Soccer Capsules: Pumas beats Puebla for third straight win
MEXICO CITY — Argentine striker Martin Bravo and Jehu Chiapas scored in a five minute span in the second half as UNAM Pumas earned a comfortable 4-1 win over Puebla for their third straight win in the Mexican Clausura tournament Sunday.
In other matches, Chivas lost 4-0 to Jaguars, Cruz Azul defeated San Luis 2-1 and America thrashed Queretaro 6-0.
Herculez Gomez put Puebla ahead barely three minutes into the match before Leandro Augusto equalized in the 27th minute to leave the scores level at halftime.
Pablo Barrera put Pumas ahead in the 50th minute before Bravo scored in the 61st and Chiapas found the net in the 66th to seal the win.
Pumas now has 16 points after nine rounds and will take on league leader Chivas next Sunday.
Puebla lost for the third time in the past four weeks.
Colombian striker Jackson Martinez scored one goal and set up another in the Jaguars first home win since March 2009 against a lackluster Guadalajara on Saturday.
Jorge Hernandez scored in the 34th, Edgar Andrade in the 54th, Cristian Valdes in the 68th and Martinez in the 84th for Jaguars.
Chivas’ eight victories to start the season was the best by any Mexican club — professional or amateur. The best previous start for a Mexican club was by Marte with seven victories in 1928 in the amateur era.
Antonio Lopez, 19, scored his first three league goals in America’s win over Queretaro. Lopez was forced into the match due to the absence of starting strikers Salvador Cabanas and Enrique Esqueda.
Lopez scored in the 23rd, 26th and 46th minutes, while Angel Reyna found the net in the 58th, Luis Sandoval in the 64th and Daniel Marquez in the 77th for the Eagles, who won back to back matches for the first time this season.
Cabanas is out after been shot in the head on January 25th while Esqueda is injured.
In other scores, defending champion Monterrey won its fifth straight game, beating Pachuca 3-0 and improved to 22 points, just two behind Chivas.
Hector Morales, Walter Ayovi and Val Baiano scored the goals.
Cruz Azul defeated San Luis 2-1, Morelia beat Estudiatnes 2-0 and Atlas drew 1-1 with Toluca.
Emanuel Villa and Jaime Lozano scored for Cruz Azul, while Blas Perez scored San Luis’ lone goal.
U.S. Soccer
Donovan hopes to stay longer at Everton
LIVERPOOL, England — Landon Donovan would be happy to extend his loan deal at Everton a little longer before he returns to the Los Angeles Galaxy.
The attacking midfielder scored and set up a goal as a second-half substitute in Everton’s 5-1 victory over Hull on Sunday. Afterward he said there was a chance he might continue playing in the Premier League before returning to America in time for the Major League Soccer season later this month.
"First of all, winning was important and it’s nice to get a goal," Donovan said. "There is a chance. We will know more this week.
"The fans, the people here are fantastic, the players are fantastic. I’ve enjoyed it here tremendously."
Donovan still has a game with Everton at Birmingham on Saturday.
"I said to him ‘go on and finish (at home) with a goal,"’ Everton manager David Moyes said. "I thought he finished it great. The efforts he has put in for us over the past two months is terrific."
Moyes said he would talk with the Galaxy about keeping Donovan a little longer.
"I might try and see if I can extend it a little bit longer but, at the moment, the word from America is that it won’t be possible and we respect that decision," Moyes said.
Champions League
Beckham may be on bench on return to Man United
LONDON — David Beckham returns to Old Trafford as an AC Milan player in the Champions League, although he may have to make do with a place on the bench Wednesday as the Italian club tries to overturn Manchester United's 3-2 first leg advantage.
The former England captain, who is on loan to Milan from his Major League Soccer club Los Angeles Galaxy, is expected to get a warm reception from United fans having spent the first 10 years of his career there before departing in 2003.
But Milan coach Leonardo hinted that he might have to wait to make an appearance and that Klaas-Jan Huntelaar might start wide on the right.
"It isn't easy adapting to a new position," Leonardo said after Milan drew 0-0 with AS Roma on Saturday. "Huntelaar was very good on his side and had an excellent game.
"We really believe (we can win) and I always have full confidence in my team. Clearly in Manchester we have to play as we know how to and not rush to try and create chances."
Milan is also likely to be without Brazilian striker Pato, who has a hamstring injury, while United will probably miss top scorer Wayne Rooney.
Rooney missed Saturday's 1-0 victory at Wolves which took United to the top of the Premier League. Scorer of 28 league and cup goals this season, Rooney has been in top form and scored twice in the victory at Milan. But he has picked up a knee injury and United looked far less impressive without him on the weekend.
