RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) -- Igor Jesus scored two second-half goals as Botafogo returned to the top of Brazil's Serie A standings on Saturday with a 2-0 home victory over fellow title contenders Fortaleza.

Botafogo went ahead in the 73rd minute at Rio de Janeiro's Olympic Stadium when Jesus controlled Alexander Barboza's diagonal cross with his chest before rifling a low effort into the far corner.

Jesus doubled the advantage in the first minute of stoppage time by running onto a perfectly weighted Marlon Freitas through ball and beating goalkeeper Joao Ricardo at his near post with a powerful shot from 15 yards.

The result saw Botafogo leapfrog Fortaleza at the top of the standings while the latter have a game in hand.

"We played the game on our terms," Jesus said after the match. "The first goal is something that we've practiced a lot in training and it was satisfying to be able to execute it tonight."

The 23-year-old added: "We're back on top and that shows that we are working well together. We deserve it. But at the same time we have to maintain our feet on the ground and keep working hard because even bigger challenges are ahead."

In the only other Brazilian Serie A fixture on Saturday, Cuiaba recovered from a goal down to secure a 2-1 home victory over Criciuma. Enditem

Related

Go to Forum >>0 Comment(s)