Soccer Capsules: Toluca beats Queretaro 2-0 in Mexico
MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mario Mendez and Chilean Hector Mancilla scored either side of halftime as reigning champion Toluca defeated Queretaro 2-0 for its second consecutive win Sunday in the sixth round of the Mexican Apertura football championship.
Also Sunday, America could only muster a 1-1 home draw with Necaxa and Puebla rallied for a 3-1 win over Pachuca.
Mendez scored with a powerful shot from outside the box in 37th and Mancilla, who was scoreless since last season's semifinals, sealed the win with a penalty in the 80th.
"I broke my bad streak in the CONCACAF Champions League (last Wednesday) but beyond that, the main thing is that the team won and we have improved over the last weeks", Mancilla said.
Toluca, which started the season without a win for the first four rounds, has nine points to lead Group 2 while Queretaro lost its second straight and for the third time in its last four matches.
At Azteca Stadium, Argentine striker Dario Gandin put Necaxa ahead before a Daniel Marquez header leveled the scores in the 76th. America has not lost at home since August 2, 2009.
Damian Manso scored from a free kick in the 64th minute for Pachuca before Gabriel Pereyra equalized a minute later. Roberto Juarez put Puebla ahead in the 85th minute and Uruguayan defender Alejandro Acosta sealed the win in the 89th.
Puebla played its first match without former manager Jose Luis Sanchez who resigned after the team exchanged owners and Eduardo Fentanes took over the team last Monday.
Puebla has 11 points and is second place in Group 3 while Pachuca lost for the fourth time in their last five games and has only five points in six rounds.
U.S. Soccer
Braun scores in 13th as Chivas tops DC United 1-0
CARSON, Calif. (AP) — Justin Braun scored in the 13th minute to give Chivas USA a 1-0 victory over D.C. United in Major League Soccer on Sunday.
Braun scored his team-leading eighth goal of the season after Ante Jazic chipped the ball from deep along the left flank. Braun cut in front of defender Barry Rice to redirect Jazic's pass for a looping 17-meter header.
United had its best chance to equalize in the 69th minute. Jaime Moreno's header off Branko Boskovic's corner had Thornton beaten — but defender Mariano Trujillo headed the ball away from the goal line.
Chivas broke a three-game winless streak, while United has lost six of seven matches.
League News
Ronaldo helps Corinthians move near lead in Brazil
SAO PAULO (AP) — Ronaldo returned to the field after nearly four months sidelined with injuries to help Corinthians beat Vitoria 2-1 and move within three points of leader Fluminense in the Brazilian league on Sunday.
Fluminense failed to get past goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni in a 2-2 home draw with Sao Paulo. Ceni scored from free kick in the first half and stopped a penalty that could've given Fluminense the win in the second. Former Chelsea playmaker Deco scored his first goal with Fluminense since returning to Brazilian football.
Fluminense has 37 points, three ahead of Corinthians after 17 rounds.
Also Sunday, defending champion Flamengo allowed two injury-time goals in a 2-1 loss to Guarani. Neymar's Santos won its fourth in a row to reach third place, while Luiz Felipe Scolari's Palmeiras beat Vanderlei Luxemburgo's Atletico Mineiro 2-1.
Admittedly overweight while trying to recover from muscle injuries, Ronaldo played in an official match for the first time since May 9. The three-time FIFA player of the year was far from his best at Pacaembu stadium on Sunday, but showed some of his skills and set up his teammates a couple of times before being substituted due to fatigue in the 63rd minute.
"It was good to be playing competitively again," Ronaldo said. "I'll keep working to see if I can play in more matches from now on."
Former Boca Juniors striker larley opened the scoring for Corinthians with a header in the 10th minute and midfielder Paulinho added to the lead from close range two minutes into first-half injury time. Vitoria, 14th on the table, got one back with a header by striker Kleber Pereira in the 83rd.
At Maracana, 33-year-old Deco scored his first goal since joining Fluminense with a one-timer from close range in the ninth, but Ceni scored his 90th career goal on a free kick in the 35th and a minute later striker Fernandao scored Sao Paulo's go-ahead goal with a header after Fluminense goalkeeper Fernando Henrique mistimed a cross into the area.
Defender Leandro Euzebio equalized for Fluminense in the 60th, and Ceni secured the result by stopping a 73rd-minute penalty taken by former Sao Paulo striker Washington.
"I'm sad, I feel responsible for the draw," Washington said. "Rogerio played it well, made the right decision on the penalty shot."
The result keeps Fluminense unbeaten in 14 matches and extends Sao Paulo's winless streak to five games, leaving the six-time champion near relegation zone.
"It was important to save the penalty and to score, but we have to keep working to get Sao Paulo out of this delicate situation," Ceni said.
It was the first match at Maracana since renovation work started at the stadium ahead of the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
In a matchup between two of Brazil's most successful coaches, Scolari's Palmeiras rallied to defeat Luxemburgo's Atletico Mineiro at Ipatingao stadium.
It was Palmeiras' first away victory in more than five months. It had drew five matches and lost three away from Sao Paulo until Sunday's victory.
Palmeiras is already playing without Colombia left back Pablo Armero, who on Saturday reached a deal to join Udinese in Italy.
The loss — Atletico Mineiro's 11th in 17 matches — kept the 1971 Brazilian champion winless in three rounds and in 18th place in the 20-team standings, in relegation zone.
In Campinas, defender Jean put Flamengo ahead late in the first half, but Guarani rallied with a header by defender Ailson in the second minute of injury time and with a shot from just outside the area by substitute striker Reinaldo less than a minute later. Reinaldo's right-footer deflected off Jean before reaching the net, keeping Flamengo winless in three matches.
