Rio de Janerio (Brazil) , August 29: Gabriel Barbosa scored a hat-trick and Andreas Pereira netted on his Brazilian Serie A debut as Flamengo routed Santos 4-0 away from home on Saturday.
Barbosa converted a penalty in the 52nd minute before adding to his tally in the 71st and 80th minutes with close-range finishes.
Pereira, who was introduced as an 81st-minute substitute, struck three minutes later by pouncing on an errant defensive pass and slotting home a first-time shot through the legs of goalkeeper Joao Martins.
It came less than a week after Pereira arrived in Rio de Janeiro on a year-long loan from Manchester United.
"It's the debut that I'd imagined. I dreamed of scoring. I'm very happy and grateful for everything that's happening," Pereira told local television after the match.
Defending champions Flamengo now have 31 points from 16 outings, seven points behind leaders Atletico Mineiro but with a game in hand. Santos are languishing mid-table with 22 points from 18 games.
Elsewhere in Brazil's Serie A championship on Saturday, Chapecoense held Sport Recife to a goalless draw, Corinthians won 1-0 at Gremio and Palmeiras secured a 2-1 home win over Athletico Paranaense.
Source: Xinhua