RIO DE JANEIRO, June 11 -- At home in the Morumbi stadium, Sao Paulo beat Gremio 3-1 on Saturday in the 4th round of the 2011 Brazilian Championship to mark its best-ever start in the era of a running-point championship.
Sao Paulo took an early lead in the 13th minute when Marlos invaded the Gremio defense and rolled the ball off to a cutting Casemiro. His shot on goal deflected off a Gremio defender and fooled keeper Victor, bouncing into the goal.
Gremio returned to the second half to tie the match. In the 52nd minute, Fabio Rochemback drove a free kick towards the Sao Paulo goal. Casemiro attempted to cut off the ball, but mistakenly redirected the shot into his own goal.
Sao Paulo did not take long to reclaim the lead. Lucas stole the ball from the Gremio defense in the 61st minute and quickly passed it off to Marlos who wasted no time in blowing past a helpless Victor.
Sao Paulo guaranteed its win with another goal in the 84th minute when Dagoberto lofted the ball to Jean who dribbled past a sliding Victor, tapping the ball into the open net.
The win marks Sao Paulo's fourth consecutive win in the tournament, remaining the only perfect team. With 12 points, the team stands alone in first place.
Gremio remains with 6 points. In the next round of play, Sao Paulo will travel to face Ceara on June 19 when Gremio will receive Vasco da Gama.