Guarani striker Ricardo Xavier had missed a 79th-minute penalty.
Just before the match, Flamengo hired former Gremio coach Silas to replace Rogerio Lourenco, who was fired on Friday. The five-time national champion had tried to sign World Cup-winning coach Carlos Alberto Parreira over the weekend, but the manager said he wants to stay close to his family at least until the end of the year.
On Saturday, striker Neymar missed a penalty kick for the second time in as many matches, but Santos scored two late goals to beat last-place Goias 2-0 at Pacaembu. The fourth straight win moved Santos to third place, 10 points off the lead but with a game in hand.
The two-time national champion is already without Brazil playmaker Paulo Henrique Ganso, who underwent a left-knee surgery Saturday that will sideline him for the rest of the year.
Copa Libertadores champion Internacional, which also has a game in hand, beat Botafogo 1-0 at Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre, winning its second in a row to reach fourth place.
Also Saturday, Vasco failed to get past a 1-1 draw with Cruzeiro in Rio de Janeiro, but the result extended the team's unbeaten streak to 10 matches.
-- Tales Azzoni
Boca claims first win by beating Velez 2-1
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) — Sebastian Battaglia and Lucas Viatri scored in each half as Boca Juniors claimed a first win of the Argentine Apertura season on Sunday with a 2-1 home victory against title-chasing Velez Sarsfield.
Battaglia opened the scoring in the 37th minute and Viatri added a second in the 67th as Boca ended Velez's three-game winning start. Santiago Silva scored for Velez in the 85th.
Boca's win meant fierce rival River Plate stayed top of the standings after four games. River dropped its first points of the tournament after a 0-0 draw at defending champion Argentinos Juniors earlier Sunday.
Elsewhere, Arsenal de Sarandi claimed its third win of the tournament with a 2-1 victory at Independiente, while Olimpo had a 1-0 win over Racing Club, which had two players sent off in the second half.
Battaglia put Boca in front after a free kick from the left by Viatri. Defender Juan Insaurralde hit the woodwork with a header and Battaglia followed up to force the ball over the line.
The inability of the Velez defense to defend set pieces cost the team again in the second half. Viatri's first header from a left-wing free kick was blocked, but as the ball rebounded in front of goal, Viatri dived to head in from close range.
Santiago Silva cut the deficit with a header from Emiliano Papa's cross in the 85th, but the effort was too late to keep Velez from slipping to its first defeat.
The win gave Boca coach Claudio Borghi some relief after the team took just one point from the opening three fixtures.
Earlier, veteran playmaker Ariel Ortega wasted River's best hope of taking the lead against Argentinos from a counter attack in the 65th minute.
Roberto Pereyra carried the ball through the middle and passed to Ortega, but the shot was straight at goalkeeper Nicolas Navarro.
Argentinos, which has lost a number of key players from last season's title win, went closest with a header from Nicolas Blandi that went wide in the 71st minute.
Elsewhere, Independiente coach Daniel Garnero is under pressure after Independiente lost 2-1 at home to the tournament's surprise outfit Arsenal.
Sergio Sena scored the opener for Arsenal following a penetrating run and cross by Luciano Leguizamon on the hour mark.
Gonzalo Choy added a memorable second after receiving a pass from the right, juggling past two defenders and finishing left-footed in the 78th minute.
Leonel Galeano pulled a goal back in the final minutes for Independiente, which remains winless and has just one point from four matches.
In the day's final match, Nestor Bareiro scored in the 39th minute of Olimpo's win over Racing Club. Racing Club's Matias Cahais and Patricio Toranzo were shown red cards in the second half.
In Friday and Saturday results: Huracan 1, Newell's 1; Colon 1, Godoy Cruz 3; San Lorenzo 3, All Boys 1; Tigre 3, Quilmes 0, Lanus 0, Banfield 0.
Liverpool back to winning ways in Premier League
LONDON (AP) — Fernando Torres opened his account for the season as Liverpool beat West Bromwich Albion 1-0 on Sunday to claim its first win in the Premier League, while Darren Bent scored Sunderland's injury-time winner against Manchester City.
Liverpool started the match in the league's bottom three on just one point but Torres' 65th-minute volley allowed his team to climb into 13th place on four points. West Brom had James Morrison sent off with five minutes left.
Bent converted a penalty in the fourth minute of stoppage time as Sunderland won 1-0 against big-spending City, which was looking to join Arsenal and Manchester United on seven points.
Elsewhere, Aston Villa beat Everton 1-0 thanks to Luke Young's ninth-minute strike to go fourth and Robbie Blake scored with a late free kick as 10-man Bolton recovered from going two goals down to draw 2-2 with Birmingham.
Chelsea leads the table with nine points after winning its first three games, the latest coming against Stoke on Saturday.
Torres started on his own up front after being rested for Liverpool's win in Trabzonspor on Thursday, which qualified the five-time European champions for the group stage of the Europa League, and played an integral part of most of his side's attacking moves at Anfield.
The Spain striker squandered a number of half-chances in the first half but found the target in the 65th minute when he met a cross by Dirk Kuyt with a right-foot volley into the bottom corner.
"He is trying very hard at the moment and he is playing catch-up — we've said it many times before — but I think that goal will be great for his confidence," Liverpool manager Roy Hodgson said of Torres.
Center back Martin Skrtel also went close for Liverpool, who bounced back from a 3-0 defeat at City on Monday.
Morrison was sent off by referee Lee Probert after being penalized for a lunge at Torres as West Brom slipped to its second defeat in three matches.
A glaring miss by Carlos Tevez proved costly as City lost for the first time this season, dropping to ninth spot as a result.
