Rio de Janeiro, Dec 8 (IANS): Brazilian football giants Palmeiras avoided relegation to the country's Serie B after a 1-1 draw against Atletico Paranaense in the final match of the season.

Ricardo Silva opened the scoring for Atletico Paranaense at Allianz Parque before Henrique struck the equaliser Sunday, reported Xinhua.

The result, though, still was not sufficient to secure Palmeiras' survival in Brazil's top-flight.

They had rivals Santos to thank after a late goal from their former Cagliari forward Thiago Ribeiro against Vitoria saw Palmeiras leapfrog the Salvador-based club to 16th place.

Vitoria joined Bahia, Botafogo and Criciuma in the drop zone.

Santos manager Enderson Moreira denied having wittingly helped Palmeiras avoid relegation for only the third time in their history.

"It's a coincidence," Moreira said. "We did what we came here to do with seriousness and professionalism, without looking sideways to see what would be the best result for others."

In other matches Sunday, Botafogo drew 0-0 with Atletico Mineiro, Coritiba beat Bahia 3-2, Cruzeiro overcame Fluminense 2-1, Goias defeated Chapecoense 4-2, Flamengo held Gremio 1-1 and Sport eclipsed Sao Paulo 1-0.