RIO DE JANEIRO: Joao Pedro scored a brilliantly worked team goal as Gremio kept alive their Brazilian Serie A title hopes on Thursday with a 1-0 home win over fellow contenders Palmeiras.
Gremio split Palmeiras' defense open with a series of slick passes that culminated in Luis Suarez's one-touch through ball for Pedro, who lashed an angled finish into the far corner.
The hosts were reduced to 10 men in the 86th minute when Mathias Villasanti was shown a second yellow card for a bad challenge.
But the Porto Alegre outfit survived to secure their 13th win of the campaign and move within a point of second-placed Palmeiras. Botafogo remains top of the 20-team standings with a seven-point buffer and a game in hand.
In other Brazilian Serie A fixtures on Thursday, Atletico Paranaense won 2-1 at home to Internacional, and Vasco da Gama cruised to a 5-1 home victory over Curitiba.