Tevez missed an open goal in the 16th minute after being played in by Yaya Toure, and Bent made City pay by shooting his penalty low past Joe Hart deep into injury time after the England striker was fouled by Micah Richards.
"We had the chance with Carlos, but we had another three or four situations where we could have scored a goal in the first half," City manager Roberto Mancini said. "But that's football. You must play until the last second."
City dominated the first half but failed to take advantage of their grip on the game, while Sunderland made the most of its opportunity despite losing striker Fraizer Campbell with what looked a serious injury.
At Villa Park, right back Young ran onto a through ball by namesake Ashley Young and placed his left-foot strike past the despairing dive of Everton goalkeeper Tim Howard for the winner.
Villa required some desperate defending to maintain its lead and climb to six points, with Everton midfielder Steven Pienaar seeing a shot strike the bar in the first half and Villa goalkeeper Brad Friedel producing two great saves to deny substitute Louis Saha in the closing minutes.
"I can't believe we lost it," said Everton manager David Moyes, whose side has just one point from three matches. "I thought from first minute to last we were in control of the game. We have to give Aston Villa a lot of credit for how they defended."
Central defender Roger Johnson put Birmingham in front after four minutes against Bolton and was then involved in the incident that led to the sending-off of Bolton goalkeeper Jussi Jaaskelainen in the 37th.
Craig Gardner added a second for Birmingham in the 50th minute but Bolton bounced back, with Kevin Davies' penalty reducing the deficit and Blake's curling free kick 10 minutes from time sealing a superb comeback.
"I think anybody at that game would have struggled to recognize it was 11 against 10 as we were the team pushing on," Bolton manager Owen Coyle said. "We were certainly deserving of a point, minimum."
-- Steve Douglas
Barcelona cruises to 3-0 win against Santander
MADRID (AP) — Lionel Messi, Andres Iniesta and David Villa scored as Barcelona opened its Spanish league campaign with a comfortable 3-0 win at Racing Santander on Sunday, while Real Madrid was held to a 0-0 draw by Mallorca in Jose Mourinho's first game as a Liga coach.
After just four minutes at Santander's Sardinero Stadium, Messi gathered Iniesta's through pass and raced into the area before chipping goalkeeper Antonio Rodriguez.
Iniesta also lobbed Rodriguez with a perfectly placed first-time shot in the 33rd, before Villa scored his first league goal for Barcelona, heading in unmarked from Daniel Alves's cross in the 63rd.
"This team was already great and it has won everything, so what I wanted to do was settle in as soon as possible at the beginning," said Villa, who moved from Valencia earlier this summer for a fee of €40 million ($51 million).
Mourinho said his Madrid side had not played at the kind of level he hopes it can reach, although he was pleased his players made opportunities and did not concede.
"Among the positives I take from this game are the enormous number of chances that we created, mainly in the second half....We played well enough to win, we had five or six really big chances," he said. "The negative thing is the result."
Also Sunday, Pablo Osvaldo scored twice as Espanyol beat Getafe 3-1, Real Sociedad beat Villarreal 1-0, Deportivo La Coruna drew 0-0 with Zaragoza and Osasuna was held 0-0 by Almeria.
Gerard Pique partnered Eric Abidal in central defense for Barcelona, as injured captain Carles Puyol was rested.
The team also had a different look up front. After Zlatan Ibrahimovic's move to AC Milan was secured on Saturday, Villa joined Messi and Iniesta in attack.
New arrival Villa fitted smoothly into the Barca line-up and nearly scored in the 19th when Messi fed him a long ball into the area, although Rodriguez beat him to the ball.
Messi was involved again in the 29th as he dribbled into the area before his shot was deflected wide.
Villa celebrated what he thought was a goal just before halftime although he was ruled offside.
However, while Barcelona dominated possession, Santander created a handful of chances.
The hosts had a free kick in the 12th after an uncharacteristic late challenge by Pique and Kennedy Bakircioglu followed up with a shot that tested goalkeeper Victor Valdes.
Santander's Francisco "Francis" Perez won a penalty in the 35th, going down in the area under a light challenge by Maxwell. However, Valdes stretched to his right to parry Mohamed Tchite's spot kick.
Valdes ensured a clean sheet again when he stopped Manuel Arana's close-range shot 10 minutes from full time.
Messi was the league's top scorer last season and again looked threatening. In the 69th he just shot wide after Villa set him up with a backheel.
Playmaker Xavi Hernandez was replaced by Pedro Rodriguez at half time due to an injury and Villa came off in the 78th to be replaced by Bojan Krkic. New signing Adriano Correia came on for Iniesta.
Ahead of Madrid's game at Mallorca's Ono Estadi, Mourinho said he felt no pressure to give the club's higher profile players preference. With Kaka injured, he left star signing Mesut Oezil on the bench and deployed new teenage arrival Sergio Canales behind striker Gonzalo Higuain.
Madrid started brightly and created a chance in the ninth minute as Ronaldo burst into the area from the wing and fed Higuain, who ran out of space to shoot.
Ronaldo made another chance when he cut in from the left, before firing a long shot straight at goalkeeper Dudu Aouate.
Higuain was unlucky not to score in the 26th minute, when defender Ruben Gonzalez appeared to clip his leg, tripping the Argentina striker as he ran onto a long pass with only the 'keeper to beat.
Though Madrid enjoyed more possession, it lacked fluency and the game became increasingly physical.
Mallorca started to apply pressure, at times showing the kind of flair associated with its own new coach, Michael Laudrup. Gonzalo Castro fired a left-footed shot just wide of the right post shortly before the break and after halftime the Madrid defense was caught off-guard as Victor Casadesus sent a powerful header over the bar.
With the game drifting, Mourinho introduced Oezil and Karim Benzema on the hour, replacing Canales and Angel Di Maria.
