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Soccer Capsules: Real Salt Lake beats L.A. to win MLS Cup
Comments 0 | Recommend 0SEATTLE — David Beckham limped badly, the pain from a bone bruise in his right foot piercing through three pregame injections. Landon Donovan angrily ripped off his armband after watching a penalty shot go sailing over the crossbar.
The image most expected of Beckham and Donovan holding the championship trophy of Major League Soccer for the league's marquee franchise was replaced by anger and frustration.
Instead, it was those upstarts from Real Salt Lake celebrating their first title.
Robbie Russell scored in the seventh round and the scrappy underdogs from RSL beat the star-studded Galaxy 5-4 on penalties Sunday night to win the league championship.
Russell's goal set off a wild celebration for Real while Beckham was left holding Donovan by the ears in consolation, telling the league MVP, "great season."
"It's Russian roulette," Beckham said of the penalties. "It's not a nice way to go out. It's just the way it is."
And it's a result Beckham and the Galaxy will have to accept after getting outplayed in the second half and overtime, then watching RSL goalkeeper Nick Rimando make a pair of saves during penalties to clinch the title.
Rimando swatted away shots by Jovan Kirovski in the third round and smothered Edson Buddle's weak attempt in the seventh round to set up Russell's winning shot that beat backup Los Angeles keeper Josh Saunders.
A few thousand RSL fans that made the trip from Utah lined the railings around the field for 30 minutes afterward, sometimes chanting "Nick Rimando" — who was named MVP — while the players celebrated on the confetti covered field.
It was the second straight shootout victory for RSL, which beat Chicago 5-4 on penalties last week for the Eastern Conference championship. Rimando made three saves in the penalty shootout against the Fire and the game MVP came up big again in front of 46,011 fans, the fourth-largest crowd for an MLS Cup.
"It's nice to say we're the best team in the league," RSL coach Jason Kreis said. "... My honest opinion is we deserved to win that game."
After Mike Magee scored in the 41st minute for Los Angeles off a perfect cross by Donvoan, the Galaxy's control of play quickly disappeared.
Donovan became a non-factor, as the league MVP was constantly hounded by the Real defense and never given space. The pain killers Beckham took before the game started wearing off early in the second half and his limp became more noticeable.
Meanwhile, RSL kept attacking. Robbie Findley scored in the 64th minute to pull RSL even at 1 and the peppering of the Los Angeles goal continued from there. They nearly scored again before the end of regulation, then missed a trio of opportunities during overtime: Findley's left-footed shot toward an open goal that was deflected away by Los Angeles defender A.J. DeLaGarza and drives by Findley and Clint Mathis scooting wide.
The Galaxy were fortunate just to reach penalties.
"I don't think all of them were out of gas," Real captain Kyle Beckerman said of the Galaxy. "But there were a lot of them gassing at the end."
In the shootout, Beckham scored first as the first four kicks went in order. After Rimando's save, Beckerman's shot was shoved aside by Saunders.
That brought up Donovan, who was 19 for 21 in his MLS career on penalty kicks, the only two misses saved. He tried to go high on Rimando, but sailed the attempt well over the bar.
"I just put it in the air," Donvoan said. "You know, it's probably partially due to tired legs and not concentrating in that moment."
Real had a chance to win it in the fifth round but Andy Williams' shot was saved by Saunders. Two rounds later, Williams was able to celebrate with Russell as RSL became the second expansion team in MLS history to win the title, joining Chicago in 1998.
"I just went with my gut. I went left, the ball went right. There's not much I can do," said Saunders, who replaced starter Donovan Ricketts in the 66th minute after Ricketts injured his right hand in a collision with Findley early in the second half.
Real needed a lot of help on the final weekend of the regular season to make the playoffs and they were discredited by some for having a losing record — 11-12-7 — during the regular season. They sneaked in as the No. 8 seed, then upset Columbus and Chicago to reach the championship, and became the second No. 8 seed to win the title, after Los Angeles pulled the trick in 2005.
They'll also be bringing home the first pro sports championship for the state of Utah since the Utah Stars won the ABA title in 1971.
"As somebody that watches, I really enjoy watching this team play when they're clicking," Kreis said. "So it has been fun for me. Today before the game, and really almost the entire game I was just smiling and having fun."
Beckham promises to return to MLS, buy club
SEATTLE — David Beckham did all he could to win a football title in a third country but it wasn't quite enough.
The England veteran took three painkilling injections to dull the pain in his bruised right foot before Sunday night's MLS Cup title match for Los Angeles. He set up his team's only goal. He played all 120 minutes, including 30 minutes of overtime. Then he banged in the first of the Galaxy's four penalties in a shootout.
But after Real Salt Lake won on penalties over his star-studded Galaxy team, Beckham reiterated that he will return for the fourth season of his five-year MLS contract.
Beckham says he will eventually exercise his option to buy an MLS club. His option begins with the 20th team in the league, which won't come until at least 2012.
-- Greg Bell
MLS would like Montreal to become 19th team
SEATTLE — Major League Soccer wants Montreal to become its 19th team in 2012, if the Canadian city can get a stadium remodeled.
