RIO DE JANEIRO, June 24 (Xinhua) -- Santos missed a chance to reduce Corinthians' lead at the top of Brazil's Serie A standings by suffering a 1-0 home loss to Sport Recife on Saturday.
The game looked to be headed for a 0-0 draw before veteran midfielder Oswaldo broke the deadlock by firing in a close-range shot with nine minutes remaining.
The result at the Vila Belmiro stadium left Santos third, seven points behind Corinthians, who have a game in hand.
Sport, who are coached by former Brazil and Real Madrid boss Vanderlei Luxemburgo, rose to 12th, four points behind Santos.
Meanwhile, Santos' Brazil international midfielder Lucas Lima has denied reports that he will join Barcelona as a free agent in January.
"Do you think that if I have a contract with Santos I would tell you that I'm going to Barcelona?" Lima said in a television interview after his team's loss to Sport.