The change nearly paid off immediately when Higuain brushed off a challenge and charged into the penalty area, before Aouate dived at his feet to steal the ball.
As the clock ticked down, Madrid brought on another new signing, Sami Khedira, for Alvaro Arbeloa.
Ronaldo broke through again and although Higuain was in a good scoring position, the Portugal striker instead attempted a shot that went wide. Aouate was outstanding as he kept Madrid at bay for the final minutes.
"We know that in defense if we don't give the other team chances then we'll make chances ourselves," said Madrid goalkeeper Iker Casillas. "There are things that need improving, but I like this team."
At Espanyol's Lluis Companys Olympic Stadium, the unmarked Osvaldo swept the ball into the net in the 33rd from Jose Maria Callejon's pass and added his second in the 55th, pouncing on a loose ball after Getafe's defense failed to clear.
An own goal by defender Ernesto Galan in the 63rd cut the deficit before Jesus Datolo scored Espanyol's third in injury time.
On Saturday, Athletic Bilbao beat Hercules 1-0, Valencia beat Malaga 3-1 and Sevilla won 4-1 at Levante.
On Monday it's Atletico Madrid vs. Sporting Gijon.
-- Guy Hedgecoe
AC Milan opens Serie A with 4-0 win
OME (AP) — AC Milan opened Serie A with a bang on Sunday, beating Lecce 4-0 and introducing freshly signed Zlatan Ibrahimovic to the San Siro crowd at halftime.
Alexandre Pato scored twice, Thiago Silva also found the net in the first half and substitute Filippo Inzaghi added the 154th Serie A goal of his career in the 90th minute.
With his transfer from Barcelona finalized Saturday, Ibrahimovic walked out on a red carpet at halftime and told the fans: "I came here to win. This year we're winning everything."
The former Inter Milan striker then returned to his seat next to Milan president and Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi.
Milan's new manager Massimiliano Allegri acknowledged that Ibrahimovic's arrival "created enthusiasm.
"It was important to start well against a newly promoted side," Allegri said. "It was a good game. Our physical condition still isn't 100 percent but that's normal at this stage."
Ibrahimovic will probably make his Milan debut in two weeks' time against newly promoted Cesena.
With Pato, Ronaldinho, Marco Borriello and Inzaghi in attack, Allegri could face a tough choice over who to remove to make room for the Sweden forward.
"We've got 14 days to think about that," Allegri said.
Earlier, a revamped Juventus lost 1-0 to Bari, with Massimo Donati scoring a 43rd-minute winner.
Napoli and Fiorentina drew 1-1 in a match that both sides ended with 10 men.
Newly signed Uruguay forward Edinson Cavani put Napoli in front in the seventh minute — though replays showed that the ball did not cross the goal line after it bounced down from the crossbar. Gaetano D'Agostino equalized for Fiorentina in the 50th after being set up by Alberto Gilardino.
Sampdoria bounced back from its Champions League playoff loss by beating Lazio 2-0 with goals from Antonio Cassano and Stefano Guberti.
Also, it was: Chievo Verona 2, Catania 1; Palermo 0, Cagliari 0; and Parma 2, Brescia 0.
Five-time defending champion Inter opens at Bologna on Monday, three days after losing to Atletico Madrid in the European Super Cup.
On Saturday, AS Roma was held to a 0-0 draw by Cesena, which was playing its first Serie A match in 20 years.
Pato put Milan in front in the 16th minute, using quick control following a pass from Massimo Ambrosini before scoring with a precise low, angled shot.
Thiago Silva made it 2-0 in the 25th from close range and Pato scored his second goal five minutes later, taking a through pass from Ronaldinho that left him with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Inzaghi hit the post in the 64th, three minutes after he came on, but then scored from the middle of the area after Gennaro Gattuso and newly signed Kevin-Prince Boateng carried the ball forward.
Juventus acquired eight new players in the offseason, hired new coach Luigi Delneri and changed presidents — from Jean-Claude Blanc to Andrea Agnelli. Despite the changes, the performance against Bari was barely an improvement on last season, when it struggled to a seventh-place finish.
Having come on midway through the first half for injured Alessandro Gazzi, Donati scored with a powerful shot from beyond the area shortly before halftime.
Juventus' best chances came in the final minutes, when it scrambled for a draw.
Fabio Quagliarella sent a bouncing shot wide in the 90th and Giorgio Chiellini headed high three minutes into added time.
"We've got a lot of work to do," Delneri said. "We don't know each other that well."
Juventus hadn't lost its opening game since going down 1-0 to Sampdoria in 1982.
-- Andrew Dampf
Modeste earns Bordeaux 1-1 draw in French league
PARIS (AP) — Bordeaux's new signing Anthony Modeste scored a late goal to salvage a 1-1 draw at home to champion Marseille in the French league on Sunday.
Marseille had been playing with only 10 men since a 33rd minute red card for Edouard Cisse. It held out until Modeste rose to meet a cross from the right with just two minutes remaining, beating goalkeeper Steve Mandanda with a firm header into the bottom right corner.
Both teams have recovered some form after losing their opening two league games, but the draw means they are locked on four points each after four rounds — eight points adrift of surprise leader Toulouse.
"We hit the woodwork, we had the chance to score a second goal but we cracked at the end," Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said. "It's always frustrating, but in terms of team spirit we were present. It would have been a different story with 10 men as we were the better team in every department."
Marseille took the lead in the 12th minute when Brazilian striker Brandao broke through down the right and crossed for Argentina midfielder Lucho Gonzalez, who beat goalkeeper Cedric Carrasso with a neat finish.
Gonzalez almost doubled Marseille's lead in the 24th but Carrasso reacted well to save his deflected free kick.
