By Michael Place
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug. 19 (Xinhua) -- Real Madrid-bound teenager Vinicius Junior scored a second-half brace as Flamengo defeated Atletico Goias 2-0 in Brazil's Serie A championship on Saturday.
The 17-year-old stabbed a left-footed shot into the bottom corner after a counterattack and then expertly rounded goalkeeper Felipe before rolling a right-footed shot into an empty net.
"I can only thank my family and my teammates, who always help me," the Brazil under-17 international told SporTV after the match. "I hope to be able to continue scoring goals and helping Flamengo."
In May, Vinicius became the most expensive teenage footballer ever when Real Madrid agreed to sign him for 45 million euros. Despite the binding agreement, he will remain at Flamengo until at least next July.
Saturday's result at Flamengo's Luso Brasileiro stadium saw the Rio outfit rise to fifth in the 20-team standings with 32 points from 21 matches while Atletico Goias remained last with just 15 points.
In Saturday's only other match, relegation stragglers Vitoria ended Corinthians' 34-game unbeaten run with a 1-0 victory away from home.
Colombian forward Santiago Trellez struck with just 12 minutes on the clock and the visitors defended sternly thereafter to secure just their sixth win of the campaign.
Despite the victory at Arena Corinthians, Vitoria remained in the relegation zone with 22 points from 21 matches while Corinthians stayed top with 47 points.
