Under pressure Corinthians coach Geninho assured fans that the Brazilian title was very much within the Sao Paolo club's reach after Sunday's 1-1 draw with leaders Cruzeiro. Corinthians, who were knocked out of the Copa Libertadores last week after losing to Argentina's River Plate 2-1 at home, drew 1-1 in Belo Horizonte and are now in ninth position on 13 points, eight behind the still undefeated leaders. "The Libertadores is gone", said Geninho, whose side's early promise hinted that a first South American title could be on the horizon before the loss to River. "We prepared well and responded well [to the River defeat], even when they equalised. It's important that we returned to playing quality football." The Timao opened the scoring through Gil, whose 33rd minute strike was the club's 1000th in the competition since the Brasileirao began in 1971. The prolific striker revealed that the players remain focussed after their painful Libertadores defeat. "We are recovering psychologically from disqualification," he admitted. "We played well, we are motivated, and the tie was not bad." Geninho knows he must lead the Corintiana up the table in the coming weeks if he wishes to remain at the helm of one of the country's big clubs. "The team is again playing well and that gives me peace of mind as I continue my work," he said. "The Corinthians are the Corinthians once again." His opposite number on Saturday, former Brazil boss Wanderley Luxembergo is in quite the contrary position. At the top of the table and with his club extending their unbeaten streak to an incredible 35 games in all competitions thanks to former Corinthian forward Deivid's 56th minute equaliser, Luxembergo is about as safe as any coach can be in the rapid fire world of Brazilian football. Cruzeiro's two closest rivals, second place Internacional and defending champions Santos, both drew in a round littered with 1-1 draws. Half of the 12 games finished with that score, with Sao Paolo the main beneficiaries. They jumped from 10th position to fourth, level with Santos on points, after registering a 2-0 win at home to sixth placed Parana. But the Morumbi, the same Morumbi that had been heaving with almost 60,000 fans for Corinthians' Libertadores clash last week, was virtually empty, with only 3,754 fans bothering to make the effort. Paulino fans are amongst the most difficult to please in Brazil. They got their wish two weeks ago when unpopular coach Oswaldo de Oliveira was sacked, but after Thursday's shock elimination from the Copa do Brasil at the hands of Goias they have decided to vote with their feet.