MLS commissioner Don Garber said Sunday night at the MLS Cup title match that Montreal is a strong candidate for the next round of expansion after Vancouver, British Columbia, and Portland, Oregon, enter the league in 2011.
The only existing, football-ready stadium in Montreal is 14,000-seat Saputo Stadium. That's home to potential MLS owner Joey Saputo's team in a second-division league.
Garber says the league is working with the government of Quebec to find a funding plan for the needed remodeling to Saputo Stadium.
Some cities that missed out on the 2011 expansion are considered candidates for the 19th and possibly 20th MLS teams. Those include St. Louis and Ottawa.
Garber has said he'd like to have three MLS teams in Canada.
Mexico Soccer
San Luis has an upset win over Toluca, Santos wins
MEXICO CITY — Paraguayan defender Pablo Aguilar scored from a corner kick in the 76th minute as San Luis edged Toluca 1-0 on Sunday in the first leg of their Mexican Apertura championship quarterfinals series.
San Luis, which finished the regular season with just one win in their last five matches, needs only a draw in the return match to progress to the semifinals.
And the Gladiators have a history of upsetting Toluca, which qualified first for the quarterfinals.
In their last two playoffs series, in the Clausura 2006 and 2008, San Luis eliminated Toluca.
Carlos Ochoa scored twice as Santos beat Morelia 2-1 at Torreon, giving the Warriors their first victory since the 12th round.
In the other quarterfinal series: Aldo De Nigris marked the passing of his brother Antonio by scoring the winner in Monterrey 1-0 defeat of America, while Cruz Azul salvaged a 4-4 draw with Puebla.
Mexican international Antonio De Nigris, aged 31, died of a heart attack in Greece on Monday.
"I don't just dedicate this goal to him, I'm going to dedicate my whole life to him because he was an example to everyone," Aldo de Nigris said after a capacity crowd of 35,000 in Monterrey's Tecnologico stadium waved white handkerchiefs and chanted in his brother's memory.
Crowd of 15,000 at mass for De Nigris in Mexico
MONTERREY, Mexico — About 15,000 people attended a stadium mass Sunday in honor of soccer player Antonio De Nigris, whose ashes were taken on a lap of honor as fans applauded and chanted his name.
The Archbishop of Monterrey led prayers and hymns on an altar on the field at Tecnologico Stadium in memory of the 31-year-old player who died of a heart attack last week.
The midday service lasted more than an hour. De Nigris's family attended, along with players from the Rayados club where he began his career.
On Saturday, 35,000 fans waved white handkerchiefs and watched a short video dedicated to De Nigris before the Mexican playoff game between Rayados and America in the same stadium. De Nigris's younger brother Aldo scored the game's only goal in Rayados' 1-0 victory.
"I'm not just dedicating this goal to him, I'm going to dedicate my whole life to him because he was an example to us all," Aldo said.
Antonio De Nigris also played for America during a career that included stints in Brazil, Spain and Colombia. He was playing for Larissa in Greece at the time of his death.
De Nigris played 16 times for Mexico, scoring four goals.
Champions League
Barcelona title in danger against Inter Milan
LONDON — Barcelona's reign as Champions Cup holder could be over as early as Tuesday if the Spanish club loses at home to Inter Milan and group rival Rubin Kazan beats Dynamo Kiev.
What may have seemed unthinkable when the draw was made in August is now a reality for coach Pep Guardiola and his talented side. And the fact that Lionel Messi was one of six players who missed training on Sunday added to Guardiola's woes as he faces up to a tough game against the Italian champion.
An attack of swine flu has already ruled out defender Eric Abidal and midfielder Yaya Toure, and Rafael Marquez is awaiting tests to see if he has become the third victim.
Strikers Messi and Zlatan Ibrahimovic have leg injuries and defender Gerard Pique could only do light training in the gym.
"We have no other option than winning. And we hope the fans respond," midfielder Sergio Busquets said. "The players will be giving it 200 percent, and know that with the fans behind them, they will be stronger still.
"Whoever is available to play will be looking to get through this with all the enthusiasm we have."
Inter's 3-1 victory at Bologna on Saturday strengthened its healthy lead atop the Serie A standings, making Jose Mourinho's team more confident about capturing a place in the last 16 in the European competition with a victory at Camp Nou.
Barcelona goes into the game in third place in the group with five points, one behind Inter. Rubin, which captured its second consecutive Russian league title Saturday, also has five points and can make it eight when it hosts last place Kiev.
Even if Barca finishes level on points with Rubin after the last round of qualifying, the head-to-head record — Rubin won in Barcelona and played a scoreless draw in Kazan — would give the Russian club the edge.
Barcelona is not the only European heavyweight in danger of going out this week.
Five-time winner Liverpool is on the verge of elimination with five points to make up on second place Fiorentina. Lyon is already out of reach.
Rafa Benitez' team goes to Hungary to face Debrecen and even a victory won't be enough if Fiorentina beats Lyon at home.
Liverpool's own form — one win in 10 games in all competitions — doesn't suggest a recovery, especially with top striker Fernando Torres out of the lineup because of a lingering groin problem and two more players picking up injuries in Saturday's 2-2 draw at home to Manchester City in the Premier League.
AC Milan and Real Madrid, who have a combined 16 title triumphs in European football's biggest competition, are level on on seven points ahead of Wednesday's Group C games.
