Corinthians claimed a 2-1 win over Sao Paulo in the first leg match of the semifinals in the Sao Paulo state soccer championship on Sunday.

Sao Paulo opened up the scoring in the 24th minute as Jorge Wagner sent a free-kick from the right side towards the Corinthians goal and the ball rolled to the feet of fullback Miranda who only deflected the ball to score.

Corinthians answered four minutes later. Elias broke away from the Sao Paulo defense and streaked down the middle of the field. He beat the goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni to tap the ball in.

Corinthians sealed the victory in the 90th minute as Cristian thumped the ball through Ceni's hands.

The Sao Paulo team left the field bitterly complaining of the officiating. They claimed that Andre Dias should never have been expelled from the match. They also claimed that Ronaldo should have been awarded a red card for his rough slide tackle in the first half against Dias. Corinthians complained that Sao Paulo's only goal should not have counted. They claimed that Miranda was offsides at the time of his goal.

The second leg will take place on Sunday, April 19.

(Xinhua News Agency April 14, 2009)