"Rooney is very doubtful for the Milan game unfortunately," said manager Alex Ferguson. "It's one of these bad bits of luck you get. The Wembley pitch (in England's 3-1 victory over Egypt on Wednesday) has just killed him.
"I was pleased with how (Dimitar) Berbatov did against Wolves though and I'll probably start with him on Wednesday."
While United may be without Rooney, Arsenal is likely to miss captain and midfielder Cesc Fabregas against FC Porto on Tuesday as it attempts to turn around a 2-1 first leg deficit.
"Cesc felt a tight hamstring, but it had not gone away," Wenger said after Saturday's 3-1 victory over Burnley which put Arsenal closer to the league title it hasn't won since 2004. "He has a little chance for Tuesday. It depends how big the gamble is — I am ready to take the gamble. But, if there is more than a 50 percent chance his hamstring goes, I will not take it."
In Tuesday's other game, Fiorentina needs only a 1-0 victory at home to Bayern Munich after lost the first leg 2-1. But it goes into the game having lost 2-1 to Juventus in Serie A.
"The match didn't go well and some of the players were already thinking about the match with Bayern Munich," said coach Cesare Prandelli. "Now we have to think about Tuesday. It is the most important game of the season."
Neck-and-neck with Barcelona in the Spanish title race, Real Madrid comes off a 3-2 victory over Sevilla on Saturday which took it above its big domestic rival on goal difference.
Madrid, a nine-time European champion, but not since 2002, has spent over €250 million to try and regain the Continent's biggest club prize and needs to overturn Lyon's 1-0 first leg lead at home on Wednesday.
"Things will become complicated if (Lyon) score a goal," midfielder Jose Maria "Guti" Gutierrez said on Sunday.
"Real Madrid, with all of the signings it has made this year and knowing that the final is being played in the Bernabeu has to give 100 percent for the game. It would be a disaster if we were knocked out by a rival like Lyon, who are good but not among Europe's great clubs."
-- Robert Millward
League News
Chelsea, Aston Villa reach FA Cup semis
LONDON — Defending champion Chelsea beat Stoke 2-0 on Sunday to line up an FA Cup semifinal against Aston Villa, which needed a second-half hat-trick from John Carew to win 4-2 at Reading.
Frank Lampard and captain John Terry scored Chelsea's goals at Stamford Bridge against a Stoke side which had knocked Arsenal and Manchester City out of the competition.
Lampard fired home the first in the 35th minute with a deflected 20-meter drive after he was set up for the shot by Terry. In the 67th minute, Lampard's corner found Terry who scored the second with a deflected header.
"It's never easy after a defeat like last week, we didn't play to our standards but came back determined to put it right," Lampard said in reference to a 4-2 Premier League loss at home to Manchester City. "It was a difficult game and we handled it very well.
"Wembley is a great day out for the fans, we hold the trophy at the minute and we want to get back there."
Trailing to two first-half strikes by Reading's Shane Long, Villa scored three times in 11 minutes early in the second half and Carew added a fourth from the penalty spot in stoppage time.
The result means Villa gets to return to Wembley in April, after losing to Manchester United in the League Cup final at the home of English football a week ago.
"It was a great spell by us just after halftime and we needed to do something because we had played so meekly in the first half," said Villa manager Martin O'Neill, who said he started Carew only because Gabriel Agbonlahor was taken ill during the morning.
"I think after all the effort that we have put in in both cups this season, to go out as meekly as we might have done would have been very disappointing. But I am delighted with the team, we have showed great character."
Struggling near the relegation zone in the League Championship, Reading had already knocked out Liverpool in the third round of the cup and another shock appeared likely after Long's first half goals at the Madejski Stadium.
Matt Mills jumped well to head a corner into the goalmouth and Long was unmarked to deflect the ball past goalkeeper Brad Friedel in the 27th minute.
Reading went further ahead just before halftime when Jimmy Kebe broke down the right and pulled the ball back for Long to beat Friedel from 15 meters.
But Villa hit back within two minutes of the restart when Carew's pass was flicked on by Carlos Cuellar to Ashley Young, who turned the ball home at the far post.
It was 2-2 in the 51st when Carew beat two defenders in the air to meet a cross from Stewart Downing and head home, and the Norwegian striker added the third in the 57th when he guided home a cross from Stephen Warnock.
Reading was close to equalizing when Ivar Ingimarsson saw a header cleared off the line by Young. But it was all over when Carew was tripped by Ingimarsson in the area and he fired the spot kick into the roof of the net.
