Football: Maxi Lopez excels for Vasco in 2-0 win over Cruzeiro

Argentine Maxi Lopez spurred Vasco da Gama to a 2-0 win over a second-string Cruzeiro side in Brazil's Serie A on Sunday.

Yago Pikachu scored the first after 48 minutes when he side-footed home from close range after Lopez brilliantly dummied a cross to leave the defender with a simple finish.

Lopez then scored for the third game in a row when he curled a low shot into the bottom corner after 69 minutes.

The win lifts Vasco into 13th place in the 20-team table, three points above the relegation zone and three points behind ninth-place Cruzeiro, who rested several first-team regulars ahead of next Wednesday's Copa do Brasil final against Corinthians.

(Reporting by Andrew Downie, editing by Pritha Sarkar)