Paulista and Carioca finals: Neymar double earns Santos third consecutive Paulistao in their centenary year

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Botafogo
0-1
Fluminense


Fluminense lifted their first Carioca title since 2005 as a 1-0 victory over Botafogo at the Engenhao was enough to crown the Tricolor as champions.

Having suffered a 4-1 defeat after going ahead in the first leg, Fogao needed a huge win over a side who have hit excellent form in recent weeks. They struggled to get going in a first half that lacked goalmouth action in severely sodden conditions.

It was not until the second half that the Alvinegro came to life but efforts from both Fellype Gabriel and German Herrera were both fired straight at Diego Cavalieri. With the former Liverpool keeper ensuring that the score remained level, Flu broke forward and took the lead just after the hour mark. Carlinhos surged down the left flank and crossed the ball to the edge of the six-yard box where Rafael Moura was able to flick the ball into the net.

Despite the joy of winning the championship, Abel Braga may well lament the injuries of both Deco and Bruno during the match. They may well take a place on the sidelines alongside Fred for the Copa Libertadores quarter-final against Boca in midweek.

Santos
4-2
Guarani

History was made at the Morumbi as Neymar was once again the pivotal factor as Santos defeated Guarani 4-2 to earn their third consecutive Paulista state championship.

Having won the first leg 3-0 it seemed almost a certainty that the Peixe would take the title, but a frantic 16 minutes suggested anything could happen on the night. Alan Kardec opened the scoring for the reigning champions inside the first minute when he slotted into an empty net after a great move involving Neymar and Elano. A rare mistake from Rafael allowed Fabinho Souza to level on the night but Neymar regained Santos' lead from the penalty spot with eight minutes on the clock. In the 16th minute another defensive error, this time from Durval, enabled Bruno Mendes to restore parity.

The game stagnated somewhat afterwards and as Santos settled, it became clear that they were not going to be beaten. Neymar added his second goal inside the final 20 minutes when he released Elano after a mazy run and the ex-Manchester City play cut the ball back for him to strike into the net. Alan Kardec grabbed his brace as he rounded the game off with style, taking the ball past the keeper and sliding it into the empty net.

The result gave Santos a 7-2 aggregate win as they marked their centenary year with their third Paulista title in a row, a feat not matched by any club since Pele lead the Peixe to a trio of championship triumphs between 1967 and 1969.

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