Other Articles in this Category
Most Viewed Stories
Most Commented Stories
Most Recommended Stories
Save & Share this Article
Soccer Capsules: Ching's goal lifts Dynamo to 1-0 win over Seattle
Comments 0 | Recommend 0HOUSTON — Naturally, the top two defensive teams in the MLS fought to a scoreless tie for 90 minutes with their seasons on the line.
Brian Ching broke the deadlock with what he called one of the greatest shots of his career.
Ching scored six minutes into overtime and the Houston Dynamo advanced to the Western Conference final for the third time in four years with a 1-0 win over the Seattle Sounders on Sunday.
The teams both allowed only 29 goals in the regular season, the lowest in MLS. They tied 0-0 in the first leg of their two-game semifinal on Oct. 29, setting up the winner-take-all match in Houston.
Houston defender Mike Chabala set up the winning shot with a high cross from the left. The ball deflected off midfielder Brian Mullan and right to Ching, who beat goalkeeper Kasey Keller with a shot to the top left corner.
"I just kind of turned and hit one of the best shots of my life," Ching said. "I was happy to see that go in."
The Dynamo advances to the single-game West final to face Los Angeles, which beat Chivas USA later Sunday. Houston improved to 5-1 at home in the playoffs and 9-1-6 at home this season.
Houston won the MLS championships in 2006 and ‘07, and Ching said the team drew on that experience as Sunday’s game wore on.
"We’ve put expectations on ourselves," said Ching, the franchise’s all-time leader in playoff goals (6). "Every year, we’re one of those teams that realistically feels like we’re one of those teams that can win the MLS Cup. The proof is in our results."
The Sounders, an expansion team, wrapped up their inaugural season by losing to Houston for the first time in five games (2-1-2).
"We attributed ourselves really well, and the city was phenomenally behind us," Keller said. "Now we have to take the pill of not winning this time and we have to go out and spend the offseason thinking about how we’re going to make it better."
Seattle defender James Riley earned a red card in the final minute of overtime after tripping Ricardo Clark. The teams exchanged words at midfield before referee Jorge Gonzalez got in the middle of the crowd.
Houston outshot Seattle 15-10.
Dominic Oduro had three of Houston’s nine first-half shots, including a drive off the left post in the 23rd minute. The 24-year-old forward from Ghana caught up to a long pass from Stuart Holden in the 30th minute, but his shot crossed just in front of the goal.
"I don’t think we panicked," Ching said. "We were just a little unlucky on a lot of opportunities in the first half."
Seattle’s best chances in the first half came on counterattacks, before the Dynamo’s defense could get set.
Fredy Montero ran past a Houston defender, but his close range shot went into the side of the net. Steve Zakuani sent a cross into the goal area in the 36th minute and Houston’s Geoff Cameron nearly deflected it into the net for an own goal.
Pat Onstad made a diving stop on Montero’s shot in the 57th minute, one of the few scoring chances for either team in the second half.
"We knocked on the door a few times," Keller said, "but we just couldn’t sustain enough pressure."
The Dynamo were back in the same position as they were last season, hosting a decisive game in the West semifinals. They tied New York 1-1 in the first game last year, then lost 3-0 in Houston.
Donovan penalty sends Galaxy to West finals
CARSON, Calif. — Landon Donovan sent the Los Angeles Galaxy to the Western Conference finals by burying a 73rd-minute penalty for a 1-0 victory over Chivas USA on Sunday night.
Donovan tied an MLS record with his 16th postseason goal and put the Galaxy through 3-2 on aggregate after a 2-2 tie last week.
The Galaxy will host Houston in a single match Friday night to determine who goes to the MLS Cup final. The win meant David Beckham would miss England’s exhibition against Brazil next week to stay with the Galaxy, who haven’t been to the conference finals since winning the championship in 2005.
Donovan converted after Chivas USA’s Yamith Cuesta fouled Mike Magee in the penalty area by wrapping his right leg around Magee’s groin in the 70th minute. Beckham began the play with a cross to Donovan, who passed to Magee on the right side of the area.
On the kick, Chivas goalkeeper Zach Thornton dove to his left, and Donovan sent the ball through the area Thornton vacated, tying Carlos Ruiz’s mark.
Galaxy goalkeeper Donovan Ricketts made two saves, both in the first half. In the 32nd minute, he dove to his right and deflected Justin Braun’s 34-yard shot with both hands.
Los Angeles held Chivas to three shots in the second half, none of which were on target.
Beckham to miss out on England squad if Galaxy win
LONDON — David Beckham will miss England’s friendly against Brazil next week after his MLS club Los Angeles Galaxy beat Chivas USA in the Western Conference semifinals.
Beckham was picked for the England squad Sunday, but with the understanding that the 34-year-old midfielder would not be available if the Galaxy won their playoff match later in the day.
The Galaxy are playing Houston in next weekend’s Western Conference final, when England is in Qatar to face Brazil.
England coach Fabio Capello picked the squad as he prepares for the World Cup next June in South Africa. Manchester United striker Michael Owen again missed out.
Mexican League
America, Cruz Azul back into the playoffs
MEXICO CITY — America and Cruz Azul secured playoff spots with wins over Monterrey and Puebla on the weekend in Round 16 of the Mexican Apertura.
At estadio Azteca, Argentine midfielder Daniel Montenegro scored in the 16th minute Sunday as the 10-time champion Eagles beat the Rayados to end a two-year drought without postseason play, the longest in the club's rich history.
Montenegro scored on a header on a cross from Pavel Pardo for America, which has 29 points and jumped over Monterrey for the second place in Group 2. Rayados has the same amount, but a worse goal average.
