Fluminense ties Botafogo 1-1 in Brazilian championship

Hosting cross town rival Botafogo in the 11th round of the Brazilian Championship, Fluminense could not hold on to their lead on Sunday, resulting in a 1-1 draw.

The results drops Fluminense from first place two days after head coach Muricy Ramalho was denied the chance by the club's administration to coach the Brazilian national soccer team.

After a scoreless first half, Fluminense returned from intermission to score first. In the 61st minute, Emerson picked up on a poorly executed goalie kick from Jefferson and proceeded to attack the goal, dribbling past the keeper and rolling the ball into the back of the net.

However, the home team was unable to secure the offense of Botafogo. In the 75th minute Renato Caja drove down the left side of the field and crossed the ball where he found a cutting Edno to head it into the goal.

The draw drops Fluminense to second place with 23 points. Ramalho will look to reclaim the lead in the 12th round when they host Atletico-PR on July 31.

Sunday's result dropped Botafogo into 17th place with 12 points who will travel to play Vitoria in the next round on August 1. Head coach Joel Santana will look to find his first win since the return of tournament action after the World Cup in South Africa.

Source: Xinhua