In a very physical game, the rivalry between Corinthians and Sao Paulo on Sunday ended in a 1-1 tie.

The game had three expulsions and ended a week of tension between both clubs due to a low amount of tickets offered to Corinthians fans. Due to the mere ten percent of tickets awarded to the Corinthians, club president Andres Sanches claims that the team will no longer play at Sao Paulo's Morumbi stadium.

Sao Paulo's team on Sunday was mixed with starters and reserves. Head coach Muricy Ramalho chose the strategy in order to better rest and prepare his team for their debut in the 2009 Libertadores Cup against Independiente de Medellin on February 18.Corinthians, on the other hand, entered the field offensively minded in walking away with a victory. Regardless the tactics, the archrivals ended the game in a tie.

The game's first goal came in the 30th minute of the second half. Sao Paulo got their home crowd fans on their feet when Dagoberto streaked down the left side of the field. The forward crossed the ball directly in front of the net to a wide open Borges who needed only tap the ball into the net.

Corinthians answered only five minutes later. In the 35th minute of the second half, Boquito passed the ball off the Andre Santos in the penalty box. After controlling the ball, Santos lightly tapped the ball into the net, rolling past Sao Paulo's reserve goalkeeper, Bosco.

With the result of Sunday's game, Corinthians accumulated their18th point and stand in second place, trailing behind Palmeiras. Sao Paulo stands in third place with 17 points.

Sao Paulo now looks forward to their opening game of the 2009 Libertadores Cup, with the goal of wining the continental title once again.

Source: Xinhua