Milan hosts Marseille, which is third with six points. Spanish league leader Madrid, which has won the European title nine times but not since 2002, should be confident of beating last place FC Zurich at home.
Six teams, including two from England and two from France, already have secured spots in the last 16 with two games to spare. They are Manchester United, Chelsea, Bordeaux, Lyon, FC Porto and Sevilla and their aim now is to try and finish group winners, which would mean facing a runner-up in the knockout round.
With Bordeaux already through, two more former European champions are vying for the other spot from Group A, with Bayern Munich needing to make up four points on second place Juventus.
Bayern coach Louis van Gaal's job is already in danger ahead of a home match against Maccabi Haifa, while Juventus can qualify with a victory at Bordeaux.
Arsenal needs only a point at home to third place Standard Liege on Tuesday to reach the last 16 and a victory at the Emirates Stadium will guarantee the Gunners finish top of Group H.
Four points behind, Olympiakos holds second place and travels to last place AZ Alkmaar.
In Group G, second-place Unirea hosts group leading Sevilla, while third place Stuttgart visits Rangers.
With Man. United already guaranteed a place in the last 16, CSKA Moscow and German champion Wolfsburg are fighting over the other place from Group B and meet in Russia on Wednesday.
A Wolfsburg victory will guarantee a place in the second round.
-- Robert Millward
League Roundups
Defoe scores 5 in Tottenham's 9-1 win over Wigan
LONDON — Jermain Defoe scored five goals including a seven-minute hat trick as Tottenham overwhelmed Wigan 9-1 on Sunday while Blackburn ended a run of five straight away defeats with a 2-0 victory at Bolton.
After Peter Crouch had given Spurs a ninth minute lead at White Hart Lane, Defoe took over with three strikes between the 51st and 58th minutes as Spurs went on to tie Manchester United's Premier League record nine goals in a 9-0 victory over Ipswich in March 1995.
Aaron Lennon scored Spurs fifth, Defoe netted again in the 69th and 87th. Wigan goalkeeper Chris Kirkland scored an own goal and Niko Kranjcar added another in the final minute.
Paul Scharner replied for Wigan when Spurs were already three goals up and the Austrian appeared to control the ball with his hands before scoring.
Defoe tied the Premier League record for most goals in a game, matching Alan Shearer's five for Newcastle against Sheffield Wednesday in Sept. 1999 and Andy Cole for United in the game against Ipswich.
"It did cross my mind whether I was going to get another (hat trick). I had another good chance but you can't complain getting five goals," Defoe said.
"Even if you just win games it brings gets confidence but to score nine goals in one game is fantastic for everyone."
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp paid tribute to his strikers.
"You don't get too many nines in the Premier League," Redknapp said.
"In the second half we took some great goals and their 'keeper made some great saves as well. I knew Defoe would be a real handful today but all the strikers have been in great form."
Tottenham moved level on points with third place north London neighbor Arsenal behind Chelsea and Manchester United who all played on Saturday. Chelsea outplayed Wolves 4-0 to stay five points clear at the top of the standings and Man United beat Everton 3-0 to capture second place from Arsenal which lost 1-0 at Sunderland.
Blackburn's first away victory since a 2-1 win at Fulham in March of last season provided a tonic for manager Sam Allardyce, who is preparing to have surgery to widen a coronary artery. Allardyce missed this game and won't be at the next two.
A minute after Bolton's Matt Taylor had hit the bar with a free deflected kick, David Dunn fired Blackburn ahead in the 32nd with a first time lob into the far corner.
The second goal was a gift, however. Bolton defender Sam Ricketts tried to head a Blackburn through ball back to goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen. But the Finn had left his line to try and reach the ball and Ricketts' header went into an empty net.
The victory meant that Blackburn climbed four places to 11th.
Ricardo Fuller scored the winner in the 74th minute as Stoke edged last place Portsmouth 1-0 to climb one place to ninth.
-- Robert Millward
Grosso goal gives Juve 1-0 win over Udinese
ROME — Fabio Grosso's 51st-minute strike gave Juventus a 1-0 victory over injury-depleted Udinese on Sunday, keeping the Turin club within five points of Serie A leader Inter Milan.
Grosso, whose spotkick in a penalty shootout sealed Italy's World Cup title three years ago, latched onto a cross from Jose Martin Caceres to cap a perfectly executed series of passes.
Earlier, AC Milan overcame a series of defensive lapses to beat Cagliari 4-3 at San Siro with goals from Clarence Seedorf, Marco Borriello, Alexandre Pato and Ronaldinho.
"All four forwards scored, which is something very positive," Milan coach Leonardo said. "We had some problems defending and with coverage at times but that's to be expected when you play with (four forwards)."
AS Roma captain Francesco Totti marked his return from knee surgery with a hat trick in a 3-1 win over Bari. All of Totti's goals at the Stadio Olimpico came in the first half.
Sampdoria beat 10-man Chievo Verona 2-1 to move back into the Champions League places. A goal from Marco Rossi put Samp ahead in the 19th minute and Chievo was reduced to 10 men just before the break with a red card for Luciano.
