Palmeiras suffered a 1-0 defeat away to Santos FC on Saturday, a result that saw Neymar's team climb out of the relegation places. Flamengo's emphatic 5-1 victory also meant they took the sole lead in the Brasileirao Betano, while Sport Recife were relegated.

With just five games remaining, 'Fla' now sit atop the league with 71 points, three ahead of 'Verdao'. Meanwhile, 'Peixe' have escaped the bottom four, but remain under threat.

Against a Palmeiras side weakened by the international break, Santos FC were dominant. Neymar, deployed as a false nine, only showed glimpses of his brilliance and is still regaining his form after recovering from another injury.

Their dominance finally paid off in added time when Argentinian Benjamin Rollheiser beat goalkeeper Carlos Miguel, who had been one of the best players on the pitch, after being set up by Robson.

Portuguese coach Abel Ferreira was forced to shuffle his starting eleven due to key absences. Paraguayan duo Gustavo Gomez and Ramon Sosa were missing, as were Uruguayans Emiliano Martinez, Facundo Torres, and Joaquin Piquerez, alongside Brazilian Vitor Roque, all of whom were on international duty.

Argentine Jose Manuel 'Flaco' Lopez was in a similar situation but managed to return in time after his nation's match against Angola. He came on in the second half but looked tired from his journey from Luanda.

The draw meant Palmeiras allowed Flamengo to pull away, with whom they will also contest the Copa Libertadores final on November 29th in Lima. Fielding a weakened side, 'Fla' proved too strong for Sport Recife, who finished the match with nine men, are rooted to the bottom of the table and can no longer avoid relegation.

B. Rollheiser

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