Brazil's Palmeiras avoid drop with help from Santos

RIO DE JANEIRO - Brazilian giants Palmeiras avoided relegation to the country's Serie B on Sunday after a 1-1 draw with Atletico Paranaense in the final match of the season.

Ricardo Silva opened the scoring for Atletico Paranaense at Allianz Parque before Henrique struck the equalizer.

The result was almost not enough to secure Palmeiras' survival in Brazil's top-flight.

They had rivals Santos to thank after a late goal from their former Cagliari forward Thiago Ribeiro at Vitoria saw Palmeiras leapfrog the Salvador-baded club in 16th place.

Vitoria joined Bahia, Botafogo and Criciuma in the drop zone.

Santos manager Enderson Moreira denied having wittingly helped Palmeiras avoid relegation for only the third time in their history.

"It's a coincidence," Moreira said. "We did what we came here to do with seriousness and professionalism, without looking sideways to see what would be the best result for others."

In other matches on Sunday, Botafogo drew 0-0 with Atletico Mineiro, Coritiba beat Bahia 3-2, Cruzeiro overcame Fluminense 2-1, Goias defeated Chapecoense 4-2, Flamengo held Gremio 1-1 and Sport eclipsed Sao Paulo 1-0.