Campeonato Paulista wrap: Ituano, Botafogo triumph

Ponte Preta missed the chance to regain fifth place in Brazil’s Campeonato Paulista on Thursday after a 2-1 home loss to Ituano.

Goals from Jefferson and Rafael Malaquias handed the visitors a 2-0 advantage and, although Ponte Preta pulled a goal back through Tiago Luis with 14 minutes remaining, Ituano held on to claim all three points.The loss sees Ponte Preta stay in sixth place on the table, after they fell from fifth on Wednesday due to Mirassol’s 2-0 win over Americana. Ituano are in 16th position.Elsewhere on Thursday, second-half goals from Assis Mota and Joao Henrique lifted Botafogo to a 2-0 win over Sao Bernardo.The win helped Caio Junior’s side to 13th in the table, while Sao Bernardo slipped to 15th place and are just one point clear of the relegation zone.