paulo's winless streak to five games, leaving the six-time champion near relegation zone.
"It was important to save the penalty and to score, but we have to keep working to get Sao Paulo out of this delicate situation," Ceni said.
It was the first match at Maracana since renovation work started at the stadium ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
In a matchup between two of Brazil's most successful coaches, Scolari's Palmeiras rallied to defeat Luxemburgo's Atletico Mineiro at Ipatingao stadium.
It was Palmeiras' first away victory in more than five months. It had drew five matches and lost three away from Sao Paulo until Sunday's victory.
Palmeiras is already playing without Colombia left back Pablo Armero, who on Saturday reached a deal to join Udinese in Italy.
The loss - Atletico Mineiro's 11th in 17 matches - kept the 1971 Brazilian champion winless in three rounds and in 18th place in the 20-team standings, in relegation zone.
In Campinas, defender Jean put Flamengo ahead late in the first half, but Guarani rallied with a header by defender Ailson in the second minute of injury time and with a shot from just outside the area by substitute striker Reinaldo less than a minute later. Reinaldo's right-footer deflected off Jean before reaching the net, keeping Flamengo winless in three matches.
Guarani striker Ricardo Xavier had missed a 79th-minute penalty.
Just before the match, Flamengo hired former Gremio coach Silas to replace Rogerio Lourenco, who was fired on Friday. The five-time national champion had tried to sign World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira over the weekend, but the manager said he wants to stay close to his family at least until the end of the year.
On Saturday, striker Neymar missed a penalty kick for the second time in as many matches, but Santos scored two late goals to beat last-place Goias 2-0 at Pacaembu. The fourth straight win moved Santos to third place, 10 points off the lead but with a game in hand.
The two-time national champion is already without Brazil playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso, who underwent a left-knee surgery Saturday that will sideline him for the rest of the year.
Copa Libertadores champion Internacional, which also has a game in hand, beat Botafogo 1-0 at Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre, winning its second in a row to reach fourth place.
Also Saturday, Vasco failed to get past a 1-1 draw with Cruzeiro in Rio de Janeiro, but the result extended the team's unbeaten streak to 10 matches.
