Rio de Janeiro: Ronaldinho scored his first goal for Atletico Mineiro and set up another as the team defeated Nautico 5-1 in the Brazilian Serie A championship.

In his first match at Atletico's Estadio Independencia stadium Saturday, Ronaldinho scored with a 36th minute penalty, reported Xinhua.

Ronaldinho's pinpoint corner kick then helped Damian Escudero score the second goal during injury-time.

It was the two-time FIFA world player of the year's first goal since joining the club earlier this month.

He quit rival Brazilian outfit Flamengo May 31 and is suing it for $20 million for alleged unpaid wages and bonuses.

Danilinho also scored either side of the break after Bernard gave the home side an ideal start with a low strike past goalkeeper Felipe in the second minute.

Araujo scored Nautico's only goal in the 12th minute when he pounced on a Giovanni mistake and rolled the ball into an empty net to make it 1-1.

The result lifted Atletico to second on the standings, one point behind rivals Cruzeiro, who shocked Vasco da Gama with a 3-1 away victory. Portuguesa defeated Sao Paulo 1-0 in Saturday's only other match.

(IANS)