Souza fires Sao Paulo to top of Brazilian Serie A

Rio de Janeiro, May 31 (IANS) Former Brazil international striker Diego Souza struck his fourth goal in five matches as Sao Paulo moved to the top of the Brazilian Serie a standings with a 3-2 victory over Botafogo.

Souza netted with a 31st-minute header at Sao Paulo's Morumbi Stadium on Wednesday evening after his teammate Nene cancelled out Leonardo Valencia's opener, reports Xinhua news agency.

Forward Everton made it 3-1 before Rodrigo Pimpao pulled a goal back for the visitors seven minutes from time.

Sao Paulo now have 16 points from eight matches, two points more than second-placed Flamengo, who host Bahia on Thursday. Botafogo, meanwhile, are 13th in the 20-team standings with nine points.

In Belo Horizonte, a second-half Rafael Sobis goal handed Cruzeiro a 1-0 win over Palmeiras. The result lifted Cruzeiro to sixth and left nine-time champions Palmeiras languishing in 10th place.