On Saturday, at estadio Azul in Mexico City, Argentine striker Emmanuel Villa scored two goals in three minutes as the Blue Machine trounced Puebla 4-0.
Villa converted in the 36th and 38th for Cruz Azul to reach 16 goals for the season and remains on top of the scoring list with a four-goal lead over Chilean striker Hector Mancilla, who scored twice on Sunday in Toluca's 3-0 win over Pachuca.
Gabino Velasco (45th) and Paraguayan Pablo Zeballos (90th) also scored for Cruz Azul, which notched its third consecutive win and now has 30 points as the Group 3 leader.
The Blue Machine, which has eight titles, finished as the worst team in Mexico's last tournament.
With one round left to play in the regular season, Morelia still holds the top seed in the playoffs with 32 points, while Toluca is second, also on 32 points, and Cruz Azul is third.
The best two teams in each of the three groups qualify for the postseason along with another two clubs with the best records.
In other scores it was: Ciudad Juarez 0, Jaguares 1; Tigres 4, Atlante 2; San Luis 4, Santos 2; Atlas 1, Chivas 4; Morelia 0, Pumas 0; Estudiantes 2, Queretaro 0.
-- Carlos Rodriguez
College
Oklahoma State beats Texas A&M 1-0
SAN ANTONIO — Oklahoma State defender Carson Michalowski headed in a corner kick from Colleen Dougherty in the 53rd minute Sunday and the Cowgirls defeated Texas A&M 1-0 to win the Big 12 Conference women's soccer championship.
The fifth-seeded Cowgirls (15-7-0, 8-5-0) earned the automatic bid into the NCAA tournament, which starts Friday.
The second-seeded Aggies (14-6-2, 8-3-2) will learn their fate Monday when the selections are announced at 7 p.m. Texas A&M entered the Big 12 tournament ranked 20th nationally.
ItÂ’s the first time the Cowgirls have won the Big 12 tournament since 2003. It's the 10th shutout of the season for Oklahoma State and its freshman goalkeeper Adrianna Franch, which is a single-season school record.
The Aggies were victorious in 2004 and 2005. They were the runner-up in 2007.
League Roundups
Terry's header gives Chelsea win over Man United
LONDON — John Terry headed Chelsea to a 1-0 victory over Manchester United to extend the team's Premier League lead to five points on Sunday, despite rarely threatening the defending champions.
Chelsea had been frustrated by United for 76 minutes, but then profited from a contentiously awarded free kick when United midfielder Darren Fletcher was judged to have fouled defender Ashley Cole.
Frank Lampard whipped the ball into the penalty area and captain Terry connected with a glancing header to clinch Chelsea's 11th consecutive win in all competitions at Stamford Bridge.
"It was a bad decision, but there's nothing we can do about it. You lose faith in refereeing sometimes," said United manager Alex Ferguson, who is already facing a Football Association punishment for criticizing match officials. "Clearly, Darren Fletcher's won the ball — he never touched Cole who has jumped up in the air — and then (Didier) Drogba's pulled (Wes) Brown to the ground for the goal.
"The referee's position to make the decision was absolutely ridiculous, he can't see anything. He's got a Chelsea player (Joe Cole) standing right in front of him and he doesn't even move."
Chelsea's victory leaves it top of the table with 30 points, ahead of a two-week break for international matches.
"It is difficult to beat Manchester, it was in the balance over 90 minutes and difficult to score," Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said. "We won on a set play, sometimes we have lost on set plays and today we won from this situation, which is important."
As for Chelsea's title prospects, the Italian said: "Until now we have done very well, but you have to count at the end of the season. We are in a good position in the Premiership and Champions League."
Second-place Arsenal, which has a game in hand, and Man United both have 25 points, while Tottenham is fourth with 22.
United pressed hard and packed its midfield to subdue a Chelsea side that had scored 19 goals in its five previous matches.
Wayne Rooney was deployed as a lone striker for United, which was missing Dimitar Berbatov through injury and had Michael Owen on the substitutes' bench as England coach Fabio Capello watched.
While hardworking, Rooney was isolated at times and starved of support, although after 10 minutes he turned Ricardo Carvalho but could only hit the side netting from a tight angle.
Teammate Michael Carrick tried his luck from distance in the first half, but Chelsea keeper Petr Cech easily collected and saw the next effort from the United midfielder fly high into the stands.
United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar had little do, but the Dutchman denied Branislav Ivanovic in the opening minutes and produced a one-handed diving save to push Nicolas Anelka's shot wide before the break.
"We played good football and we had some chances but we stayed compact in defense," Anelka said.
United continued to torment after the restart, with Rooney firing wide and drawing a fine save from Cech with a curling shot from 20 (meters) yards.
"We've dominated the game, we've had great chances to win the match — and that's our fault," Ferguson said. "We had great opportunities to get to the edge of the box and some really good chances in and around the box, but we should be finishing it off. We've only ourselves to blame in that respect."
United defender Jonny Evans escaped punishment for kicking Drogba in the chest minutes before Chelsea's goal and it was the Ivory Coast striker who was booked by the referee.
United resisted making changes until after Terry's goal, but the late introduction of Owen and Gabriel Obertan failed to produce an equalizer.
Also Sunday, Everton won 2-1 at West Ham, Hull defeated Stoke 2-1 and Fulham drew 1-1 with Wigan.
Louis Saha and Dan Gosling scored Everton's goals to leave West Ham in the relegation zone.
Hull's victory eased the pressure on manager Phil Brown. Matthew Etherington had put Stoke in front, but Seyi Olofinjana leveled after the break and Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink struck in the final minute after Stoke's Abdoulaye Faye was sent off.
