Flamengo beats Mineiro to go top in Brazil's Serie A

RIO DE JANEIRO, July 27 (Xinhua) -- Leo Ortiz scored late as Flamengo returned to the top of Brazil's Serie A on Sunday with a 1-0 home win over Atletico Mineiro.

Ortiz broke the deadlock in the 75th minute with a powerful header past goalkeeper Everson after Luiz Araujo's delivery from a free kick.

The result at the Maracana Stadium leaves Flamengo with 36 points, two clear of second-placed Cruzeiro. Atletico Mineiro is 13th in the 20-team standings with 20 points so far.

"It was difficult to break them down because they are very solid defensively," Ortiz told reporters after the match. "Today we managed to get the winning goal from a set piece, which shows that we're able to find solutions when games become difficult."

In other fixtures on Sunday, Vasco da Gama drew 1-1 at Internacional, Bahia cruised to a 3-0 home win over Juventude, Sao Paulo prevailed 3-1 at home to Fluminense, and Ceara won 2-1 at Cruzeiro. Enditem