RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov. 1 (Xinhua) -- Botafogo's hopes of securing a place in next year's Copa Libertadores suffered a blow on Tuesday with a 2-0 home defeat to Cuiaba in Brazil's Serie A.
Andre Luis opened the scoring for the visitors with a 41st-minute strike and Deyverson doubled the advantage just after halftime.
The result left Botafogo 10th in the 20-team standings with 47 points, 10 points ahead of 15th-placed Cuiaba with three match days remaining.
The top six teams are guaranteed a place in next year's Copa Libertadores -- South America's premier club competition. But that number could increase to eight if, as likely, the winners of this year's Copa Libertadores and Copa do Brasil are among the top six.
In Tuesday's only other Brazilian Serie A fixture, Atletico Mineiro drew 2-2 at Sao Paulo. ■
