Soccer Capsules: Santos rally for 3-3 draw with Estudiantes
MEXICO CITY — Juan Pablo Rodriguez and Carlos Morales scored late goals as Santos rallied to a 3-3 draw with Estudiantes on Sunday to stay among the Mexican league leaders.
In other matches Sunday, Pumas defeated Atlante 1-0, Cruz Azul drew Indios 0-0 and America and Tigres drew 2-2.
The runaway league leader in Mexico is Chivas, which defeated Puebla 3-2 on Saturday. It was Chivas’ seventh straight victory, the best start to a season since Mexico football went professional in the 1940s.
Argentine midfielder Daniel Luduena gave Santos a 1-0 lead after just 13 minutes, before Elgabry Rangel equalized in the 21st.
Mauro Cejas put Estudiantes back in the lead with a powerful shot in the area and Juan Carlos Leano made it 3-1 after 55 minutes.
Rodriguez narrowed the lead with a 62nd-minute penalty and Uruguay’s Morales equalized seven minutes later.
Santos now has 14 points from seven matches.
Argentine Martin Bravo scored Pumas’ lone goal in the 68th minute, a long, powerful shot that ended Pumas’ five-game winless streak. Pumas improved to 10 points and Atlante has five.
Indios’ scoreless draw with Cruz Azul left the Ciudad Juarez club with only three points from seven games. Mexico City club Cruz Azul is little better with only eight.
America salvaged a draw in the 88th minute when Tigres’ Alfredo Gonazlez scored an own goal.
Alfonso Sandoval gave America a 1-0 lead in the 15th, and Jesus Molina leveled 12 minutes with a header. Brazilian Itamar Batista gave Atlante a 2-1 lead in the 71st.
On Saturday, Chivas defeated Puebla 3-2, defending champion Monterrey defeated Queretaro 3-0, Pachuca and Jaguares drew 2-2. Morelia played a scoreless draw with Toluca, and San Luis defeated Atlas 3-1.
Paraguay leader visits soccer star shot in Mexico
MEXICO CITY — Paraguay President Fernando Lugo says soccer star Salvador Cabanas is hopeful, talking and exercising after he was shot in the head in a Mexico City bar last month.
Lugo said the Parguayan striker was very lucid and had "a lot of hope" during a talk at the hospital Sunday. Cabanas had been expected to lead Paraguay's national team at the World Cup in South Africa this summer.
Lugo was in Mexico for the Rio Group summit. He showed off an America T-shirt that Cabanas signed, and said the player is already exercising on a stationary bike.
The man suspected of shooting Cabanas is still at large.
U.S. Soccer
Union won’t say if willing to play under old deal
NEW YORK — The union for Major League Soccer players accused management of failing to bargain seriously and wouldn’t say whether it will play under the terms of its expired labor contract.
One day after MLS president Mark Abbott went public with the league’s offer to start the season next month without a new deal and claim that management offered $60 million in new money, the union issued a pair of statements that left open the possibility of the league’s first strike.
"It is unfortunate that MLS doesn’t see the modest changes we have proposed as being good for the league, especially since until these changes are made, more and more quality players who should be playing in MLS will not be doing so," MLS Players Union executive director Bob Foose said Sunday in an e-mail to The Associated Press. "It will also be a shame if the league’s refusal to improve its system results in a work stoppage."
While training camps began on time and the season remains set to open March 25, the league’s first collective bargaining agreement expired Jan. 31. The sides have twice extended bargaining, and talks resume Monday in Washington. The current extension runs to Thursday.
Abbott said the league made a full proposal after the last bargaining session, on Wednesday, and MLS hopes to find out Monday whether the union has questions about it, a response or wishes to discuss it.
"The league has made significant proposals in the areas of economics, guaranteed contracts, options and the operation of the right-of-first refusal that teams have," he said. "These changes, these proposals that we made, represent significant changes from the current CBA. They were designed to meet a number of the issues that were raised by the Players Union and they represent a very significant commitment on the part of our owners. If the players choose to strike, it won’t be because the league hasn’t made significant proposals. It will be because the players continue to insist on changes in our system that we simply can’t make."
Players want increased freedom of movement within the league and don’t like that most contracts are not guaranteed. In the single-entity structure of the MLS, which launched in 1996, all players sign with the league rather than individual teams.
Players were quoted in several outlets Saturday as saying little progress had been made in talks. Abbott said owners had proposed giving an additional $60 million to players during a five-year deal.
Foose said the league’s proposal would slow salary growth from 5.9 percent to 4.8 percent annually and from a total of 33 percent over five years to 26 percent. He said the league includes salaries from future expansion teams as part of additional spending.
MLS union spokesman Neil Hare, responding to the offer to play under the expired rules, said the league is "not serious about working to have the season start under the terms of a new collective bargaining agreement" and added a work stoppage would "be due to the league’s failure to negotiate seriously with its players."
"This negotiation is not about huge raises for players, or massive new expenditures for owners," Foose said. "It is also not about unrestricted free agency. Rather it is about basic fairness for our members, and their ability to make improvements to a player system that is one-sided and unfair."
While Abbott took issue with the assertion the league has not negotiated seriously, he also made clear management thinks the players’ proposals would harm the MLS’s financial situation.
"While we don’t seek a work stoppage," he said, "we will not make changes that threaten our ability to grow the league in the long run and to have a sustainable and viable league."
-- Ronald Blum
World Cup
AP Interview: FIFA concern over African stimulants
SUN CITY, South Africa — FIFA is concerned that players at the World Cup could use undetectable stimulants derived from traditional African medicines that aren’t currently banned substances.
FIFA medical committee chairman Michel D’Hooghe told The Associated Press on Sunday that he wants the World Anti-Doping Agency to analyze some African plants that could give athletes an unfair advantage.