Antonio Cassano provided the pass for Giampaolo Pazzini to score Samp's second in the 65th before Andrea Mantovani pulled one back for Chievo 10 minutes from time.
Inter Milan leads with 32 points, Juventus has 27, Milan 25 and Sampdoria 24.
Inter defeated Bologna 3-1 Saturday.
Elsewhere, Palermo and Catania played out a 1-1 draw in a tense Sicilian derby.
Giulio Migliaccio put Palermo ahead after four minutes and Jorge Martinez equalized for Catania in the 55th. A late goal from Catania's Giuseppe Mascara was ruled out for a questionable offside call.
Nico Pulzetti scored a 90th-minute winner in Livorno's 2-1 win over Genoa, Napoli and Lazio drew 0-0 and Atalanta beat last-place Siena 2-0 in what was probably Marco Baroni's last game as the Tuscan club's coach. Prospective replacement Walter Novellino attended the game.
Missing forwards Antonio Di Natale, Simone Pepe and Alexis Sanchez, Udinese had a hard time threatening in Turin and Juventus couldn't find a way through either, until Grosso's strike.
"In the first half we had trouble finding spaces, but the important thing was to win and that was very difficult today," Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara said.
After the goal, Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero came on to mark his return from a two-month injury layoff.
"Del Piero is a key player but he was coming off a long period out and I preferred not to risk him from the start, so I put him on when the pace should have slowed, although actually it didn't slow," Ferrara said.
Juve midfielder Mauro Camoranesi nearly made it 2-0 with a header in the 77th minute that Udinese goalkeeper Samir Handanovic tipped over the bar.
In Milan, the Rossoneri took the lead six minutes in when Seedorf scored from the center of the area after Borriello had drawn Cagliari goalkeeper Federico Marchetti out of his goal.
Alessandro Matri equalized for Cagliari in the ninth minute when he was left alone by Milan defender Kakha Kaladze inside the area. With Cagliari dominating momentarily, the visitors went 2-1 up in the 30th with a goal from Andrea Lazzari, Milan's defense again having left a player unmarked inside the area.
Milan responded with two goals in the space of three minutes.
Borriello headed in the rebound after a Pato shot in the 38th and Pato then collected a pass from Ronaldinho before scoring with a precise shot into the top corner.
Ronaldinho made it 4-2 with a penalty in the 62nd, celebrating with his usual samba dance.
"I'm feeling good physically and I'm playing in my position, the same position I had with Barcelona," Ronaldinho said.
Cagliari made the San Siro crowd fret to the end with a goal from Nene following a counterattack in the 69th.
In the capital, Totti scored six minutes into his return, converting a penalty after Mirko Vucinic was dragged down inside the area.
Playing his first game in nearly 50 days, the Roma captain doubled the lead with a free kick through Bari's wall in the 14th minute, and completed the hat trick with a left-footed shot from a narrow angle in the 28th.
Totti nearly scored again a few minutes later but Bari goalkeeper Jean-Francois Gillet deflected his shot off the post.
"I wasn't expecting a game like this from Francesco," Roma coach Claudio Ranieri said. "Beyond the goals, he didn't make any mistakes, he was always in the right place. He's a precious player."
Bari pulled one back with an own goal by Roma defender Marco Andreolli following a corner in the 73rd.
Despite playing only eight of Roma's 13 games, Totti is the Serie A's joint top scorer with Udinese's Antonio Di Natale with nine goals each.
-- Andrew Dampf
Valencia stays close to leaders with Osasuna win
MADRID — Valencia beat Osasuna 3-1 with goals from David Villa, David Albelda and Carlos Marchena on Sunday to stay in touch with the Spanish league leaders.
With 24 points Valencia is fourth in the standings, four points behind leader Real Madrid, three behind Barcelona and one behind Sevilla.
Villa scored his ninth league goal in the 12th minute from a Marchena assist. In the 20th Albelda spotted goalkeeper Ricardo Lopez slightly off his line and judged his lob to perfection. Marchena's 25-yard volley early in the second half made it 3-0.
A well-organized Valencia always looked a threat when going forward, while Osasuna was subdued for most of the game. It was only after striker Walter Pandiani was sent off on the hour for his second yellow card that the hosts struck. Iran striker Masoud Soleimani took advantage of a rare attack by his team and headed in from close range.
Miguel Flano was sent off in injury time for a reckless challenge to leave Osasuna with nine men.
Earlier Sunday Nilmar scored twice as Villarreal beat Valladolid 3-1.
The Brazil striker headed both goals, in the seventh minute from Damian Escudero's cross and in the 47th, when he latched on to a long pass out of defense and lobbed onrushing goalkeeper Justo Villar.
Italy striker Giuseppe Rossi made it 3-0 in the 58th before Valladolid's Diego Costa cut the deficit three minutes later, taking advantage of a defensive error to shoot home from a tight angle.
The win gives Villarreal 12 points and lifts the team further away from the relegation zone where it was mired for most of the first part of the season.
In a bad-tempered game at La Rosaleda stadium Malaga drew 1-1 against Zaragoza, with both sides reduced to 10 men for most of the second half.
Ewerthon put Zaragoza ahead in the 49th with a penalty.