Fulham earned a point at Wigan after Clint Dempsey was brought down by Titus Bramble and then scored from the resulting penalty kick.
-- Rob Harris
Sevilla beats Villarreal to stay third in Spain
MADRID — Frederic Kanoute came off the bench to score a 66th-minute winner as Sevilla rallied from a goal down to beat Villarreal 3-2 and stay third in the Spanish league on Sunday.
The Mali striker darted into the area to head home Adriano's cross five minutes after Brazil striker Luis Fabiano had notched his second of the night, also scored from an Adriano cross.
Sevilla moved on to 22 points, a point clear of Valencia, which had earlier beaten Zaragoza 3-1 thanks to first-half goals by Juanma Mata, David Villa and Pablo Hernandez.
Barcelona leads with 26 points while Real Madrid has 25 after both clubs won on Saturday.
Also Sunday, Sporting Gijon and Athletic Bilbao both continued their strong starts with victories that left them with 16 points.
Fabiano opened the scoring for Sevilla in the ninth minute at Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan stadium, controlling Sergio Sanchez's low cross before rolling the ball under keeper Diego Lopez.
Robert Pires continued his impressive season by volleying past Andres Palop to equalize just before the half hour mark after a well-crafted exchange with Sebastian Eguren.
Pires then helped put Villarreal ahead in the 59th minute. The Frenchman's cross into the middle was kicked clear by Palop, only for the ball to land at the feet of David Fuster, who fired home.
Fabiano equalised two minutes later by sending his header over the outstretched Lopez, who was also helpless when Kanoute met a quickly taken corner for the winner.
"We suffered a lot but we pulled out a result that is important for us to stay near the top," Fabiano said. "Sevilla has to maintain this level if it wants to fight for the league."
Villarreal's frustrating season continued as it dropped to 16th with nine points.
First-half goals steered Valencia at Mestalla stadium with Zaragoza's defense thinking Villa had touched Hernandez's long-ball from an offside position before it ran to Mata, who surged through to beat goalkeeper Javier Vallejo with a low shot inside the near post in the 17th.
Villa scored his league-leading eighth goal in the 40th minute after Hernandez broke down the right before crossing for the unmarked Spain striker to score at the far post.
Villa returned the favor a minute later after a complete breakdown in the Zaragoza defense allowed three Valencia players to go clear on Vallejo, who was helpless to stop Hernandez.
Vallejo had better luck in the 56th minute when he stopped Hernandez at point-blank range and Zaragoza pulled a goal back nine minutes later when Abel Aguilar scored from Marko Babic's rebound.
But Valencia kept up the pressure in the closing stages and Vallejo managed to tip Albelda's header away and then deal with another effort from Hernandez in the 74th minute.
Meanwhile, Mate Bilic scored in the third minute as Sporting edged Espanyol 1-0.
Bilbao's Carlos Gurpegui headed home from a free kick in the 31st minute and Andoni Iraola converted a 75th minute penalty in a 2-0 win over Racing Santander that put pressure on coach Juan Carlos Mandia with his team lying 17th the standings.
"I hope to be coaching Racing for many more rounds and I won't quit," Mandia said after an eighth straight game without a win.
Also, Almeria beat Osasuna 2-0 following an own-goal by Jose "Josetxo" Romero in the second minute and Kalu Uche's 90th-minute strike. Xerez hung on for a 0-0 draw at Valladolid after David Prieto was red-carded in the 47th.
Defending champion Barcelona beat Mallorca 4-2, while Madrid held on for a 3-2 derby win over Atletico Madrid on Saturday, when Deportivo La Coruna jumped to fifth with 19 points thanks to a 2-0 win at Getafe. Malaga rallied for a 2-2 draw at Tenerife.
-- Paul Logothetis
Inter Milan draws 1-1 with Roma to have lead cut
MILAN — Inter Milan's lead in the Serie A was cut to five points Sunday after Samuel Eto'o scored a second-half equalizer in a 1-1 draw with AS Roma.
The Cameroon forward struck in the 48th minute to level after Mirko Vucinic had given Roma the lead in the 13th at the San Siro.
Inter has 29 points. Juventus is next. AC Milan won 2-1 at Lazio to rise to third with 22 points. Fiorentina won 1-0 at Udinese to have 21 points, as do Sampdoria after losing 2-0 to Cagliari for a third straight game without a win.
Also Sunday, it was: Bari 1, Livorno 0; Bologna 3, Palermo 1; Genoa 4, Siena 2 and Parma 2, Chievo Verona 0.
Vucinic should have scored in the third minute when he burst through the defense, but Lucio made a last-ditch tackle to stop the Montenegrin after he had rounded goalkeeper Julio Cesar.
Ten minutes later, though, Vucinic did find the net. Roma defender Marco Motta hit a long ball into the box, and Vucinic rose above Lucio to head past Cesar.
Inter's Diego Milito and Sulley Muntari both went close before halftime, but goalkeeper Julio Sergio was equal to the shots.
"We found Roma very hard to break down in the first half," Inter midfielder Dejan Stankovic said. "We needed a bit more luck to score but didn't have it. Thankfully, we had more of it in the second."
Inter coach Jose Mourinho sent on Wesley Sneijder after the break to give his team more invention, and his presence was immediately felt as Eto'o picked up a loose ball, spun and shot past Sergio.
Milito and Roma's Ricardo Faty and Jeremy Menez all had good chances later in the match to score.
Despite both sides playing in European competition midweek, both maintained a high tempo until the final whistle.
"Of course, we felt tired. I certainly did," Stankovic said. "We were surprised by how fresh Roma was. But this is the San Siro and we have enough players to win every game."
