Pato brace fires Sao Paulo to victory

Alexandre Pato struck a first-half brace as Sao Paulo defeated Vitoria 3-1 to rise to fifth in Brazil's Serie A standings.

The former AC Milan striker tapped in Paulo Henrique Ganso's weighted cross and then fired in a long range effort following Osvaldo's assist Sunday, reports Xinhua.

In an entertaining first half, Alan Kardec also scored with a deft angled finish before Kadu netted for the visitors from an Ayrton set piece.

The result at the Morumbi stadium left Sao Paulo with 23 points from 14 matches while Vitoria slipped to 15th with 14 points.

Sao Paulo manager Muricy Ramalho praised the performance of Pato, who has struggled to earn a regular first team place since arriving on loan from Corinthians in February.

"He just needs a sequence of matches," Muricy said after the victory. "He was good in the last game (against Criciuma) but just couldn't score," Muricy said.

"Now it depends on him. If he continues to play like he did today, he's not going to be left out of the team."