Zaragoza's Javier Paredes was sent off on the hour for his second yellow card offense and moments later Malaga's Weligton was expelled for punching Raul Goni.
Ivan Gonzalez rose to head in the equalizer in the 75th.
The result leaves Malaga bottom of the standings.
Late goals by Victor Castano and Gonzalo Castro gave Mallorca a 3-1 win against Almeria, Getafe beat Espanyol 2-0 and Xerez drew 0-0 with Sporting Gijon.
On Saturday Real Madrid went top of the league by beating Racing Santander 1-0 while Barcelona drew 1-1 with Athletic Bilbao.
Leverkusen regains Bundesliga lead
FRANKFURT — Bayer Leverkusen rallied to earn a 1-1 draw on Sunday at Bayern Munich and regain the lead in the Bundesliga.
Stefan Kiessling notched his league-high ninth goal of the season in the 14th minute to equalize for Leverkusen, which is undefeated after 13 games and one point clear of Werder Bremen.
Mario Gomez, making a rare start for Bayern, scored the opening goal in the eighth minute.
Leverkusen, which has not won in Munich in 20 years, had another effort by Kiessling disallowed for offside.
The draw returned Leverkusen to the top of the table with 27 points. Bayern is seventh, six points off the lead.
In the late game Sunday, next-to-last Bochum upset Hamburger SV 1-0 on the road thanks to a 77th-minute goal by substitute Dennis Grote.
Schalke is now third on 25 points and Hoffenheim fourth on 23, ahead of Hamburg on goal difference.
Bayern fans jeered their team at the end of the match.
"We wanted to close the gap top the top, but we didn't succeed," Bayern defender Philipp Lahm said.
After tying the game, Leverkusen's quick, passing game allowed the visiting team to dominate the first half.
The pace dropped after the break, with little fluidity in the match.
Leverkusen goalkeeper Rene Adler saved his team with a reflex stop on the line to deny Gomez from close range five minutes from time.
"We played very well in the first half but we didn't have good finishing because we should have scored more goals," said Leverkusen's coach Jupp Heynckes, who was on Bayern's bench for the final five games of last season.
"Bayern put us under more pressure in the second half and we were not as fresh," he said.
Bayern went ahead after Miroslav Klose provided a perfect pass for Gomez, who knocked the ball in with the outside of his left foot and inside the far post.
Gomez, signed for about €30 million ($44.44 million), has been left on the bench by coach Louis van Gaal, but started in place of Luca Toni, officially out with a muscle injury. Toni, however, recently criticized van Gaal.
Kiessling tied the game six minutes later when he collected a long pass from Arturo Vidal, easily shook off Daniel van Buyten and slotted home.
Holger Badstuber tested Adler with a freekick but the Leverkusen goalkeeper punched the ball out.
"We played without confidence in the first half," van Gaal said. "We created more pressure in the second and should have scored. We are still six points behind and that is not good."
Van Gaal had come under criticism from Bayern bosses before the match and he could come under more pressure after the draw.
Bayern is all but out of the next stage of the Champions League before Wednesday's game against Maccabi Haifa.
On Saturday, Werder Bremen won 6-0 in Freiburg with five second-half goals to remain undefeated in 20 straight games in all competitions.
Hannover lost its first game after the suicide of captain and goalkeeper Robert Enke, going down 2-0 at Schalke. A minute's was held at all stadiums in memory of Enke, who threw himself in front of a train Nov. 10 after suffering from depression for years.
Defending champion Wolfsburg lost 3-2 at home to Nuremberg, Stuttgart rallied to rescue a 1-1 draw against bottom-place Hertha Berlin, Hoffenheim jumped to fourth place by winning 4-0 in Cologne and Borussia Moenchengladbach also won on the road, beating Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1. Mainz drew 0-0 at Borussia Dortmund.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Lorient beats Saint-Etienne 2-0
PARIS — Striker Marama Vahirua and defender Franco Sebastian Sosa scored in the first half to give Lorient a 2-0 win at struggling Saint-Etienne on Sunday that moved it up to fourth in the French standings.
Saint-Etienne lost its eighth game this season and stayed in 17th place just above the relegation zone. Lorient has 24 points from 13 matches, two behind league leader Auxerre.
"We are dreaming of moving even higher, but it's only a dream," Vahirua said. "We're happy with our position and we're not getting carried away. We're just showing the big teams that if they make a mistake, we can make life difficult for them."
The home side got off to a dismal start, conceding twice in the first 17 minutes. Vahirua scored his sixth goal of the season after only four minutes, curling a free kick in the top corner that left goalkeeper Jeremy Janot stranded.
Sosa added the second when he outjumped the Saint-Etienne defence to beat Janot with a header at the far post.
Saint-Etienne coach Alain Perrin said he will have a meeting with his players on Monday.
"We are asking ourselves a lot of questions and I don't have the answers," Perrin said. "We fought back in the second half but we didn't have the presence of mind needed to get a goal."
Also Sunday, Colombian striker Victor Hugo Montano scored twice as promoted Montpellier defeated Lille 2-0 to move up to fifth in the standings.
Montpellier, which ended a three-match winless streak, has 24 points but trails Lorient on goal difference.
