Pato fires Sao Paulo to victory

Xinhua, May 24, 2015

Alexandre Pato came off the bench to score one goal and set up another as Sao Paulo defeated Joinville 3-0 in their Brazilian Serie A clash on Saturday.

Pato, who replaced his former international teammate Luis Fabiano at halftime, struck four minutes from time to guarantee Sao Paulo their second win of the season.

In the final year of a two-year loan spell from Corinthians, Pato expressed frustration at starting on the bench.

"I am going to fight to make my way into the starting team. I'm here to play," Pato told reporters after the match.

"I'm going to see out my contract here at Sao Paulo. After that I don't know what will happen."

Marseille loanee Doria had opened the scoring at the Morumbi stadium with an 11th minute header. Pato then set up Michel Bastos to make it 2-0 just before the hour.

The result lifted Sao Paulo to the top of the standings with six points from the first three matches.

In other fixtures on Saturday, Vasco da Gama drew 1-1 with Internacional and Gremio beat Figueirense 1-0.