In Saturday's FA Cup games, Portsmouth shrugged off some of its financial woes and its last place in the Premier League by reaching the other semifinal with a 2-0 victory over Burnley. It will now play either Fulham or Tottenham, who drew 0-0 at Craven Cottage, following Sunday's draw.
The games will be played over the weekend of April 10-11.
In Sunday's only Premier League game, Everton outplayed Hull in a 5-1 victory to move up two places to eighth and leave the visitor in deeper relegation trouble.
Having missed the first half of the season through injury, Mikel Arteta scored his first of the campaign in the 17th minute when he turned home a cross from Ayegbeni Yakubu.
Although Tom Cairney made it 1-1 with a left foot volley in the 32nd minute for his first Premier League goal, Arteta restored Everton's lead in the 39th and a cross from the Spanish midfielder was headed into his own net by Hull's Richard Garcia from virtually under the crossbar.
Landon Donovan, who is on loan from the Los Angeles Galaxy, showed why the Everton fans want him to stay longer when he drove home the fourth with a right footed shot in the 82nd minute and then set up the fifth for Jack Rodwell.
"First of all, winning was important and it's nice to get a goal," said Donovan, who went on as a second half substitute.
"There is a chance (of staying longer). We will know more this week. If that was it then I'm happy. Maybe we can stay a little longer, we'll see."
While Everton moved closer to a possible place in next season's European competitions, Hull remained 18th in the standings.
With Chelsea in FA Cup action, Manchester United went top of the Premier League with a 1-0 victory at Wolves on Saturday and leads the standings by two points. Arsenal moved level on points with Chelsea by beating Burnley 3-1 but Chelsea has a game in hand on both its rivals.
-- Robert Millward
10-man Atletico draws 1-1 with Zaragoza in Spain
MADRID — Substitute Ibrahima Balde scored an injury-time equalizer as 10-man Atletico Madrid drew 1-1 with Zaragoza and Jeronimo "Momo" Figueroa scored twice as Xerez beat Malaga 4-2 in a match in which both sides had players sent off on Sunday in the Spanish league.
Jiri Jarosik rose to head in Gabriel Fernandez's corner kick in the sixth minute for Zaragoza and Balde headed in a Jose Manuel Jurado cross in the dying seconds to level the score.
Jose Antonio Reyes was sent off 20 minutes from the end for retaliating after Eliseu had grabbed his shirt, one of many refereeing decisions that angered the visitors.
The result leaves Atletico 10th on 31 points and Zaragoza 17th on 25 points.
Also, Gaizka Toquero scored both goals in Athletic Bilbao's 2-0 win against Valladolid. Espanyol drew 0-0 with Villarreal, Mallorca beat Sporting Gijon 3-0 and Osasuna drew 0-0 with Getafe.
On Saturday, Real Madrid went top of the standings by beating Sevilla 3-2 with an injury-time goal as Barcelona was held to a 2-2 draw by Almeria.
Third-place Valencia plays Racing Santander on Monday.
Atletico has struggled for consistency this season and looked a different side to the one that beat Valencia 4-1 last weekend. Zaragoza was more dangerous throughout the game and Atletico goalkeeper David de Gea pushed an Eliseu shot over the bar after five minutes before stopping a well-struck effort by Fernandez.
Referee Teixeira Vitienes struggled to control the game at times as both sides made some questionable tackles and he awarded eight yellow cards as well as sending Reyes off.
Atletico's usually effective attack lacked spark and Jose Manuel Jurado came on for Diego Forlan on the hour. Balde came on in the 86th minute before equalizing seconds from the final whistle.
At Malaga's Rosaleda Stadium, Momo put the visitors ahead with a penalty after a foul by Ivan Gonzalez.
Malaga equalized just before halftime through Sergio "Duda" Barbosa and then took the lead in the 55th with a strike by Valmiro "Valdo" Lopez.
Two red cards followed, with Xerez's Emiliano Armenteros being dismissed on the hour for elbowing Ivan Gonzalez just 30 seconds after coming on as a substitute, while Malaga's Duda was sent off for a handball 11 minutes later.
Xerez proved to be the better side with 10 men, scoring three times to turn the match on its head.
Momo equalized in the 72nd minute before Leandro Gioda scored Xerez's third from a corner in the 76th. Fabian Orellana put further gloss on Xerez's first away victory of the season by scoring in injury time.
Despite the win, Xerez stays bottom of the league on 15 points and Malaga is 15th on 27 points.
In Bilbao's San Mames, Toquero headed in from a corner in the 26th minute and then controlled a through pass from Fernando Llorente before firing home in the 36th.