Left unmarked by the defense, Montano volleyed home from Joris Marvaux's free kick in the 65th minute and took his goal tally for the season to four. He doubled the lead in the 87th after latching on to a cross from the left and firing a low shot past Lille goalkeeper Mickael Landreau.
France striker Loic Remy scored from the spot in the 50th minute to give Nice a 1-0 win over Toulouse and its fourth consecutive victory. Nice was awarded the penalty after left-back Cheikh M'Bengue handled the ball in the box.
"The result is a bit unfair when you look at the way we controlled the game," Toulouse coach Alain Casanova said. As for the penalty award, he added: "Although we had a meeting with the referees at the start of the season, I still don't understand how they decide whether a handball is a penalty or not."
On Saturday, Auxerre took advantage of defending champion Bordeaux's 1-0 home loss against Valenciennes to take top spot with a 2-0 win over Monaco.
Auxerre, which leads the standings for the first time in seven years, has 26 points, one clear of both Bordeaux and Lyon, which was held to a 1-1 draw at last-place Grenoble.
-- Samuel Petrequin
Flamengo misses chances to move into top spot
BRASILIA, Brazil — Flamengo missed the chance to move into top place in the Brazilian championship with two games remaining in the season after a scoreless draw with Goias on Sunday.
With tournament leader Sao Paulo surprisingly beaten 3-2 by lowly Botafogo earlier in the day, Flamengo had high hopes of taking top place.
But the draw meant Flamengo remained in second place on 61 points, one behind Sao Paulo. Palmeiras has 59 points and is still in title contention.
Flamengo struggled to pierce the Goias defense, with key men Adriano and Dejan Petkovic proving a constant menace in the Maracana stadium, in Rio de Janeiro.
Even Flamengo goalkeeper Bruno tried to break the deadlock, scampering into the visitors�’ area three times in the final minutes for a series of late corners.
Sao Paulo lost away after Jobson's 90th-minute goal. Jobson had opened the scoring in the 15th minute for Botafogo, before Washington equalized for Sao Paulo on the stroke of half time.
After the break, Jorge Wagner gave Sao Paulo the lead in the 57th minute, but two minutes later Renato leveled the scores to set the stage for Jobson�’s decisive late strike.
Palmeiras still has hopes of the title despite losing 2-0 away to Gremio, while Fluminense boosted its chances of avoiding relegation with a 3-0 away win against already-relegated Sport.
In other results, Corinthians lost 3-2 at home on Saturday against Nautico, while Atletico Paranaense drew 1-1 with Cruzeiro.
Santos thumped Coritiba 4-0, while Vitoria won 2-1 at home against Barueri and Internacional moved into fourth place with a 1-0 away victory over Atletico Mineiro.
Kashima reclaims top spot in the J-League
KYOTO, Japan — Kashima Antlers reclaimed top spot in the J-League to move a step closer to winning a third straight title by defeating Kyoto Sanga 1-0.
Kashima midfielder Takuya Nozawa received a pass from Yuzo Tashiro before beating Kyoto Yuichi Mizutani with a right-footed blast from 24 meters in the 37th minute.
The Antlers can clinch an unprecedented third consecutive J-League title if they beat Gamba Osaka and Kawasaki Frontale fails to beat Albirex Niigata next weekend.
With two rounds left, Kashima has 60 points, two more than Kawasaki. Gamba, the only other team with a title chance, has 57 points.
Kashima was missing Japan defender Daiki Iwamasa and leading scorer Marquinhos, but the defending champions were rarely challenged by a Kyoto side that had taken just three points from their previous six matches.
Elsewhere, Kawasaki squandered a golden opportunity to move ahead of Kashima after a 1-0 loss to relegated Oita Trinita on Sunday. Brazilian striker Fernandinho scored in the 62nd minute to give Oita a fully deserved victory.
Goals from South Korean striker Cho Jae-jin and Brazilian forward Lucas gave Gamba a 2-0 win over Shimizu S-Pulse to keep its title hopes alive.
Urawa Reds improved to 52 points after Brazilian Edmilson scored a hat trick in a 3-2 win over Jubilo Iwata.
At the other end of the standings, Franca's 36th-minute strike gave Kashiwa Reysol a 1-0 victory over Niigata, moving it to within four points of safety after Omiya Ardija drew 0-0 at Montedio Yamagata.
Hiroto Mogi and Yoshito Okubo were on target as Vissel Kobe came from behind to draw 2-2 with Yokohama F Marinos, while Sanfrecce Hiroshima against Nagoya Grampus finished scoreless.
JEF United Chiba, which will be joining Oita in the second division next season, upset FC Tokyo 2-1 on Sunday after goals from Tatsunori Arai and Neto Baiano.
Ajax beats Heerenveen 5-1 in Dutch league
AMSTERDAM — Midfielder Demy de Zeeuw scored twice to help Ajax hammer SC Heerenveen 5-1 on Sunday and keep pace with Dutch league leader FC Twente.
All six goals were scored in the first half, with leftback Vurnon Anita setting up De Zeeuw for the opener after seven minutes and the Netherlands international dribbling past Bak Nielsen to double the lead with his second in the 27th.
Marko Pantelic made it 3-0 four minutes later and Luis Suarez added another in the 35th from the penalty spot before Goran Popov pulled one back for Heerenveen. Ismael Aissati scored another for Ajax before the interval off a Suarez cross to complete an easy win.