Marseille midfielder Cisse was shown a straight red card in the 33rd for a two-footed tackle from behind on Czech Republic midfielder Jaroslav Plasil.
"I don't think I deserved to get a red. I didn't go in to hurt him, I went for the ball," Cisse said. "I'm disappointed to have left my team down to 10 men for an hour."
Deschamps replaced Brandao with France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac in the 73rd and Marseille continued to look dangerous, even with a man less.
Marseille almost doubled its lead when striker Loic Remy — making his debut after joining the club along with Gignac — saw his shot tipped onto the crossbar by Carrasso in the 77th.
Earlier Sunday, Strikers Modibo Maiga and Ideye Brown both scored as Sochaux beat Paris Saint-Germain 3-1.
PSG was again let down by its defense as it slipped to a third straight defeat, trailing 3-0 at the interval with defender Damien Perquis adding the other goal. Striker Guillaume Hoarau pulled one goal back after the break.
PSG coach Antoine Kombouare's team has conceded nine goals in the last three games, following the 2-1 home defeat to Bordeaux last weekend and the 4-3 midweek loss away to Maccabi Tel Aviv in the Europa League.
"It was an absolutely lamentable match and an unworthy performance from the whole squad. The players have to understand that we can't afford to have another season like last year. We have to react," an angry PSG president Robin Leproux said. "I don't know who we took ourselves for but we were completely complacent."
Elsewhere, Nice got a 1-1 draw away at Lille and Monaco beat Auxerre 2-0 at home.
Sochaux took the lead in the 14th minute when Nicolas Maurice-Belay attacked down the left wing and whipped over a cross that goalkeeper Gregory Coupet spilled into Maiga's path, who scored for the first time since joining from Le Mans.
Brown cut in from the left of the penalty area in the 20th, easily dribbled past PSG defender Mamadou Sakho and scored with a confident finish past Coupet.
Perquis made it 3-0 just before the interval, heading home unchallenged after Coupet hesitated to come for a corner.
Hoarau scored for the fourth straight game to make it 3-1 in the 50th when he ran on to a pass from Stephane Sessegnon.
After a bright start to the season, PSG's problems in defense came to the fore again, and things got worse for the team when midfielder Jeremy Clement was sent off for treading on Maiga's ankle in the 88th.
At Lille, midfielder Emerse Fae put Nice ahead from the penalty spot in the 34th, but Belgium midfielder Eden Hazard leveled in the 67th.
Auxerre looked tired after its midweek win against Zenit St. Petersburg — a result that qualified the Burgundy side for the Champions League — and went behind shortly after half time.
Romania forward Daniel Niculae opened the scoring in the 52nd — against the club he left this summer — and moments later his strike partner, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, made it 2-0.
In Saturday's other games, it was: Arles-Avignon 0, Rennes 1; Lorient 2, Lyon 0; Nancy 0, Toulouse 2; Saint-Etienne 3, Lens 1; Valenciennes 0, Montpellier 1; and Caen 0, Brest 2.
-- Jerome Pugmire
Moenchengladbach hammers Leverkusen 6-3
FRANKFURT (AP) — Patrick Herrmann scored twice as Borussia Moenchengladbach swept to its first win over Bayer Leverkusen for 16 years in an emphatic 6-3 away victory on Sunday.
Borussia Dortmund later beat Stuttgart 3-1 in the day's other match in the Bundesliga.
Gladbach rattled up a four-goal lead in the second half to make sure of its first success in the fixture since beating Leverkusen 1-0 away on March 5, 1994 — a run of 26 games.
Herrmann struck either side of a goal by Roel Brouwers to give Gladbach a 3-1 lead at halftime, Eren Derdiyok pulling one back for the home side. Further goals followed from Juan Arango in the 56th minute and Mohamadou Idrissou in the 60th, either side of a penalty converted by Arturo Vidal for Leverkusen.
Marco Reus made it 6-2 in the 69th minute, before Leverkusen's Stefan Kiessling cut the lead a minute later.
"We would not even talk about such a game in our dreams," Gladbach coach Michael Frontzek said. "It was a perfect away match for us. And now we have two weeks to celebrate. We have been waiting a long time for this win."
Herrmann, who was just three years old when Gladbach last beat Leverkusen, said: "We had heard it was a long time since the last win. But we could hardly believe it. We just tried to win."
Leverkusen players struggled to explain their defensive nightmare.
"This just shows what happens if you don't stand well in defense," Michael Kadlec said.
Goalkeeper Rene Adler added: "The defense was a catastrophe. You cannot allow six goals at home. Maybe it's good we got beaten really badly after getting praise for winning at Dortmund. This will bring us back to reality."
Kiessling said Leverkusen tried to keep pushing forward, following the example set by Mainz as it rallied from 3-0 down to beat Wolfsburg 4-3 on Saturday.
"We saw yesterday that Mainz came back from three goals and we just wanted to keep pushing forward. But the defense just didn't work for us today," Kiessling said.
Victory gave Gladbach four points from two games, while Leverkusen has three points.
In the late match, Dortmund raced into a 3-0 lead after 37 minutes to make sure of its first win of the season.
Dortmund got off to an ideal start when Stuttgart defender Khalid Boulahrouz scored an own goal in the fifth minute. Lucas Barrios then doubled the lead in the 26th and Mario Goetze added the third.
Stuttgart pulled a goal back in the 69th minute when Cacau headed home a cross, but it was not enough to prevent the club making its worst start to a Bundesliga season with two consecutive defeats.
Argentina's Perez helps Central Coast in A-League
SYDNEY (AP) — Argentina's Patricio Perez marked his A-League debut with a penalty to give Central Coast Mariners a 1-1 draw with defending champions Sydney FC.