Minutes later, Markel Susaeta did well to control the ball with his chest and go round the goalkeeper but could only blast his shot over an open goal.
Llorente was a constant worry for the Valladolid defense in the air and forced a save from Justo Villar midway through the first half before having a goal disallowed for offside early in the second.
Bilbao is seventh on 40 points, Valladolid is 18th on 20 points.
At Espanyol's Cornella-El Prat Stadium, goalkeeper Carlos Kameni made a superb save to stop a free kick by Villarreal's Marcos Senna in the 28th. Just before halftime Joseba Llorente's shot beat Kameni and bounced just wide of the right-hand post as Villarreal continued to pressure.
Villarreal's Diego Lopez did well to save efforts by Pablo Osvaldo and Joan Verdu as neither team could break the deadlock.
-- Guy Hedgecoe
Inter Milan draws 0-0 with Genoa at San Siro
MILAN — Inter Milan was held to a goalless draw at home to Genoa on Sunday, but stayed four points clear at the top of the Serie A.
Jose Mourinho's side dominated the match, but was often let down by wayward shooting or a poor final ball that allowed Genoa's defense time to clear and reorganize.
"It was a poor performance, but you need to consider the circumstances," Inter technical director Marco Branca said. "We've played a lot of games recently and then in midweek a lot of our players were away with their national teams, so considering all this it was a good point."
Inter remains top with 59 points, four ahead of AC Milan and seven of AS Roma in third. Milan drew 0-0 with Roma on Saturday.
"We played our game and gave our all," Branca said. "Tonight wasn't the best match, but we had three or four good shots and created a number of good passages of play."
Elsewhere Fabio Miccoli scored nine minutes from time to give Palermo a 1-0 win at Livorno that takes the Sicilian club into the Champions League qualification places.
Palermo had struggled to find a breakthrough and Livorno goalkeeper Rubinho made a number of saves to thwart the team he left in the January transfer window.
"We knew it would be a tough game," Miccoli said. "We knew we would have to fight to get into the Champions League places, but here we are."
Palermo is now fourth on 46 and is two points clear of Juventus in fifth.
"The team went about its business in a serious way," Palermo coach Delio Rossi said. "We stuck to our plan and we are having a good period, not conceding any goals."
At the San Siro, it took until the 40th minute for there to be a meaningful shot, with Genoa keeper Marco Amelia holding on to Dejan Stankovic's long range effort.
Sokratis Papastathopoulos tried lobbing Inter keeper Julio Cesar in the 55th minute, but his shot went high.
After that, Genoa was content to defend and limited Inter to hopeful shots. Mario Balotelli, Maicon, Samuel Eto'o and Wesley Sneijder all tried their luck from the edge of the area, but failed to trouble Amelia.
"We have to improve if we want to get to where Inter, Milan, Roma and Juventus are," Genoa coach Gianpiero Gasperini said. "We aren't scoring enough and that has been the story of our season, but we keep improving and hope we can make the Europa League."
Palermo needed a shot from the edge of the area to finally find a way past Rubinho. Miccoli picked up a loose ball and fired low into the corner.
Earlier Rubinho had twice denied Miccoli and after halftime blocked efforts from Javier Pastore and Edinson Cavani.
Livorno then went close to scoring in the 73rd minute when Fabio Liverani cleared Dario Knezevic's header off the line.
Napoli slipped to seventh after losing 2-1 away to Bologna.
The home side opened the scoring in the sixth minute when Marcelo Zalayeta took advantage of hesitation in Napoli's defense and flicked in Antonio Busce's cross.
Adailton doubled the lead in the 12th when he floated a freekick over the defense and inside the far post.
Leonardo Rinaudo pulled a goal back for Napoli two minutes later with a far post header from Ezequiel Lavezzi's cross.
Also Sunday, it was; Atalanta 0, Udinese 0; Bari 1, Chievo Verona 0; Cagliari 2, Catania 2; Sampdoria 2, Lazio 1; Siena 1, Parma 1.
-- Jeremy Inson
Fred scores in Fluminense's 2-1 win over Botafogo
SAO PAULO — Striker Fred scored in the second-half to help Fluminense rally to a 2-1 win over Botafogo on Sunday in the Rio Cup, the second stage of the Rio de Janeiro state tournament.
In the Sao Paulo state tournament, Santos' 10-match winning streak ended with a 1-1 draw with Portuguesa, while Sao Paulo beat Ponte Preta 2-0 and Corinthians edged Sao Caetano 1-0.