Milan scored first in the 22nd when Thiago Silva headed in from Andrea Pirlo's free kick. Milan doubled its lead when Ronaldinho crossed from the left, and Alexandre Pato got in front of Aleksandar Kolarov to head past goalkeeper Fernando Muslera in the 34th.
"I'm not a goalscorer," Ronaldinho said. "I don't score every game but I enjoy creating goals, and today I made a good one for Pato."
Mauro Zarate was Lazio's main threat, and it was his shot that led to the hosts' goal in the 64th. The ball rebounded off defender Massimo Oddo into the path of Thiago Silva, who inadvertently deflected the ball past Dida for an own-goal.
Zarate continued to cause problems for Milan and twice forced Dida into sharp saves, while Lazio captain Tommaso Rocchi failed to the hit the target with a header from the Argentine striker's cross.
"The first half went well," Ronaldinho said. "The second half was tougher and harder for us to create chances. It was a tough game and I'm happy that we got the three points."
Sampdoria appeared tired and lacking in inspiration against Cagliari, its only chance coming from Angelo Palombo's free kick in the first half.
Daniele Dessena missed a great opportunity to give Cagliari the lead when he blasted wide after Davide Biondini had hit the post in the 30th.
Daniele Conti reacted quickest to a loose ball to head past Castellazzi in the 85th, and Sampdoria's defense was equally hesitant in the 89th as Alessandro Matri headed home from a corner.
In heavy rain, Juan Vargas produced the only moment of inspiration to earn Fiorentina its win against Udinese, curling in a free kick with five minutes remaining.
"We knew from the first minute that this was a difficult game," Fiorentina coach Cesare Prandelli said. "It is a difficult stadium to come to and Udinese is a difficult team to play. We stuck to our task, though, kept our shape and stuck to our plan, which was very pleasing."
-- Jeremy Inson
Lyon draws 5-5 with Marseille in French league
PARIS — Stephane M'Bia equalized deep into injury time Sunday to give Marseille a 5-5 draw at Lyon in the French league despite having led 4-2 with 10 minutes remaining.
Lyon was up 2-1 by the 15th minute after goals from Miralem Pjanic and Sidney Govou either side of Souleymane Diawara's strike for Marseille in the 11th.
Benoit Cheyrou, Bakari Kone and Brandao then scored for Marseille to seemingly make the match safe.
However, two goals from Lisandro Lopez, including a penalty, and one from Michel Bastos put Lyon 5-4 ahead — until Mamadou Niang passed for M'Bia to scramble the ball over the line amid frenetic scenes at Stade Gerland with only seconds left.
"It was a spectacular match. I think a lot of fans appreciated it. But as a coach, I didn't," Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said. "We gave a lot of gifts away. We were very passive, especially on the first two goals. If we have to score six goals to win away from home then things will become very complicated."
The draw means Bordeaux stays top with 25 points, one ahead of Lyon, despite losing 2-0 at Lille earlier Sunday. Auxerre is third with 23 points, while Marseille is eighth with 18 but has played a game less.
"It's a shame (to draw) after all the effort we put in, which we didn't get rewarded for," Lyon coach Claude Puel said. "We are a little bit frustrated, even though at 4-2 down we would have settled for 4-4."
With France goalkeeper coach Bruno Martini watching ahead of France's World Cup playoff against Ireland on Saturday, there was little to reassure him as the country's No. 1 goalkeeper Hugo Lloris and No. 2 Steve Mandanda both had a nightmare.
Lyon took the lead in the third minute when Marseille failed to clear a long ball over the top, Pjanic chested it down and struck a brilliant shot into the roof of the net from just inside the area.
The visitors equalized from Diawara's powerful header that just crept over the line after Lloris had showed incredible reflexes to almost claw the ball away.
Diawara was culpable for Lyon's second goal, failing to cover the center of defense as Govou ran at the heart of the defense and hit a powerful shot into the top corner.
Lloris then made a horrendous error to let Marseille back in the match at 2-2, palming a shot from Cheyrou into his own net just before halftime. But he was powerless to stop Kone's first-time shot into the top corner in the 47th from Fabrice Abriel's cross.
Marseille could have made it 4-2 soon after when Niang fed Brandao, but Lloris reacted well to keep out the low shot.
Brandao made amends when he flicked in Abriel's corner with a spectacular backheel in the 79th. But within five minutes Lyon had made it 4-4 with Lopez scoring twice.
Lopez showed an immaculate touch and great poise to shrug off his marker and clip the ball over Mandanda in the 81st. He then slammed a penalty past the goalkeeper in the 84th after defender Gabriel Heinze had handled inside the penalty area.
Lopez was in unstoppable form, breaking from midfield in the 90th and taking three Marseille players with him before linking with Pjanic, whose delayed pass allowed Bastos to hit a low shot inside Mandanda's near post to make it 5-4.
Lyon looked to have done enough to win, but Lloris missed a high ball and M'Bia got Marseille a point to stay in title contention.
Earlier, Yohan Cabaye and Florent Balmont scored in the second half as Lille beat lackluster Bordeaux.
Bordeaux coach Laurent Blanc was angry with his team's performance.
"Why did my team not turn up? I don't have the answer. Lille is clearly our bogey team. We haven't managed to beat them for 2½ years (in the league)," Blanc said. "We knew what to expect, apparently, but maybe I didn't speak in the right language."
Looking tired from their European games in midweek, Lille and Bordeaux canceled each other out in a gritty first half that produced little creativity.
Lille opened the scoring in the 68th minute when Ivory Coast winger Gervinho broke down the left and found Pierre-Alain Frau, whose shot was parried by goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso into the path of Cabaye.