Perez, a former under-20s teammate of Lionel Messi, made his long-awaited debut off the bench at Sydney Football Stadium and found the equalizer with a 73rd-minute penalty after midfielder Rhyan Grant put the home side ahead.
The goal came in controversial circumstances, with the diminutive midfielder appearing to earn the penalty — and have Sydney goalkeeper Liam Reddy sent off in the process — with what looked a clear dive in the box.
Referee Matthew Breeze didn't hesitate in awarding the penalty and Perez made no mistake with the ensuing spot kick.
Adelaide United beat North Queensland Fury 3-2, leaving the side undefeated under new manager Rini Coolen. Daniel Mullen scored on a headed goal in the 56th minute to give Adelaide the win.
Coolen said his side needed to work on playing for the full 90 minutes.
"For 70 minutes of the game we were the better team but the last 20 minutes we made it difficult for ourselves," he said.
Former Wellington striker Kosta Barbarouses scored in the 73rd minute to give the Brisbane Roar a 1-0 win over his old team. The 20-year-old Barbarouses took a pass from Roar captain Matt McKay at the top of the box and curled a right-footer around Phoenix goalkeeper Mark Paston
"I thought if we finished 0-all it wouldn't have been a bad result to take away with us," Wellington captain Andrew Durante said.
Robbie Kruse's goal in the 20th minute gave the Melbourne Victory a 1-0 away victory over Gold Coast United. Former England and Liverpool star Robbie Fowler scored from a penalty in stoppage time to give the Perth Glory a 2-2 draw with first-year side Melbourne Heart.
Ajax beats De Graafschap 5-0 in Dutch league
AMSTERDAM (AP) — Ajax moved joint top of the Dutch league Sunday after trouncing De Graafschap 5-0.
Luis Suarez, the league's top scorer last season, opened the scoring in the 14th off Gregory van der Wiel's pass before adding another with a free kick in the 41st.
Urby Emanuelson netted the third from another free kick in the 68th and Demy de Zeeuw set up Suarez for the fourth in the 85th minute. Christian Eriksen's individual effort completed the win in the 89th.
PSV Eindhoven's perfect start to the season ended at ADO The Hague where it drew 2-2.
Ajax and PSV have 10 points each.
PSV took the lead after eight minutes when midfielder Ibrahim Afellay fired a thumping shot from 25 yards. Timothy Derijck equalized against the run of play in the 56th. Francisco Rodriguez thought he had snatched the winner in the 73rd with a headed goal from Balazs Dzsudzsak's free kick only for Frantisek Kubik to equalize again, nine minutes from time.
Marc Janko scored twice and created the other for Luuk de Jong as defending champion FC Twente beat FC Utrecht 4-0 to move joint third. De Jong scored another late goal for Twente, converting Bryan Ruiz's pass.
Feyenoord also won 4-0 against Vitesse Arnhem, getting goals from Kelvin Leerdam, Leroy Fer and Luc Castaignos. Georginio Wijnaldum also converted a 83rd-minute penalty for Feyenoord.
Kolbeinn Sigthorsson scored an equalizer for AZ Alkmaar to earn a 1-1 draw against Excelsior Rotterdam after Guyon Fernandez had opened the scoring.
In other matches on Friday and Saturday, it was: Willem II 0, FC Groningen 3; Roda JC 4, Heracles Almelo 2, NEC Nijmegen 2, SC Heerenveen 2 and NAC Breda 2, VVV-Venlo 0.
Newcomer Kerkyra stuns AEK 2-1
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Thanassis Tsingas and Denis Epstein both scored to help newcomer Kerkyra beat AEK 2-1 in the opening round of the Greek league on Sunday.
Rafik Djebbour got a goal back for AEK.
In other games, PAOK beat newcomer Panserraikos 3-2, Aris won 1-0 at Kavala and Asteras beat host Ergotelis 1-0.
Kerkyra shares first place with PAOK, Aris, Asteras, Iraklis, Larissa and Volos.
Iraklis upset Olympiakos 2-1 on Saturday. Defending champion Panathinaikos drew 1-1 with Xanthi on Friday.
AEK came close to scoring in the 16th minute when Kerkyra's defender Anastasis Venetis stopped a powerful low drive by Brazilin midfielder Leonardo on the line.
Four minutes later, Kerkyra took the lead with a shot from the edge of the box by Tsingas.
In the 30th, a blistering shot by Djebbour forced goalkeeper Dimitris Constantopoulos to jump high and punch the ball away.
As AEK was trying desperately to level, a counterattack by Denis Epstein stretched Kerkyra's lead to 2-0 in the 54th.
Djebbour made it 2-1 with a free-kick from outside the area in the 63rd.
Celtic goes top after beating Motherwell
GLASGOW, Scotland (AP) — Celtic went top of the Scottish Premier League on Sunday thanks to Daryl Murphy's second-half penalty in the 1-0 win at Motherwell.
Murphy scored from the spot in the 73rd minute after Shaun Maloney was brought down by defender Steve Saunders, who was shown a red card for the foul.
Celtic climbed above Glasgow rival Rangers in the table on goal difference, with both teams having won all three of their matches so far this season. Aberdeen came into the weekend ahead on goal difference but lost 1-0 at home to Kilmarnock on Saturday.
Also on Sunday, Craig Dargo's goal earned St. Mirren a 1-0 win against Hibernian and Morgaro Gomis scored a late equalizer for Dundee United in its 1-1 draw at Hearts.
Andersson scores winner as Malmo beats Elfsborg
STOCKHOLM (AP) — Daniel Andersson scored the winner as Malmo beat Elfsborg 1-0 to retake the lead at the top of the Swedish league on Sunday.
