RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Internacional kept alive their hopes of qualifying for next year's Copa Libertadores by cruising to a 3-0 home win over Cuiaba in Brazil's Serie A championship on Monday.
Alan Patrick opened the scoring from the penalty spot before Gabriel Mercado and Rafael Santos Borre netted either side of halftime as Internacional secured their third straight league victory.
The Porto Alegre outfit are now eighth in the 20-team Serie A standings, four points outside of the Copa Libertadores qualifying places. Cuiaba are 19th, 16 points further back, and face an uphill battle to avoid relegation.
"I think the team has clicked as a group," said Colombian striker Santos Borre. "We are all making sacrifices by putting the team first, and the results are starting to show."
Internacional will face Sao Paulo in their next league match on September 22 while Cuiaba are due to host Cruzeiro the same day. ■
