Rio de Janeiro, Jul 2 (IANS): Uruguay international midfielder Giorgian De Arrascaeta scored one goal and set up another as Flamengo rose to third in Brazil's Serie A championship with a 2-0 home win over Fortaleza.
Gabriel Barbosa put the hosts ahead in the 14th minute when he latched onto De Arrascaeta's pass before slotting a low finish past goalkeeper Joao Riedi.
Arrascaeta doubled the advantage just after the hour by taking a touch and then rifling an unstoppable effort into the top-left corner on late Saturday night.
The result leaves Flamengo with 25 points, five points behind leaders Botafogo, who have a game in hand. Fortaleza are ninth in the 20-team standings, five points further back, a Xinhua report said.
In other Brazilian Serie A fixtures on Saturday, Sao Paulo won 1-0 at home to Fluminense and Gremio prevailed 2-1 at Bahia.