Balmont sealed the win with an 87th-minute penalty after Mickael Ciani fouled Larsen Toure.
Also Sunday, Andre-Pierre Gignac, Moussa Sissoko and Daniel Braaten scored for Toulouse in a 3-2 win over Rennes, which replied with goals from Ghana striker Asamoah Gyan and Kader Mangane.
-- Jerome Pugmire
Hamburg, Werder Bremen both draw in Bundesliga
FRANKFURT — Hamburger SV and Werder Bremen both lost ground in the Bundesliga by drawing matches Sunday.
Jiri Stajner earned and converted a dubious late penalty for Hannover to salvage a 2-2 draw with Hamburg, while Borussia Dortmund's Lucas Barrios scored an equalizer for his sixth goal in six games in a 1-1 draw with Bremen.
Also Sunday, Milivoje Novakovic scored to give Cologne a 1-0 win at bottom-place Hertha Berlin.
Hamburg and Bremen both have 23 points to be three behind leader Bayer Leverkusen.
Stajner fell after contact with Tomas Rincon to be awarded the spot kick in the 88th minute. He slotted the ball inside the left post as Hannover equalized for the second time.
Hamburg went ahead in the 15th minute, when Eljero Elia and Marcell Jansen swapped passes to beat the defense before Jansen slotted the ball home.
Didier Ya Konan scored with a header from a corner in the 26th, but Hamburg regained the lead when Elia headed in a free kick from Piotr Trochowski.
Hamburg's Tunay Torun hit the post early in the second half.
Stajner's late goal left Hamburg winless and with only one point from its last two games.
In Bremen, Mesut Oezil scored in the 36th from a cross by Aaron Hunt. But Barrios equalized in the 54th, prodding the ball home after goalkeeper Tim Wiese failed to hold a hard shot from Nelson Valdez.
The game in Berlin had several unusual moments. Berlin's Raffael hit both posts with two successive attempts, then a naked streaker ran on to the field in the 70th before being overcome by security personnel.
Novakovic headed in the winner in the 70th from a free kick by Lukas Podolski.
On Saturday, teenage midfielder Joel Matip scored on his Bundesliga debut to earn Schalke a 1-1 draw at Bayern Munich.
Schalke is fourth with 22 points. Bayern is eighth, six points behind Leverkusen, which beat Eintracht Frankfurt 4-0 on Friday.
Defending champion Wolfsburg came from behind to win 2-1 in Hoffenheim, Mainz beat Nuremberg 1-0, Freiburg won 2-1 in Bochum and Borussia Moenchengladbach drew 0-0 with Stuttgart.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Palmeiras loses lead after 1-0 loss to Fluminense
SAO PAULO — Palmeiras relinquished the Brazilian league lead for the first time since July after losing 1-0 to Fluminense on Sunday, allowing defending champion Sao Paulo to move ahead with only four rounds remaining.
Sao Paulo, which drew 1-1 with Gremio earlier in the week despite having three players sent off, has 59 points. Palmeiras has 58 after having been in front for the last 19 rounds.
Third-place Flamengo moved to within two points of the lead after winning 3-1 at Atletico Mineiro, which is fourth with 56 points.
Former Lyon striker Fred scored Fluminense's winner with a header in the 59th minute from a corner taken by Argentine midfielder Dario Conca in front of more than 60,000 fans at Maracana stadium.
The goal gave Fluminense its third straight victory, keeping alive the team's hopes of escaping demotion. Unbeaten in eight matches, Fluminense is 17th in the 20-team standings, still in the relegation zone but with a good chance of staying in the top flight.
Palmeiras striker Obina found the net in the 28th, but the referee disallowed the goal for Obina fouling a defender. Palmeiras strongly complained, and television replays appeared to show there was no wrongdoing in the play.
Seeking its first national title since 1994, Palmeiras has won only once in its last seven matches. It had been on top of the standings since beating Fluminense 1-0 at home on July 29.
Sao Paulo earned a 1-1 draw with Gremio on Wednesday despite finishing the match with eight men.
Strikers Borges and Dagoberto were sent off for hard fouls with about 10 minutes left in the match at Olimpico stadium in Porto Alegre, and defender Jean was red-carded in injury time.
The result snapped a three-match winning streak for Sao Paulo, which is seeking its fourth straight Brazilian league title and seventh overall.
Flamengo became a serious title contender on Sunday after beating Atletico Mineiro in front of nearly 65,000 fans at Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte.
Serbian midfielder Dejan Petkovic scored first for Flamengo when his corner went directly into the net in the ninth minute, and Chile midfielder Claudio Maldonado added to the lead with a low right-footed shot from inside the area in the 39th.
Brazil World Cup veteran Ricardinho scored for Atletico in the 50th. But striker Adriano — one of the league's leading scorer with 18 goals — sealed the victory with a header in the 81st.
In Sao Paulo, veteran striker Ronaldo scored his third goal in two matches to give Corinthians a 2-0 win over Santo Andre at Pacaembu stadium. He beat a defender outside the area before firing a shot into the top corner of the net in the 36th. Striker Dentinho also scored for Corinthians, which moved to eighth in the standings.
In other results Sunday, sixth-place Internacional drew 1-1 at Barueri, Botafogo beat Coritiba 2-0 at Engenhao stadium in Rio de Janeiro and Goias fell 2-0 to Atletico Paranaense to extend its winless streak to eight matches.
On Saturday, fifth-place Cruzeiro kept its title hopes alive by rallying from a two-goal deficit to beat last-place Sport 3-2 at Ilha do Retiro stadium in Recife. Ecuadorean striker Joffre Guerron scored Cruzeiro's winner.
