RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept. 1 (Xinhua) -- Inter Milan loanee Gabriel Barbosa scored a hat-trick as Santos secured their third straight victory by defeating Vasco da Gama 3-0 in Brazil's Serie A championship on Saturday.
The 22-year-old struck in the fifth minute for the visitors before netting twice in the second half to take his league tally to seven goals from 20 matches this season.
The eight-time Brazilian top flight champions rose to ninth in the 20-team standings while Vasco remained 16th, just three points clear of the relegation zone.
In Porto Alegre, Jael Ferreira struck a first-half brace as Gremio routed Botafogo 4-0 at their Gremio Arena.
Alisson and Andre were also on target for the hosts, who climbed to fourth in the standings.
Meanwhile, a second-half goal from Leo Ceara handed Vitoria a 1-0 home win over 10-man America Mineiro. Forward Rafael Moura was shown a straight red card in the 16th minute after elbowing midfielder Erick in the face while trying to fend off a tackle.
