Pato's brace fires Sao Paulo to Copa Libertadores win

Alexandre Pato struck two first-half goals as Sao Paulo trounced Danubio FC 4-0 in their Copa Libertadores group match at the Morumbi Stadium here.

The former AC Milan striker Wednesday opened the scoring by smashing in a spectacular first-time volley after Reinaldo's pass from the left of the penalty box, reports Xinhua.

He then made it 2-0 when he met a Bruno Vieira cross with a powerful header just before halftime. The hosts' dominance continued after the break and Reinaldo's low effort from outside the area gave Muricy Ramalho's team a 3-0 lead.

Danubio's frustration began to show and the Uruguayan side was reduced to 10 men when Hamilton Pereira was shown a straight red card after an argument with referee Enrique Osses.

Jonathan Cafu gave the Brazilian side a 4-0 lead when he latched on to Hudson's pass and fired home from inside the area.

Looking slimmer and eager to impress, Pato will have done no harm to his chances of a recall to Brazil's national squad ahead of the Copa America in June.

The 25-year-old has now scored eight goals from nine matches for Sao Paulo in 2015.

After the match he said he was in his best form since joining Sao Paulo on loan from Corinthians last February.

"My time is now. I have the support of my teammates but the greatest pressure comes from myself," Pato said after the match.

In other Copa Libertadores group matches, Mexico's Atlas defeated Brazil's Atletico Mineiro 1-0, Argentina's Estudiantes whitewashed Ecuador's Barcelona de Guayaquil 3-0 and Brazil's Cruzeiro drew 0-0 with Bolivia's Universitario de Sucre.

The Copa Libertadores is Latin America's top club competition, comprising teams from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.