Also, Santos beat Nautico 3-1 at Pacaembu stadium and Avai defeated Vitoria 1-0 in Salvador.
-- Tales Azzoni
Banfield retakes No. 1 spot by beating San Lorenzo
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Sebastian Fernandez scored the winner as Banfield returned to the summit of the Argentine Apertura tournament with a 1-0 win at San Lorenzo on Sunday.
Estudiantes kept up the chase at the top with a 3-0 home win over defending champion Velez Sarsfield, while Boca Juniors drew 0-0 with fourth-place Colon de Santa Fe.
Most clubs have now completed 13 matches in the Apertura tournament. With six rounds remaining, Banfield leads with 29 points, ahead of Newell's Old Boys on goal difference.
Round 13 concludes Monday when struggling Huracan hosts mid-table Arsenal de Sarandi.
In Sunday's first match, Banfield secured a valuable away win over San Lorenzo when Fernandez broke free of the defense and rifled a shot into the roof of the net in the 72nd minute.
Estudiantes moved into third with a deserved victory over Velez Sarsfield.
Leandro Desabato dived to head in a free kick from Leandro Benitez in the 34th minute before Mauro Boselli stepped inside his marker and scored in the 58th.
Benitez capped an impressive all-round performance with a fluid third goal, swapping passes with Boselli and finishing low under Velez goalkeeper German Montoya in the 83rd minute.
In the Bombonera stadium, Boca's misfiring season continued with an uninspiring scoreless draw.
Missing injured playmaker Juan Roman Riquelme, Boca's best chance of breaking the deadlock came in the 83rd minute when Martin Palermo's shot from a tight angle was pushed away by Colon goalkeeper Diego Pozo.
Other results Friday and Saturday: Argentinos Juniors 1, Rosario Central 1; Independiente 1, Gimnasia La Plata 0; Lanus 0, Chacarita Juniors 3; Godoy Cruz 3, Racing Club 1; Newell's Old Boys 2, River Plate 1; Atletico Tucuman 4, Tigre 2.
Twente tops Ajax 1-0 to stay top in Dutch league
AMSTERDAM — Bryan Ruiz scored two minutes into the second half Sunday to give FC Twente a 1-0 win over Ajax and stay top of the Dutch league.
PSV Eindhoven had temporarily leapfrogged Twente by winning 5-1 over ADO The Hague earlier Sunday, but Ruiz's goal ensured that both clubs maintained their unbeaten start to the season.
Twente has 35 points, two more than PSV. Ajax stayed third with 29, four ahead of Feyenoord.
Ola Toivonen scored four goals in his side's demolition of ADO. The Swedish striker opened the scoring in the 10th minute from a Danko Lazovic pass before doubling PSV's advantage with another effort four minutes later. Lazovic was the provider again for Toivonen's third and Otman Bakkal's goal in the 51st before the Swede netted his fourth in the 73rd as PSV maintained its unbeaten start to the season.
Karim Soltani scored a consolation for ADO in the 71st.
The match was temporarily halted as ADO supporters protested referee Roelof Luinge's decision to dismiss Lex Immers after fouling Lazovic in the 57th. Roelof had already sent off Ricky van den Bergh for a foul on Ibrahim Afellay in the 39th.
Also Sunday, Feyenoord drew 1-1 against defending champion AZ Alkmaar. Sekou Cisse put Feyenoord ahead after five minutes, collecting Leroy Fer's through-ball before firing a low shot past AZ goalkeeper Sergio Romero from 12 yards. Brett Holman got the equalizer for AZ 10 minutes into the second half.
Earlier Sunday, Anthony Lurling set up two goals for Kurt Elshot and Kees Kwakman to inspire NAC Breda to a 4-0 win over Willem II.
Ghana forward Matthew Amoah and Brazil winger Leonardo also added a goal each for NAC.
Michal Papadopulos scored twice and Viktor Elm added another in SC Heerenveen's 3-0 win at FC Utrecht. Tim Cornelisse and Jacob Mulenga scored two late goals for Utrecht.
FC Groningen secured only its third victory of the season by beating visiting Heracles Almelo 4-1 on Friday. On Saturday it was: Vitesse Arnhem 2, VVV-Venlo 0; Sparta Rotterdam 1, Roda JC 2 and NEC Nijmegen 0, RKC Waalwijk 1.
Panathinaikos beats Levadiakos 2-0 in Greek league
ATHENS, Greece — Loukas Vyntra and Djibril Cisse scored Sunday for Panathinaikos to win 2-0 at Levadiakos and take the outright lead in the Greek league.
Panathinaikos broke the deadlock in the 66th, when Vyntra headed in a corner taken by Sotiris Ninis. Cisse made it 2-0 in the 80th from a cross by Brazil midfielder Gilberto Silva to score his seventh goal of the season.
Panathinaikos has 28 points, two more than defending champion Olympiakos, which drew 1-1 at home with Iraklis on Saturday.
Also Sunday, it was: Asteras 3, Giannena 0; Atromitos 0, Ergotelis 0 and Xanthi 1, Panionios 2.
Seeking a win in order to take advantage of Olympiakos' draw, Panathinaikos attacked from the kickoff and squandered a major chance when a shot by Cisse in the fifth minute hit the post.
The France striker, who moved to Panathinaikos this season from Marseilles, had another scoring opportunity in the 22nd when he shot wide from the six-meter (yard) area.
Levadiakos, struggling to avoid relegation, defended stoutly but failed to create much in attack. The hosts' best chance came in the 74th, when a blistering shot by Stefano Napoleoni forced goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas to palm the ball over the crossbar.
