Rodriguez shines as Sao Paulo rout Gremio

RIO DE JANEIRO: James Rodriguez provided two assists as Sao Paulo rose to 10th in Brazil's Serie A standings with a 3-0 home win over Gremio.

Michel Araujo opened the scoring at the Morumbi stadium by heading home in the 21st minute after Rodriguez's delivery from a corner, reports Xinhua.

The Colombia international playmaker then combined with Pablo Maia on the counterattack before the latter finished with aplomb to double the hosts' lead.

Luciano Neves completed the rout after a defensive error in second-half stoppage time as he rounded goalkeeper Gabriel Grando and rolled his shot into an empty net.

The result leaves Sao Paulo with 38 points from 28 matches, six points behind fifth-placed Gremio.

In other Brazilian top flight fixtures on Saturday, Goias drew 1-1 at Cuiaba and Bahia won 2-0 at home to Fortaleza.

Botafogo's home clash against Athletico Paranaense was suspended early in the second half with the scores locked at 1-1 because of a power failure. Officials said the game was scheduled to resume on Sunday.