RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 2 (Xinhua) -- Argentine striker Jose Lopez scored two goals and set up another as Palmeiras moved to second in Brazil's Serie A with a 3-0 home win over Vasco da Gama on Wednesday.
Lopez gave his side the lead by cutting inside and firing a low effort from the edge of the 18-yard box that beat goalkeeper Leo Jardim at his near post.
Palmeiras made it 2-0 shortly after when Lopez capitalized on chaotic defending to tap home from point-blank range.
Former Barcelona forward Vitor Roque added a third goal in the 24th minute, running onto Lopez's perfectly weighted pass and finishing clinically after deft footwork
"I think that over the whole match we deserved this victory," Palmeiras manager Abel Ferreira told a post-match news conference. "Despite the difficulties, we kept playing forward to remain faithful to our principles. I'm happy with the commitment, the performance and the effort of our team."
Palmeiras now trails first-placed Flamengo by only two points while Vasco sits 12th, 22 points further back.
Elsewhere in Brazil's Serie A on Wednesday, Mirassol was held to a 1-1 home draw by Bragantino, Fluminense drew 2-2 at Sport, Santos drew 1-1 at home to Gremio, Botafogo edged to a 2-1 home win over Bahia and Internacional was held to a 1-1 home draw by Corinthians. ■