Argentine striker German Herrera gave Botafogo the lead at Maracana stadium with a penalty in the 36th minute before Fred equalized with a wonderful volley shot from inside the area in the 60th.
Right back Mariano gave Fluminense the victory with a close-range shot after a cross by midfielder Wellington Silva in the 84th.
Fluminense had Argentine midfielder Dario Conca sent off for a hard tackle in the 68th minute, and Herrera was sent off in the 78th after receiving his second yellow card.
Fluminense now shares the Group A lead with Flamengo on nine points after three matches. Botafogo dropped to second place in Group B, behind Vasco. The top two teams in each group will reach the semifinals.
Vasco beat Boavista 1-0 with a penalty goal by former Werder Bremen midfielder Carlos Alberto in the 71st at Sao Januario stadium.
Botafogo won the Guanabara Cup, the first stage of the Rio tournament, and can automatically win the state title if it also wins the Rio Cup. If it doesn't, the club will face the Rio Cup winner for the state title.
On Saturday, defending Rio champion Flamengo picked up its third win in a row with a 4-0 thrashing of Resende in Volta Redonda. Vagner Love scored his tournament-leading 10th goal in the second half.
Flamengo played without Adriano, who is temporarily out of the team because of personal problems. The Brazil striker did not show up for practice on Friday, and local media widely reported that he got into an altercation with his girlfriend at a party in a shantytown.
Flamengo director Marcos Braz told a local radio station Sunday that the striker has a drinking problem.
In the Sao Paulo state tournament, Santos drew 1-1 with Portuguesa to end its 10-match winning streak. Brazil striker Robinho played from the start at Caninde stadium in Sao Paulo, but was held scoreless.
Santos remains ahead in the 20-team tournament despite the draw. The two-time national champion has 32 points from 13 matches, two points ahead of Santo Andre, which defeated fifth-place Botafogo 4-1 in Santo Andre.
The top four teams will advance to the semifinal stage, which begins in April.
Sao Paulo moved to third place with a 2-0 win over Ponte Preta in Campinas with goals by striker Washington. Sao Paulo goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni saved a penalty in the first half when the score was 1-0.
The match marked the return of Sao Paulo coach Ricardo Gomes, who missed three matches because of a minor stroke.
Defending champion Corinthians jumped to fourth in the standings by beating Sao Caetano 1-0 with an 86th-minute header by substitute striker Dentinho. It was the team's first win in three matches in the state tournament.
Corinthians was without striker Ronaldo, who was rested for the team's Copa Libertadores match against Independiente Medellin in Colombia on Wednesday.
The match between 11th-place Palmeiras and last place Sertaozinho was moved from Saturday to Monday because heavy rains in Sao Paulo damaged the pitch at Palestra Italia stadium.
In Americana, Bolivia striker Pablo Escobar scored a goal to help visiting Mirassol draw Rio Branco 2-2.
-- Tales Azzoni
Montpellier gets 1-1 draw at 10-man Bordeaux
PARIS — Montpellier playmaker Alberto Costa scored in injury time to earn a 1-1 draw against 10-man Bordeaux and keep his team level on points with the French league leader on Sunday.
Bordeaux looked set to move three points clear at the top after Cedric Carrasso saved two penalties in a 10-minute spell during the first half and Marouane Chamakh put the home side ahead in the 59th minute. However, Costa leveled with a free kick in the final seconds that took Carrasso by surprise.
Bordeaux lost Michael Ciani to a red card in the 32nd minute.
Bordeaux and Montpellier have 52 points each. Defending champion Bordeaux, which has two games in hand, tops the league on goal difference.
"We had two penalties and we should have killed them off, but we showed we have character and what we are capable of," Montpellier coach Rene Girard said.
Montpellier goalkeeper Geoffrey Jourdren prevented Bordeaux from opening the scoring in the fourth minute with a good save at Fernando Cavenaghi's feet following a free kick taken by Yoann Gourcuff.
Gourcuff then tried his luck from a direct free kick two minutes later but the France playmaker's shot flew straight at Jourdren.
Montpellier, which only returned to the top flight last season, defended well but too often lost possession and struggled to create chances in the first 30 minutes.
Girard's team had a golden oportunity to take the lead from the penalty spot after Ciani had fouled striker Victor Hugo Montano, earning himself a red card. But Carrasso pulled off a good save to deny Argentine midfielder Alberto Costa's powerful shot.
Montpellier missed another opportunity from the spot nine minutes later when Matthieu Chalme handled the ball in the box.
Montano converted the resulting penalty but saw his goal disallowed because the Colombian striker had stopped his run before kicking the ball. Carrasso then saved his second attempt.