On Saturday, unbeaten Twente moved onto 38 points and a five-point lead in the standings with a 1-0 win over Vitesse Arnhem. PSV Eindhoven, which also has yet to lose this season, can cut Twente's lead to just two points with a win over Heracles Almelo in a late game on Sunday.
Ajax stayed third with 32, seven ahead of Feyenoord, which drew 0-0 at FC Utrecht.
Also Sunday, Sandro Calabro scored twice as VVV-Venlo ended a seven-game winless streak with a 5-0 rout of Sparta Rotterdam 5-0. Adil Auassar, Achmed Ahahaoui and Kevin van Dessel also scored as VVV moved clear of the relegation zone.
Defending AZ Alkmaar beat Roda JC 4-2 on Saturday while last-place RKC Waalwijk secured only its third victory of the season by beating visiting FC Groningen 3-1. The points were shared in two other games as Willem II drew 1-1 with ADO The Hague and NAC Breda finished up 3-3 with NEC Nijmegen.
Panathinaikos draws 1-1 with Asteras
ATHENS, Greece — Panathinaikos drew 1-1 at home against Asteras on Sunday to stay top of the Greek standings, but failing to capitalize on defending champion Olympiakos' 2-2 home draw the day before to extend its lead at the top.
Panathinaikos has 29 points from 11 games, two more than Olympiakos. The two archrivals clash next Sunday at Olympiakos' home ground.
Playing without midfielders Gilberto Silva and Giorgos Karagounis, Panathinaikos charged forward from the start, missing a great chance in the 21st minute when a header by Dimitris Salpingidis forced Nicolas Anastassopoulos to punch the ball away.
In one of the few attacks by the visitors, Asteras took the lead after Shikoze Udoji exploited a mistake by goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas to score in the 61st.
One minute later, Antonis Ladakis received his second yellow card to reduce Asteras to 10 men.
Djibril Cisse equalized for Panathinaikos in the 74th after being set up by Costas Katsouranis. The Athenians besieged the Asteras area in the last 20 minutes in a vain effort to snatch a winner, squandering three scoring chances including a header that struck the crossbar from Josu Sarriegi in the 88th.
Also Sunday it was: Panionios 3, Panthrakikos 1; Iraklis 2, Atromitos 2 and PAOK 4, Aris 1.
Larissa's home game against Ergotelis was postponed and will be played Wednesday because of the death of Larissa's Mexican striker Antonio de Nigris last Monday.
Odense wins 3-1 at Brondby
COPENHAGEN — Johan Absalonsen scored one goal and set up another as Odense won 3-1 at Brondby on Sunday to retain its four-point lead at the top of the Danish standings.
Absalonsen set up Peter Utaka for the opening goal in the 19th minute and scored the third in the final minute. Chris Sorensen also scored for Odense with a penalty in the 45th.
Morten Rasmussen scored his 12th goal of the season with a header in the 73rd minute to cut Odense's lead to 2-1.
The result was hard on Brondby, who hit the crossbar three times in the match.
Odense tops the standings with 35 points from 16 games.
Defending champion FC Copenhagen beat Randers 2-0 at home thanks to two goals from Ailton Almeida's to stay second, tied on 31 points with Esbjerg. Brondby is fourth with 27.
Also, SonderjyskE edged Silkeborg 2-1 thanks to a late winner from Kenneth Fabricius.
Dundee United beats Celtic 2-1
DUNDEE, Scotland — Darren Dods scored a last minute winner as Dundee United came from behind to beat Celtic 2-1 on Sunday to leave the Hoops in second place in the Scottish Premier League.
Barry Robson's 72nd minute penalty at Tannadice Park after he had been tripped by Dods appeared enough to send Celtic top, despite Rangers' 3-0 victory over Kilmarnock on Saturday.
But substitute Jon Daly turned home Danny Swanson's corner to equalize in the 83rd minute. And Dods was left unmarked to head the winner from another corner by Swanson to leave Celtic on 24 points, one behind Rangers.
Elsewhere
Whoa! Horse-placenta treatment raises questions
BELGRADE, Serbia — Nothing like a little horse placenta to cure those aches and pains.
Serbian health authorities are looking for a mysterious healer who has recently treated the injuries of several English Premier League soccer players with a cure that includes massage with horse placenta.
Marijana Kovacevic apparently has gone underground after health inspectors and police wanted to visit her private clinic in Belgrade last week. The health authorities say the pharmacology doctor turned trainer has been practicing without a license.
Kovacevic's reputation as a miracle healer for sports injuries has spread throughout the Premier League, with Arsenal's Robin van Persie and Liverpool's Yossi Benayoun, Albert Riera, Fabio Aurelio and Glen Johnson traveling to Belgrade this month.
Benayoun was expected to be out for several weeks with a leg muscle injury but returned for Liverpool's 2-2 draw with Manchester City on Saturday, scoring the tying goal.
Chelsea midfielder Frank Lampard has a torn thigh muscle and became the latest Premier League star to seek Kovacevic's radical treatment.
