Cruzeiro rally to earn draw in ex-Portugal manager's debut

Cruzeiro rallied from two goals down to earn a 2-2 home draw with Figueirense in their Brazilian Serie A clash.

Veteran striker Rafael Moura scored either side of halftime as the visitors took control at the Mineirao stadium in on Saturday, reports Xinhua.

But midfielder Elber pegged a goal back for Cruzeiro before Douglas Coutinho struck, just four minutes after he was introduced as a replacement for Matias Pisano.

The match was Cruzeiro's first under their new manager Paulo Bento. The former Portugal coach was appointed to replace Deivid last week after the club's poor run of form.

Meanwhile two goals from former Brazil international striker Grafite earned Santa Cruz a 2-2 draw with Fluminense in Volta Redonda, near Rio de Janeiro. Gum and Gustavo Scarpa were on the scoresheet for Fluminense.

In Saturday's only other match, a first-half double from Felipe Azevedo was enough to give Ponte Preta a 2-1 victory over Palmeiras.

--IANS

sam/vt