Andersson's 79th-minute strike puts Malmo on 48 points, two clear of Helsingborg, which was thumped 3-0 by third-place Orebro on Saturday.
Defending champion AIK lost at home to IFK Goteborg 2-1. The referee took the players off the field for 10 minutes during the first half, after AIK fans — whose behavior has already led to fines in Europe this season — threw objects at one of the officials.
Also, Djurgarden won at Gais 1-0, Atvidaberg beat Brommapojkarna 2-0, Mjallby and Trelleborg drew 1-1, Halmstad beat Kalmar 2-1 and Hacken won at Gefle 2-0.
FC Porto beats Rio Ave for 3rd win in a row
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — FC Porto made it three wins out of three this season as it beat Rio Ave 2-0 in the Portuguese league on Sunday.
Hulk scored both goals, to put his team top of the standings with nine points.
Braga beat Maritimo 1-0 and is second in the standings, two points behind Porto.
In other games, Beira Mar beat Academica 2-1, Pacos Ferreira drew 2-2 with Portimonense and Olhanense beat Leiria 1-0.
On Saturday, defending champion Benfica clinched its first win of the season with a 3-0 victory over Setubal and Guimaraes beat Nacional 3-1.
On Monday it's Naval vs. Sporting.
Elsewhere
Blatter backs professional refs for 2014 World Cup
ULRICHEN, Switzerland (AP) — FIFA president Sepp Blatter believes referees should be full-time professionals if they want to work at the next World Cup.
Blatter told The Associated Press on Sunday that improving the quality of elite referees is his top priority for the game in the coming months — and beyond, if he is chosen next June to lead FIFA for a fourth four-year term.
Blatter said that if he's president, "only professionals" will be taken to Brazil in 2014.
"We must do something for the top referees," he added, speaking at a tournament held in his honor by his family's home village in the Swiss Alps. "You can't have non-professional referees in professional football."
Blatter's call for change followed a series of high-profile errors by World Cup referees in South Africa, where just two of the 30 selected for FIFA duty listed refereeing as their full-time job.
In June, Blatter promised FIFA would review how referees were prepared for future World Cups two days after witnessing England and Mexico eliminated on the same day following game-changing mistakes in their second-round matches. He apologized to team officials after each match.
Blatter said Sunday he will present a detailed report to the FIFA executive committee, which he chairs, at a meeting scheduled Oct. 28-29 in Zurich.
"It's a new approach to refereeing at the highest level," Blatter said, adding that younger referees would be preferred. FIFA currently requires match officials to retire at 45.
FIFA was already "doing well" in grassroots training, with $43 million budgeted for its global Refereeing Assistance Program before the next World Cup tournament kicks off.
"This will go on, but we must do something for the top referees," Blatter said.
He is a longtime supporter of referees being more dedicated and better paid, in order to raise standards and lower the risk of them being vulnerable to corruption. FIFA paid referees $50,000 to work in South Africa.
Blatter's latest comments suggest he could finally get his way, after conceding this month in an interview published on the German soccer federation's website that "there are other opinions" against full-time referees.
FIFA rewarded the two professionals at the World Cup by assigning Englishman Howard Webb to referee the final, and giving Japan's Yuichi Nishimura duty as fourth official for Spain's 1-0 extra-time victory over the Netherlands. Webb took extended leave from his job as a policeman because England's wealthy Premier League helps fund a roster of professional match officials.
Blatter said refereeing and helping choose hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, which is scheduled to happen Dec. 2, are his two most important tasks.
Speaking in the sunshine at Ulrichen, which spreads across a narrow strip of flat land near the source of the Rhone river, Blatter was relaxed about a possible challenge to the presidency he has held since 1998.
One potential opponent, Asian confederation president Mohamed bin Hammam, has ruled himself out, while FIFA vice president Chung Mong-Joon of South Korea has not declared his intentions.
"The race is open," Blatter said. "I don't know where candidates could come from."
Now 74, Blatter said he had another four-year mission after successfully taking the World Cup to Africa: "Football in general is an economic power in the world. What we need now is a social and cultural acceptance of the game," he said.
He acknowledged working under "really tough" pressure over the past year because many people did not share his faith in South Africa to deliver a safe, well-organized tournament.
Since then, he has attended the women's under-20 World Cup in Germany and the first Youth Olympic Games soccer tournaments in Singapore.
Blatter said he was energized "more than ever" by a few days' recuperation in his home Valais region, where he said the work ethic was taught by his father Joseph, who worked as a mechanic after the family moved further down the valley to Visp.
-- Graham Dunbar
Crouch, Defoe earn England recalls
LONDON (AP) — Tottenham strikers Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe were recalled by England on Sunday for the European Championship qualifiers against Bulgaria and Switzerland.
Both players missed England's 2-1 friendly win over Hungary earlier this month but were two of five strikers named by manager Fabio Capello in a 24-man squad, along with Darren Bent, Carlton Cole and Wayne Rooney.
Goalkeeper Scott Carson and center backs Joleon Lescott and Matthew Upson were also handed recalls by Capello. Arsenal left back Kieran Gibbs retained his place as back-up to Ashley Cole.
Chelsea players John Terry and Frank Lampard were ruled out of the Group G qualifiers after sustaining injuries in club action on Saturday.
England will play Bulgaria at home on Friday and Switzerland away four days later.
The fitness of both Crouch and Defoe, who were part of England's World Cup squad, was in doubt following Spurs' 1-0 defeat to Wigan on Saturday.
Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said he feared Crouch had broken a rib during the match while Defoe had been due to undergo groin surgery before those plans were put on hold last week.