AEK Athens hosts Larissa on Monday.
Sporting draws 2-2 at Rio Ave in Portuguese league
LISBON, Portugal — Sporting Lisbon drew 2-2 at Rio Ave for its fifth straight Portuguese league game without a win on Sunday, two days after Paulo Bento quit as coach.
Matias Fernandez and Joao Moutinho put the visitors 2-0 up by halftime. But Rio Ave striker Joao Tomas scored in the 57th and 60th minutes to leave Sporting in eighth place with 14 points following former assistant Leonel Pontes' first match as coach.
Four-time defending champion FC Porto stumbled to a 1-0 loss to Maritimo after defender Ronaldo scored into his own net in the 30th minute after trying to cut out Alonso Ferreira's cross.
FC Braga leads with 25 points despite losing 1-0 to Guimaraes on Saturday for its first defeat of the season. Benfica can also move to 25 points if it beats Naval on Monday. Porto is next with 20 points, three more than Nacional, which beat Leixoes 4-2 on Sunday.
Rio Ave and Maritimo, which hasn't lost since Mitchell Van der Gaag took charge in September, are next with 15 points.
Also, Leiria and Academica drew 1-1.
On Saturday, Setubal and Olhanense drew 0-0. On Friday, Pacos de Ferreira beat Olhanense 3-0.
Leaders Kawasaki beat Chiba 3-2 in J-League
KAWASAKI, Japan — Renatinho scored a hat trick Sunday as Kawasaki Frontale maintained a one-point lead atop the J-League standings with a 3-2 win over JEF United Chiba.
Chiba's Takumi Wada scored an equalizer two minutes from time but Renatinho netted the winner in stoppage time when he converted a pass from Brazilian compatriot Juninho.
With 58 points, Kawasaki is a point clear of reigning champions Kashima Antlers, who won 2-0 over Montedio Yamagata, with three games remaining.
Chiba was relegated to the second division along with Oita Trinita.
Shinzo Koroki scored in the 21st minute and Marquinhos converted a penalty for his 13th league goal of the season as Kashima kept pace.
Gamba Osaka has 54 points and remained in contention for the title after a pair of goals from Pedro Junior helped the former Asian club champions to a 4-1 win over Kyoto Sanga.
Shimizu S-Pulse was handed a stunning 5-0 defeat by relegation-threatened Kashiwa Reysol and is eight points off the lead.
Edmilson scored the lone goal as Urawa Reds defeated FC Tokyo 1-0 while Igor Burzanovic gave Nagoya Grampus a 1-0 win over 10-man Vissel Kobe.
Hideo Oshima scored both goals as Albirex Niigata won 2-0 at Jubilo Iwata. Relegated Oita pulled off a surprise 2-1 win over Yokohama F Marinos thanks to goals from Fernandinho and Hiroshi Kiyotake.
Elsewhere
Bayern imploding after setbacks
FRANKFURT — With Bayern Munich all but out of the Champions League, falling behind in the Bundesliga and its players now criticizing management, the famous German club seems to be imploding.
Bayern was hoping for quiet — and successful — times when it pursued and finally signed experienced Dutch coach Louis van Gaal after a turbulent season under novice Juergen Klinsmann, who was fired with five games to go.
Van Gaal came with a pedigree that includes the Champions League title but a third into the season his position looks wobblier by the day.
After losing 2-0 to Bordeaux last week, Bayern has only an outside chance of advancing to the knockout stage of the Champions league. A 1-1 draw with Schalke in the Bundesliga on Saturday dropped van Gaal's team six points behind the leader, Bayer Leverkusen.
On the day of the match, Munich's biggest newspaper, the Sueddeutsche, published a full-page interview with Philipp Lahm, a respected Germany defender and Bayern's deputy captain, who criticized the front office for its transfer moves and the coach for his constant switches in formation.
While Bayern's managers were still coming to grips with the public ripples triggered by Lahm's interview, Italy striker Luca Toni caused more friction by walking out of the stadium after being substituted at halftime and driving away without returning to watch the rest of the game.
General manager Uli Hoeness was livid after the game, saying the content and the timing of Lahm's interview was "not clever" and promising that Lahm was "going to regret it."
The interview, contrary to Bayern's policy, had not been cleared by the club.
"You can talk about everything with us, but at home behind (closed) doors. He definitely broke the rules," Hoeness said.
Hoeness appeared to back van Gaal despite recent setbacks.
"We are going to wait calmly until Christmas and look at the situation then," he said.
Lahm and Toni both had to report to Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and van Gaal on Sunday and were fined undisclosed sums.
A statement said Lahm had violated club rules in a "striking, unforgivable manner" and had broken an "absolute taboo" by publicly criticizing the club, the coach and teammates and that he would be fined an unprecedented sum.
Toni's departure from the stadium without permission was an "unacceptable lack of discipline," the statement said, describing his fine as "substantial."
The turmoil comes shortly before a Nov. 27 club members conference that is scheduled to install Hoeness as president to replace Franz Beckenbauer, who moves on to become supervisory board chairman.
What was supposed to be a smooth transition could become an unpleasant affair if the notoriously loud club members start asking uncomfortable questions.
In his interview, Lahm touched on topics that are likely being debated hotly by most supporters.
Among other things, Lahm said: "If you compare our team to the top sides from the Champions League, they have top-class players in seven, eight positions, and we lack that.
"If you want to compete with Barcelona, Chelsea, Manchester United, then Bayern needs a playing philosophy. That has to be the goal of the club.
