RIO DE JANEIRO, July 26 (Xinhua) -- Memphis Depay struck late to earn Corinthians a 1-1 away draw with defending champion Botafogo in Brazil's Serie A on Saturday.

Arthur Cabral gave the host the lead in the 24th minute by nodding home from close range after Nathan Fernandes' headed pass.

Depay, a second-half substitute for Luiz Gustavo, equalized seven minutes from time with a low first-time shot that left goalkeeper John with no chance.

"Our first half was very good but we were unable to translate our dominance into goals," Botafogo manager Davide Ancelotti told a post-match news conference.

"The second half was more difficult. They made some substitutions that provided them with a lot of energy. We tried to defend the best we could, but in the end it wasn't enough. I think a draw is a fair result."

Corinthians manager Dorival Junior praised his team's improved performance after the interval.

"We came out with a completely different approach after halftime," he said.

"We were unable to find our feet at the start and gave them too much space. We made some positional changes at halftime and managed to strike a better balance in the second half."

The result leaves Botafogo fifth in the 20-team Serie A standings with 26 points from 15 games, five points ahead of eighth-placed Corinthians.

Elsewhere, Fortaleza won 3-1 at home to Bragantino, Vitoria drew 1-1 at Mirassol, Santos drew 2-2 at Sport Recife, and Palmeiras edged to a 1-0 home win over Gremio. ■