RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- Palmeiras clinched their 12th Brazilian Serie A crown on Wednesday with a 1-1 draw at Cruzeiro on the final day of the season.

Needing only a point to be guaranteed of the title, Palmeiras took the lead in the 21st minute at the Mineirao through teenage forward Endrick, who dispossessed Lucas Silva before bundling in from close range.

Nikao equalized when he combined with Matheus Pereira before lashing a low drive into the near corner.

The result left Palmeiras with 70 points, two points clear of second-placed Gremio. Cruzeiro finished 14th in the 20-team standings, 23 points off the pace.

It marked back-to-back Serie A titles for Palmeiras and their ninth title under manager Abel Ferreira, who joined the club in 2020.

"It's easy to win once. It's easy to win twice. But to win nine times is something else," Ferreira said.

Elsewhere, Luis Suarez scored twice in his last match for Gremio as the Porto Alegre club finished second with a 3-2 win at Fluminense.

Suarez cancelled out Jhon Arias' opener with a 43rd-minute strike and Everton put the visitors ahead just before halftime. Suarez extended the lead from the penalty spot before John Kennedy pulled a late goal back for the Rio de Janeiro outfit.

Meanwhile, Santos were relegated to Brazilian football's second tier for the first time in their history after a 2-1 home defeat to Fortaleza. The result meant Santos joined Goias, Coritiba and America Mineiro in the drop zone.

In other final-day fixtures, Vasco da Gama won 2-1 at home to Bragantino, Sao Paulo prevailed 1-0 at home to Flamengo, Cuiaba romped to 3-0 home victory over Athletico Paranaense, Bahia won 4-1 at home to Atletico Mineiro, Corinthians won 2-0 at Coritiba, Internacional eased to a 3-1 home win over Botafogo and hosts Goias beat America Mineiro 1-0. Enditem

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