West Ham center back Upson was given another chance by Capello after Terry was ruled out with a leg injury, while England captain Rio Ferdinand has yet to recover fully from the knee ligament injury he sustained immediately before the World Cup.
Gary Cahill, Michael Dawson and Phil Jagielka were the other central defenders in Capello's squad.
West Bromwich Albion goalkeeper Carson has fought hard to recover from his disastrous debut performance for England — the 3-2 defeat to Croatia at Wembley in November 2007 that meant England failed to qualify for the following year's European Championship.
His last appearance for his country came as a substitute in the friendly win over Germany in Berlin two years ago.
Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has been demoted back into the Under-21 squad after making his debut for England in the Hungary friendly.
Bobby Zamora also played against Hungary but injury has ruled out the Fulham striker, too. Lampard missed out as Chelsea said on Saturday he would be undergoing hernia surgery on Tuesday or Wednesday.
There was no room for Tottenham's Aaron Lennon, with Capello preferring Shaun Wright-Phillips as a second right-winger alongside the in-form Theo Walcott.
-- Steve Douglas
Meireles joins Liverpool from Porto
LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool moved quickly to replace the departing Javier Mascherano by completing the signing of Portugal midfielder Raul Meireles from FC Porto for 14 million euros ($18 million) on Sunday.
The 27-year-old Meireles, who has won 38 caps for his country, signed a four-year deal with the five-time European champions.
"It has been a long time coming but finally I have achieved my dream of playing in England," Meireles told Liverpool's website. "Liverpool are an historic club and I am happy for the move."
The holding midfielder will replace Argentina captain Mascherano, who agreed on Friday to join Barcelona from Liverpool for a reported fee of 17.25 million pounds ($27 million). The English club also loaned out Italy midfielder Alberto Aquilani to Juventus for the season last week.
Meireles, who played in all four of Portugal's matches in the World Cup this summer, is the second center midfielder to join Liverpool this month, after Denmark international Christian Poulsen.
Paul Konchesky is also reportedly close to joining Liverpool, with Sky Sports saying the Fulham left back is currently undergoing a medical.
Villa set to interview managerial candidates
BIRMINGHAM, England (AP) — Aston Villa said Sunday it would begin interviewing candidates for the vacant managerial position at the Premier League club, with a view to making an appointment in the near future.
"Two of the traits we believe are of crucial importance are that candidates have experience of managing in the Premier League and a strategy for building on the existing strengths in our current squad," chief executive Paul Faulkner said in a statement released by the club.
Kevin MacDonald has been in charge of Villa on a temporary basis since Aug. 9, when Martin O'Neill resigned as manager.
Villa's statement appeared to rule out the prospect of Bob Bradley, the current coach of the United States national team, taking over at Villa Park as he has never managed in England.
Bradley, who has a contract with the U.S. until the end of the year, said last week he would be interested in managing Villa but had not spoken to club owner Randy Lerner at that stage.
MacDonald said Sunday he would inform Lerner on Tuesday whether he wished to be considered for the job on a permanent basis.
Brazilian stadium torn down for new WCup venue
SAO PAULO (AP) — The Brazilian stadium where seven people died after part of the seating section collapsed three years ago has been torn down.
A new stadium for the 2014 World Cup will be built in the same location and have a 50,000 capacity.
Officials used 700 kilograms of explosives to bring down the Fonte Nova stadium in the northeastern city of Salvador on Sunday.
Seven fans died there and 40 were injured after falling nearly 50 feet through a 3-meter (10-foot) wide hole that opened in the concrete stands in 2007.
On Saturday, authorities said a new venue will be built in Sao Paulo by Brazilian team Corinthians to accommodate the World Cup's opening match.
Report: Robben unlikely to play this year
MUNICH (AP) — Bayern Munich's star Arjen Robben is unlikely to play again this year.
Bayern's sports director Christian Nerlinger tells a Sunday newspaper that Robben's left hamstring injury is not healing properly and that "it will be a long time before Arjen is fit again."
Nerlinger tells Bild's Sunday edition there was fluid in Robben's muscle. Robben was injured before the World Cup but played for the Netherlands in South Africa.
Bayern says he aggravated the injury at the World Cup. First reports said Robben would be out for two months.
Robben led Bayern with 16 goals last season and was voted the Bundesliga's best player.
Bologna fires coach before starting season
BOLOGNA, Italy (AP) — Bologna has fired coach Franco Colomba a day before its Serie A opener against five-time defending champion Inter Milan.
Club president Sergio Porcedda announced Sunday that Colomba said he was prepared to embrace our club's ideas, "and then he didn't do so."
Mario Beretta and Alberto Malesani are being considered as possible replacements, with a decision expected by Wednesday.
Youth squad coach Paolo Magnani will manage the team against Inter on Monday.
Under Colomba, Bologna finished 17th in Serie A last season.
Jack Wilshere released on bail after arrest
LONDON (AP) — Arsenal midfielder Jack Wilshere has been released on bail after being arrested following a fracas.
A statement from the player's spokesman says Wilshere "played the role of peacemaker and is unlikely to face any charges as a result."
The incident in question occured in the early hours of Sunday morning, according to Wilshere's spokesman.
The 18-year-old Wilshere made his England debut earlier this month in a friendly against Hungary at Wembley.
Ortlechner to miss Euro 2012 qualifier
VIENNA (AP) — Austria defender Manuel Ortlechner has a left-ankle injury and will not play in the opening 2012 European Championship qualifier against Kazakhstan.
Austria coach Dietmar Constantini said Sunday he has added Ried defender Thomas Schrammel to his squad for the Sept. 7 match in Salzburg, Austria.
Austria and Kazakhstan are in Group A with Germany, Turkey, Belgium and Azerbaijan.
