Gremio hit seven to go top in Brazil
Reuters - Friday 25 July 2008, 02:47
RIO DE JANEIRO - Gremio went top of the Brazilian championship with a 7-1 away rout of Figueirense on Thursday.
Colombian striker Edixon Perea and substitute Reinaldo both scored hat-tricks, the latter in a 14-minute spell late in the game shortly after coming on.
Vanderlei Luxemburgo's Palmeiras beat his former club Santos 4-2 with all the goals coming in the first half.
Gremio lead the standings with 28 points from 14 games, one more than Flamengo who were held 2-2 by Portuguesa on Wednesday and have taken only one point from their last nine.
Perea headed Gremio in the front in the 17th minute when his effort hit the crossbar and went in off the back of Figueirense goalkeeper Wilson.
The former Girondins Bordeaux player pounced on sloppy defending to head another from a corner 11 minutes later before Cleiton Xavier pulled one back for the hosts with a penalty before halftime.
Marcel and Perea scored to make it 4-1 midway through the second half before Reinaldo replaced Marcel and plundered a hat-trick between the 69th and 83rd minutes.
The defeat left Paulo Cesar Gusmao in danger of becoming the third coach to lose his job at Figueirense this year.
Palmeiras stayed four points behind Gremio in fourth place after their win, which left Santos one place off the bottom.
Alex Mineiro set up the first goal for Leandro in the 12th minute and scored the second himself two minutes later.
Leandro added the third in the 27th minute with a bizarre effort. He curled a free kick into the penalty area but Santos goalkeeper Felipe misjudged the ball and it dropped into the top corner of the net.
Kleber Pereira and Apodi reduced the arrears for Santos but Gladstone headed the fourth in the 44th minute after another Leandro free kick was misjudged by Felipe.
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