Montpellier had most of the possession after the interval but failed to take advantage of its numerical superiority and allowed Chamakh to give Bordeaux the lead with a half-volley from the edge of the box into the bottom corner.
Montpellier forward Souleymane Camara missed the target in the 89th minute but Costa made no mistake with his free kick at the very end.
Also Sunday, Marseille dropped two valuable points in the title race when it was held to a 1-1 draw by Lorient.
Following an impressive 3-0 win at Paris Saint-Germain last week, Marseille's draw meant it remained fourth with 49 points from 26 games.
Marseille had a first chance in the 15th minute when playmaker Lucho Gonzalez picked out Mamadou Niang, only to see the Senegal striker missing the target with a right-foot shot.
Lorient goalkeeper Fabien Audard produced a great save to deny Gonzalez's effort in the 34th minute but he was helpless two minutes before halftime when Niang — the league's top scorer with 15 goals — found the net from close range following a swift passing move.
Marseille looked set to stretch its winning run to six games in all competitions but Laurent Koscielny leveled in the 64th minute after goalkeeper Steve Mandanda deflected his header onto the post and the defender snapped up the rebound.
Last-placed Grenoble was held to a 1-1 draw by struggling Le Mans, which remained in the relegation zone.
A few days before traveling to Spain for its Champions League last 16 second-leg clash with Real Madrid, Lyon had to settle for a 0-0 draw at Boulogne on Saturday. The seven-time champion is third with 50 points.
-- Samuel Petrequin
Leverkusen loses 3-2 at Nuremberg in Bundesliga
FRANKFURT — Bayer Leverkusen missed a chance to regain the Bundesliga lead Sunday by losing 3-2 at lowly Nuremberg for its first defeat of the season.
Nuremberg took a 3-0 lead early in the second half before Leverkusen fought back with two goals within seven minutes.
But it was not enough as Leverkusen remained on 50 points from 25 rounds for third place, three points behind leader Bayern Munich.
Eric Maxim Coupo-Moting scored in the 42nd and 45th minutes to give Nuremberg a 2-0 lead at the break, before Mikael Tavares added the third in the 55th as Nuremberg climbed out of the relegation zone.
Stefan Kiessling pulled a goal back for Leverkusen in the 66th minute and Patrick Helmes made it 3-2 seven minutes later with his first goal of the season.
"We just woke up too late," Leverkusen playmaker Toni Kroos. "We tried everything we could at the end, but it was not enough. They took the two-goal lead early on and it was tough to come back."
Nuremberg jumped to 15th place with 21 points, one point from the drop zone.
"We are not out of the relegation fight yet," Nuremberg coach Dieter Hecking said. "It's still very close and we will have a fight the rest of the season."
In the late game Sunday, Mainz beat Hoffenheim 1-0 on the road thanks to Aristide Bance's impressive goal after a long run in the 69th minute.
Promoted side Mainz jumped to ninth place in the league with 35 points. Hoffenheim are 11th with 32 points.
FC Twente top in Dutch league after 1-0 win at RKC
AMSTERDAM — FC Twente went the top of the Dutch league on Sunday after Kenneth Perez scored the winner in a 1-0 victory over RKC Waalwijk.
Perez headed home Bryan Ruiz's curling cross in the 69th minute as Twente took full advantage of PSV's 2-1 defeat at NAC Breda on Saturday.
Twente leads the standings with 67 points, two more than PSV. Ajax, which faces PSV in the next round of matches, is third with 61 after beating Sparta Rotterdam 3-0 earlier Sunday.
"The next goal is to win the next game," said Twente coach Steven McClaren. "We still have eight games to go. Who knows what will happen? There will be so many twists and turns."
Ajax's goals came from Siem de Jong, Gregory van der Wiel and Dennis Rommedahl.
Also Sunday, it was FC Groningen 1, VVV-Venlo 0 and FC Utrecht 1, NEC Nijemegen 0.
Sekou Cisse scored twice and created another as Feyenoord topped Roda JC 4-2.
Cisse opened scoring in the 14th from a rebound before adding another goal in the 60th. He then set up Luigi Bruins for the third in the 71st. Substitute Roy Makaay added a fourth in the 82nd.
Jeanvion Yulu Matondo and Boldizsar Bodor scored for Roda, which had Ruud Vormer sent off for a 20th-minute foul on Leroy Fer. Feyenoord goalkeeper Darley was also ejected in the 84th.
Defending champion AZ Alkmaar continued its fine run since Dick Advocaat replaced Ronald Koeman as coach by earning a 4-1 comeback win against SC Heerenveen Saturday.
