Suarez, Marcelo, Endrick win state championships in Brazil
Sports
Suarez, Marcelo, Endrick win state championships in Brazil
SAO PAULO (AP) — Top goalscorer Luis Suárez, veteran Marcelo and teenage starlet Endrick scored in their finals and won prestigious state championship titles in Brazil on the weekend.
Suarez, the 36-year-old Uruguayan striker, scored from the spot in the 65th minute to give Gremio the Rio Grande do Sul state championship title against local rivals Caxias with a 1-0 win on Saturday. The first leg ended 1-1.
The 34-year-old former Real Madrid left-back Marcelo, playing as a midfileder for Fluminense, scored the team’s second goal in the 4-1 crushing of arch rivals Flamengo in the second leg of the Rio de Janeiro state championship. Flamengo won the first leg 2-0 last week.
Marcelo’s first goal since his return to the club where he started professional soccer in 2005 came with a blast from the edge of the box, which opened the score for Fluminense in the 30th minute.
German Cano scored in the 34th and the 56th minute to put Fluminense in front on aggregate. Alexander made it 4-0 in the 65th minute.
Ayrton Lucas netted Flamengo’s only goal in added time.
The 16-year-old striker Endrick, who was recently sold to Real Madrid, scored Palmeiras’ third goal in the 4-0 victory against tiny Agua Santa in the second leg of the Sao Paulo state championship final.
Gabriel Menino netted Palmeiras’ first two goals in the 15th and 27th minutes. Endrick scored from close range in the 34th, with Jose Lopez completing the scoring in the 73rd minute.
The first leg ended 2-1 for Agua Santa, with Endrick also scoring in that match.
Brazil’s top-flight division starts next weekend, with Palmeiras the defending champion.
