RIO DE JANEIRO, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Vinicius Lopes scored a second-half winner as Botafogo continued their impressive recent form with a 1-0 away win over Bragantino in Brazil's Serie A championship on Monday.

Lopes broke the deadlock just after the hour mark when he fired an angled finish past goalkeeper Cleiton Schwengber after a scramble on the edge of the six-yard box.

The strike was Botafogo's only shot on target while Bragantino had six, including two goals that were ruled out by the video assistant referee.

Botafogo, who have won three of their past four matches, are now ninth in the 20-team Serie A standings with 21 points, eight points behind leaders Palmeiras.

Bragantino fell to 14th, three points further back and only one point clear of the relegation zone.