Also Saturday, ADO The Hague had to settle for a 1-1 draw against Vitesse Arnhem while Heracles Almelo beat Willem II 3-2.
Independiente goes top in Argentina
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Independiente moved to the top of the Argentine Clausura table Sunday after Dario Gandin and Nestor Silvera scored in a 2-0 home win over River Plate.
Newell's Old Boys won 2-1 at home to give Godoy Cruz its first loss of the tournament, while Tigre and Argentinos Juniors also notched victories. Banfield drew 0-0 at home with bottom club Atletico Tucuman.
The results put Independiente top with 17 points, with Godoy Cruz in second place on 15 and defending champion Banfield third on 14. The top three have each played 8 matches.
River Plate and Boca Juniors, two of Argentina's biggest clubs, are in the bottom half of the table. River is 14th and Boca is 15th.
Tigre won 3-2 at Huracan, while Argentinos Juniors beat Velez Sarsfield 1-0 at home in Sunday's other results.
The tournament's Round 8 continues Monday with San Lorenzo vs. Chacarita Juniors, Gimnasia La Plata vs. Rosario Central, and Arsenal de Sarandi vs. Colon de Santa Fe. None of the clubs are among the leading pack.
Boca Juniors lost 2-1 at home to Racing Club and Lanus drew 0-0 at home with Estudiantes La Plata in the round's opening matches on Saturday.
Gandin opened the scoring for Independiente against River Plate after beating the offside trap and applying a first-time finish to Walter Acevedo's pass in the 39th minute.
Silvera scored the second with a close-range shot after Walter Busse cut the ball back in the 61st minute.
Panathinaikos beats Levadiakos 3-0
ATHENS, Greece — Goals from Dimitris Salpingidis, Sebastian Leto and Djibril Cisse earned Greek league leader Panathinaikos a home 3-0 win over Levadiakos on Sunday.
Panathinaikos now has 58 points from 25 games, two more than second-place PAOK and five more than Olympiakos in third. Olympiakos lost 1-0 to Iraklis on Sunday, while PAOK beat Panthrakikos 3-0 on Saturday.
The home side attacked from the start but it had to wait 64 minutes before scoring against relegation-threatened Levadiakos.
Panathinaikos squandered at least four scoring chances in the first half, two of them falling to Leto. He sent a shot just wide in the sixth minute and then followed up with a low drive in the 20th which forced a diving save from Levadiakos goalkeeper Srdan Blazic.
A shot from Cisse hit the post six minutes later, while Blazic managed to palm an effort by Giorgos Karagounis over the crossbar in the 35th.
Salpingidis finally broke the deadlock, latching on to a cross by defender Stergios Marinos.
Leto made it 2-0 in the 71st before Cisse sealed the win two minutes later. Blazic parried Cisse's penalty but the French striker pounced on the loose ball to score his 21st goal of the season.
Also Sunday, it was: Ergotelis 1, Atromitos 1; Panionios 3, Xanthi 0 and Giannena 1, Asteras 0.
Kashima off to winning start in J-League
KASHIMA, Japan — Shinzo Koroki and Marquinhos scored in each half as defending champion Kashima Antlers opened the J-League season with a 2-0 win over Urawa Reds on the weekend.
Koroki put the Antlers ahead in the fifth minute Saturday by converting a cross from Mitsuo Ogasawara, and Brazilian Marquinhos doubled the lead with a header four minutes from time.
Kashima, bidding for a fourth consecutive league title, defeated Urawa 1-0 in the 2009 championship game in December.
Elsewhere, Vegalta Sendai marked its return to the top flight with a 1-0 win over Jubilo Iwata. South Korean Ryang Yong-gi scored in the first minute for Sendai.
Hayato Hashimoto and Naoki Ishihara scored in the first half and Rafael added another after the break to lead Omiya Ardija to a convincing 3-0 win over Cerezo Osaka.
Popo scored a pair of goals to lead Vissel Kobe to a 2-0 win over Kyoto Sanga.
Masaru Kurotsu scored the winner as last year's runners-up Kawasaki Frontale beat Albirex Niigata 2-1, while Japan forward Sota Hirayama's injury-time strike earned FC Tokyo a 1-0 win over visiting Yokohama F Marinos.
Shimizu S-Pulse earned a point in a 1-1 draw with Sanfrecce Hiroshima thanks to a 93rd-minute header from Genki Omae.
Melbourne, Wellington advance in A-League playoffs
SYDNEY — Striker Archie Thompson scored with five minutes remaining in extra time to give the Melbourne Victory a 2-2 draw with Sydney FC on Sunday and a place in Australia's A-League grand final.
