Rio de janeiro: Thiago Silva scored a spectacular late goal as Fluminense rose to seventh in Brazil's Serie A standings on Thursday with a 1-0 home win over Juventude. The 41-year-old former Brazil captain broke the deadlock in the 98th minute by launching himself horizontally to meet Riquelme Felipe's cross and send a looping volley into the top-left corner.

According to Namibia Press Agency, the result leaves Fluminense with 41 points from 27 outings, 20 points behind leaders Palmeiras, while Juventude is 19th with 23 points. Thiago Silva expressed his commitment to the team, stating, "When I decided to come back to Fluminense [last year], my priority was to help both on and off the pitch." He acknowledged the challenges, adding, "Some people think it's easy to do but it takes great dedication and commitment."

Silva also commented on the team's current situation, mentioning the transition under new manager Luis Zubeldia. "We are starting a new cycle under this manager and we are going to have to get used to some things. We need to be patient and learn from our mistakes," he added.

In other matches in Brazil's Serie A on Thursday, Vitoria secured a 2-1 home victory over Bahia, and Gremio achieved a 2-0 win at home against Sao Paulo.