"In the past, the transfers were not always very successful ... clubs like Manchester or Barcelona have a system and then you buy personnel for the system. You bring specific players and then you have a team. Something like that doesn't exist here.
"The club has to say, when a new coach comes, this is how we play ... We have many players that have no position now in a 4-3-3 system that our coach would like to use, for example our strikers. We have really good forwards but if you play 4-3-3, two or three of them are always on the bench.
"If you buy Mario Gomez, then you have to say, OK, we play with two strikers. We played the entire preseason with two strikers. And then suddenly, we get (Arjen) Robben, a great player who fits with us — and who prefers the 4-3-3 system. You can't simply buy players because they are good."
Lahm said many players had trouble adjusting to van Gaal and that he was still treated with a mixture of "respect and fear."
Van Gaal prefers using two wingers and one striker in his attack, which has left Gomez benched, even though he cost Bayern about €35 million ($51 million).
With Franck Ribery and Robben on the wings, Bayern produced some of its best football this season, but Ribery has played few games because of knee tendinitis and Robben is only coming back after knee surgery.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Lahm, Toni fined by Bayern for breaking rules
MUNICH — Bayern Munich imposed heavy fines on defender Philipp Lahm and striker Luca Toni on Sunday for breaking club rules.
The club did not disclose the amounts but said the fines were hefty, in Lahm's case unprecedented.
Lahm was punished for criticizing club management in a newspaper interview, while Toni left the stadium without permission after being substituted at halftime in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Schalke.
Lahm and Toni reported to Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge and coach Louis van Gaal on Sunday and were told of the fines.
A statement said Lahm had violated club rules in a "striking, unforgivable manner" and had broken an "absolute taboo" by publicly criticizing the club, coach and teammates and that he would be fined an unprecedented sum.
Toni's departure from the stadium without permission was an "unacceptable lack of discipline," the statement said, describing the Italian's fine as "substantial."
In the interview published by the Sueddeutsche newspaper on Saturday, Lahm criticized the club's transfer moves and the formation changes used by Van Gaal.
Capello won't take half-fit players to World Cup
LONDON — England coach Fabio Capello won't be taking players to the World Cup if there is any doubt about their fitness, because recovering will be harder in the South African winter.
The Italian's warning casts significant doubt on whether defender Rio Ferdinand and goalkeeper David James will go to South Africa next June.
"The players with us in South Africa will be all fit," Capello said ahead of Sunday's squad announcement for a friendly against Brazil. "It's impossible to wait for one player. Little things are OK, but bigger problems and they will not be there.
"If you have to recover someone it's no good. When we go it will not be the warm season, when it is easier to recover. It will be cold in South Africa."
Ferdinand, the 31-year-old center back, has been plagued by back and calf problems, which ruled him out of a fourth consecutive match Sunday when Manchester United played Chelsea.
"If Rio will play the games before the last squad, for me he is fit and will go to the World Cup," Capello said. "Rio is absolutely one of the best center backs of the world. He need to be really fit but he has some problems with the back. He has to train more."
Training is something Tottenham center back Ledley King can't do between matches because of his chronic knee problems, and Capello has left him out of the team since having to pull out of a friendly against Ukraine in March.
Spurs manager Harry Redknapp said after Saturday's victory over Sunderland that King has persistent hamstring pain because of his lack of training.
"It is impossible for him to stay with us," Capello said. "Sometimes he trains Friday to play Saturday."
Likewise, the 39-year-old James, who was Capello's first choice goalkeeper, rests his knees after matches.
"He's playing well but his problem is he can't train for two days (after) each game," Capello said. "It's one problem we have to decide (with goalkeepers). I'm happy because (Ben) Foster played well, (Robert) Green plays well."
-- Rob Harris
Ronaldo picked in Portugal squad for WCup playoff
LISBON, Portugal — Cristiano Ronaldo was included in Portugal's squad Sunday for the two-legged World Cup playoff against Bosnia-Herzegovina despite not having played in nearly a month due to an ankle injury.
The 24-year-old Real Madrid winger was selected in Portugal coach Carlos Queiroz's squad for Saturday's home match at Lisbon's Estadio da Luz. The second leg is at Zenica four days later.
Queiroz had said Ronaldo would be picked despite needing two more weeks rest, claiming the winger could be important even if he only played for a few minutes.
Ronaldo was hurt while playing for Madrid on Sept. 30. He aggravated his right ankle injury when playing for Portugal on Oct. 10, coming off in the 27th minute of the 3-0 win over Hungary.
Earlier Sunday, Madrid director Jorge Valdano said it would be a "serious mistake" if Portugal selected his team's record €94 million ($131 million) offseason signing.
"You have to remember that he re-injured himself going to play for Portugal," Valdano said. "An excess of commitment (by Ronaldo) has put us in this situation. It would be a serious mistake to repeat the same errors."
Ronaldo was initially expected to miss up to four weeks before being injured again. He has visited Dr. Niek van Dijk, who operated on the same ankle in 2008 and said Ronaldo needed to rest for another two weeks.
"Cristiano Ronaldo's case is a medical one. It's a serious problem that we're trying different medical treatments on," Valdano told Spanish TV. "We would also have liked to have counted on him (Saturday night). We don't want it to develop into anything worse."
Queiroz made several changes to his squad, calling up Chelsea backup goalkeeper Hilario, Benfica midfielder Fabio Coentrao, defenders Miguel Brito and Ricardo Costa and forward Hugo Almeida.
See archived 'Sports' stories »
We want our site to be a place where people discuss and debate ideas that foster stronger communities. We built this for you. Please take care of it. Tolerate broad thinking, but take action against obscene or hateful material. Make it a credible and safe place worth preserving and sharing.