Regulation time ended with Sydney leading 2-1, leaving the teams level on aggregate goals in the two-leg major semifinal after Melbourne's 2-1 win in Melbourne.
Karol Kisel and Mark Bridge scored earlier goals for Sydney, while Robbie Kruse gave the Victory a 1-0 lead in the 15th minute .
The win gave Melbourne the right to host the grand final on March 20. Sydney will host the Wellington Phoenix next Saturday in the preliminary final.
Earlier Sunday at Wellington, the Phoenix beat Newcastle 3-1 in extra time, with English striker Paul Ifill scoring a goal midway through the extra session.
Matt Thompson gave Newcastle a 1-0 lead in the 20th minute, but Tim Brown leveled 13 minutes later. Eugene Dadi added another goal for the Phoenix in extra time.
Keane strikes give Celtic 2-0 win at Falkirk
GLASGOW, Scotland — Robbie Keane scored both goals as Celtic won 2-0 at last place Falkirk on Sunday to cut Rangers' lead to 10 points in the Scottish Premier League.
Keane was twice foiled by saves by Falkirk goalkeeper Robert Olejnik before he beat him in the 34th minute. The Irish striker collected a through ball by Morten Rasmussen to race away from the Falkirk defense and stroke the ball past the 'keeper with his right foot.
Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc made an acrobatic diving save to keep out a long range shot from Scott Arfield before Keane added the second in the 79th minute.
He ran between two defenders to reach a through ball and was left with only the goalkeeper to beat.
On Saturday, Rangers came from behind to beat lowly St. Mirren 3-1 and has 64 points from 27 games. Celtic now has 54 from 28.
A 78th minute goal by Morgaro Gomis gave Dundee United a 1-0 victory over Hearts and lifted the team up to third place, above Hibernian, but still 16 points behind Rangers.
Benfica three points clear after Pacos win
LISBON, Portugal — Benfica went three points clear at the top of the Portuguese league Sunday after beating Pacos Ferreira 3-1.
Ruben Amorim, Javier Saviola and Oscar Cardozo all scored for the hosts, while William Conceicao cut the deficit for Pacos Ferreira.
The result leaves Benfica top on 55 points. Second-place Braga is on 52 after being held 0-0 at Setubal on Saturday.
Also Sunday, fourth-place Sporting beat Belenenses 4-0 and Maritimo drew 0-0 with Academica.
Third-place Porto broke its home unbeaten run with a 2-2 draw against Olhanense on Saturday. Porto has 44 points. Rio Ave drew 0-0 with Naval. On Friday, Leiria beat Leixoes 2-1. On Monday it's Guimaraes vs. Nacional.
Elsewhere
Flamengo director: Adriano has a drinking problem
SAO PAULO — A Flamengo club director said Sunday that Brazil striker Adriano has a drinking problem.
Marcos Braz told a local radio station the reason Adriano is temporarily out of the team is because he began drinking again following a personal problem.
"When he starts drinking, he can't stop," Braz told Radio Bandeirantes. "He had overcome this, but it started again because of this personal situation he is going through."
The Brazil forward did not show up for training Friday and local media widely reported that he got into an altercation with his girlfriend at a party in a shantytown.
Braz strongly denied speculation the player was involved with drugs.
"To say that Adriano has a drug problem is a tremendous absurdity," Braz said. "Alcohol is a drug, but it's different."
Adriano was released from the club for three days and was dismissed from the team's Copa Libertadores match against Caracas on Wednesday in Venezuela. He was expected to return to training on Monday.
He missed the team's 4-0 win over Resende on Saturday. Coach Andrade said he wanted the striker to play on Wednesday, but said the decision to keep him from playing came "from the top."
Adriano traveled to London with Brazil's national side for its 2-0 win over Ireland in a friendly on Tuesday and is set to make the squad for the World Cup in South Africa which begins June 11.
The 28-year-old player abandoned Inter Milan last April, saying he was not happy in Italy and wanted to be closer to his friends, many who grew up with him in a Rio shantytown.
There were widespread reports in local media that Adriano was depressed at the time, and although he admited he was going through a difficult time, he denied he had a drinking problem.
Since then, he has starred for his hometown team, leading it to the national championship last year.
Adriano several times missed practice with Flamengo for personal reasons, but as the team's biggest star, most of the time he escaped any punishment.
When Adriano played for Sao Paulo in 2007, he was fined for arriving late for training and twice was involved in minor car accidents. He also was photographed drinking with friends at a party just hours after signing with the Brazilian club, and later received a two-match suspension for head-butting another player during a game.