The craze started when Serbia forward Danko Lazovic told Van Persie, his former PSV Eindhoven teammate, about a healer who uses unusual methods that could treat his ankle injury. Lazovic said several Serbian players, including himself, had been cured faster than expected by the massage that involves fluid from horse placenta.
"It's good, I'm happy. The woman is a miracle," Van Persie was quoted as saying last week by the Serbian newspaper Alo as he left Kovacevic's Belgrade apartment after treatment.
Kovacevic has dodged the media since her newfound fame and is not giving interviews or allowing photos of her to be taken.
"Marijana is amazing," former Serbia player Dusan Petkovic said. "She saved the careers of several Serb and foreign players. All those muscle injuries, including ruptures, she is treating without a mistake.
"She uses a combination of electricity and the miracle gel that is her exclusive product. The electric current goes through a stick holding the gel, which is applied to the injured spot."
Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger said that while he doubted the healing methods used on Van Persie, he had given him permission to have the treatment in Belgrade.
"I'm not a fan, but I'm not a doctor, either," Wenger said Friday. "I respect the freedom of everybody to be treated in the way they want to be treated."
-- Dusan Stojanovic
Injured Messi doubtful for Barcelona's Inter match
BARCELONA, Spain — Lionel Messi was among six Barcelona players to miss training on Sunday ahead of its Champions League match against Inter Milan.
The Argentina forward has a thigh problem and was substituted in the 75th minute of Barcelona's 1-1 draw at Athletic Bilbao on Saturday. His participation in Tuesday's game against Inter "has not been ruled out," Barcelona said on its Web site.
Inter is top of Group F with six points. Rubin Kazan and Barcelona follow with five points each, while Dynamo Kiev has four.
Tests to determine whether defender Rafael Marquez had swine flu proved negative, Barcelona said late Sunday."We will monitor his development to see if he is fit to play," the club added.
Teammates Eric Abidal and Yaya Toure have been diagnosed as having the flu virus.
Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic is sidelined with a hamstring injury and defender Gerard Pique could only do light training in the gym, the club said on its Web site, without giving details of his ailment.
Messi could also be a doubt for Sunday's "clasico" match against Real Madrid, which leads the defending Spanish champions by one point in the standings after 11 games.
Thun bans player implicated in match-fixing probe
THUN, Switzerland — FC Thun has banned forward Omar Faye from a Swiss league game because of his alleged involvement in a match-fixing scandal in Europe.
FC Thun Markus Staehli told a Swiss radio station that the 22-year old Faye was questioned by police about his alleged role in the scandal. Staehli says the exact allegations are unclear.
FC Thun was scheduled to play FC Winterthur on Sunday.
The European investigation so far has resulted in 12 arrests in Germany and two in Switzerland. Investigators believe 200 games have been manipulated, including three in the qualifying stages of the Champions League and 12 in the Europa League.
A betting syndicate is suspected of bribing players, coaches, referees and other officials to fix games.
Sevilla's Kone to miss Unirea Urziceni game
MADRID — Striker Arouna Kone will not travel to Sevilla's Champions League match against Unirea Urziceni in Romania on Tuesday because his daughter is ill.
The Spanish club's Web site said on Sunday that Kone has traveled to Brussels, where the Ivory Coast international's six-year-old daughter lives.
She has been hospitalized after falling down some stairs in her home.
Beach Soccer
Brazil beats Switzerland in beach soccer final
DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Brazil retained its beach soccer World Cup crown with a 10-5 victory over Switzerland in the final on Sunday.
Brazil, which has now won its fourth consecutive world title, was a class apart despite a gutsy performance from the Swiss.
Buru, Betinho and Andre scored a brace each while Sidney, Benjamin, Bueno and Daniel Souza were also on the scoresheet. Dejan Stankovic, Mo Jaeggy, Michael Rodrigues, Stephan Meier and Angelo Schirinzi grabbed replied for the Swiss, who finished runners-up at the 2009 European Championships.
Brazil opened the scoring through Andre who beat Nico Jung in the Swiss goal with a superb overhead kick. Betinho doubled the lead with a long-range effort and Buru added a third a little later.
The Swiss pulled one back through skipper Jaeggy, but Brazil restored its three-goal lead before the first break when Souza poked the ball home three seconds from time. Luckless Switzerland had a goal ruled out as the ball appeared to have crossed the line after the sounding of the hooter.
Buru scored his second with a powerful shot from a distance and Brazil captain Benjamin made it 6-1 from a free-kick before Andre and Betinho collected their second goals before the break.
The third session witnessed end-to-end football with both sides on the attack. The Swiss were the first to find the net with Meier beating substitute goalkeeper Alessandro with a volley.
Brazil hit back when Sidney converted from the spot, but the Swiss scored their third goal with a shot by Rodrigues from 10 metres. Brazil keeper Alessandro was beaten a third time in the half when Schirinzi headed home following a neat build up with Leu.
Stankovic's header at the end following a corner rounded off the scoring for Switzerland, but Bueno's thunderbolt of a free-hit gave substitute Swiss goalie Valentin Jaeggy no chance.
Portugal skipper Madjer led from the front in the third-place play-off, scoring seven times as his side demolished Uruguay 14-7. It was a repeat performance for the Portuguese, who finished third last year in Marseille, France.
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