Lopez stars in Vasco victory

Argentine forward Maxi Lopez scored a goal and set up two others as Vasco da Gama beat Chapecoense 3-1 in the Brazilian Serie A football championship.

Wagner put Vasco ahead just after halftime on Sunday after running onto Lopez's superb lofted pass and unleashing an unstoppable shot past goalkeeper Jandrei, reports Xinhua news agency.

Leandro Pereira equalized for the visitors by heading in after a Hector Canteros free-kick but Lopez restored Vasco's lead with some fancy footwork and a diagonal shot into the bottom corner from the edge of the box.

The former Barcelona player then played a perfectly weighted pass for Thiago Galhardo who deftly chipped his shot over Jandrei in the third minute of stoppage time.

The result at the Sao Januario Stadium lifted Vasco to 13th in the 20-team standings with 24 points from 19 matches while Chapecoense dropped to 17th, three points further back.

In other matches on Sunday, league leaders Sao Paulo defeated Ceara 1-0 at home, Flamengo drew 2-2 at America Mineiro, Palmeiras held Internacional to a goalless draw in Porto Alegre and Vitoria secured a 1-0 home win over Atletico Mineiro.

--IANS

ajb/ksk