"I have a big concern — and I can confess that. We were learning a lot about the traditional African medicines and we are not sure what all of these products contain," D’Hooghe said. "I think some products are not detectable. This makes it difficult. They can deliver stimulation and diuretic activity."
D’Hooghe said he became aware of the extent of the issue at FIFA’s medical conference this weekend in Sun City ahead of the World Cup in South Africa, which starts June 11.
"We received a lot of examples, going from things that we know but also going into absolutely unknown things for me. If I don’t know the names, how can I know what they contain," D’Hooghe said of the plants. "This is certainly a challenge for WADA. ...
"If we don’t have control over these specific traditional medicines, then we can’t say we have control over all the medication in football."
In many African countries, plants provide the main source of medicine. Umhlabelo, made of dried leaves from the Nidorella plant, is believed to help heal bones and muscles. The Hoodia plant is used as an appetite suppressant but also supposedly provides an energy boost.
"More and more governments are legalizing the use of traditional medicines, and that will compound the situation much further," warned Gurcharan Singh, a member of FIFA’s medical committee.
South African team doctor Ntlopi Mogoru says some plants, usually found in tropical African countries like Ghana, can produce steroid byproducts that are not on WADA’s list and aren’t picked up in doping tests.
"There is no way of knowing. That’s where the problem is," Mogoru told The AP. "In Africa, a lot of players use traditional medicines and, unfortunately because of WADA, there are no tests to detect those things and it becomes a bit of a problem for doping in the whole world. It’s from the players’ cultural backgrounds."
D’Hooghe thinks the $30 million FIFA spends annually on 33,000 doping tests could be better used on youth education since there are only about 10 positive results.
D’Hooghe said he believes there is "no doping culture" among the 260 million soccer players worldwide.
-- Rob Harris
South Africa changes World Cup training base
SUN CITY, South Africa — South Africa has changed its World Cup base less than four months before hosting the tournament because it is badly run down.
The team won't use the Esselen Park School of Excellence near Johannesburg and will instead be based at Sandown High School about 40 kilometers away (25 miles).
South African Football Association chief executive Leslie Sedibe says it is "a big embarrassment to us as World Cup hosts that we have to settle for second best."
Sedibe said Sunday that his predecessors should have secured the best available training site for the event, which begins June 11.
League News
Mourinho planning to knock Chelsea out of Europe
LONDON — Jose Mourinho's admitted love for former club Chelsea will be put to the test when he sets out to knock the team he led to back-to-back English titles out of the Champions League.
The Portuguese coach will renew acquaintance with many of the Chelsea stars he led to Premier League triumphs in 2005 and 2006 when they go to the San Siro on Wednesday to face his current team Inter Milan in the first leg of the last 16.
Despite the affection he has repeatedly stated for the west London club, Mourinho has to try and shut that out. That's because the main reason he's at Inter is to end 45 years of failure in European football's biggest tournament.
"Chelsea has always been special for me," Mourinho said. "I am part of Chelsea's history and they are part of mine."
Inter last won that title in 1965 while Chelsea, beaten finalist two seasons ago, has never captured the famous trophy.
Right now Inter and Chelsea are well clear of their rivals in their domestic leagues and that gives the game another special edge.
Inter comes off a 0-0 draw with Sampdoria in which Mourinho's team played over half the game with nine men after red cards for defenders Walter Samuel and Ivan Cordoba.
Chelsea, by contrast, cruised to a 2-0 victory at Wolves with two goals by Didier Drogba and the Ivory Coast striker, who has netted 25 league and cup goals this season, will be one of the key players Mourinho must look out for on Wednesday.
"Chelsea are a team with no secrets for me so it's not been hard to prepare for," Mourinho said. "Nothing has changed since I left the club. They prepare for games the same way they did under me and they employ the same formations so there's not too much for me to prepare for."
The game will also mean a return to San Siro for Carlo Ancelotti. Winner of the competition as both a player and a coach with AC Milan, he is now in charge of Chelsea.
"It will be a fantastic evening in Milan because Inter and Chelsea are very good teams," said Ancelotti, who has some injury concerns ahead of the game.
"Now we have some problems with the fullbacks because we have out Ashley Cole and (Juliano) Belletti, but we hope that for the next game (Yury) Zhirkov can play. Zhirkov had a problem on his calf, it is tight and he can recover in two or three days for the next game. (Ricardo) Carvalho will be ready for Milan, Frank Lampard also and we hope also Alex."
The first knockout round has been spread over a month with four first leg games last week, four more on Tuesday and Wednesday and the return legs being not completed until March 17.
Defending champion Barcelona goes to Stuttgart on Tuesday when Bordeaux visits Olympiakos. Wednesday's other game is CSKA Moscow at home to Sevilla.
After slumping to its first league defeat of the season a week before, Barcelona outplayed Racing Santander in a 4-0 victory on Saturday although Pep Guardiola is another coach with injury worries.
Midfielder Xavi Hernandez and defender Daniel Alves hope to play even though they are recovering from leg muscle injuries. Defender Eric Abidal and midfielder Seydou Keita are out, while striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic may be missing with a right ankle injury that forced him to miss the match against Racing.
"His ankle was swollen up, but the doctors reckon it will go down soon," Guardiola said. "We'll see how he gets on and see if we can get him fit for Tuesday."
Stuttgart won 5-1 at Cologne in the Bundesliga with Cacau scoring four goals. Since new coach Christian Gross took over, Stuttgart has won six out of eight games.
"We are looking forward to playing one of the best teams in the world," Gross said. "There is a lot of prestige at stake. I hope the fans will go home with a good feeling."
CSKA Moscow has reached the knockout phase for the first time and, with the Russian season now closed, has not played a competitive game since it beat Turkey's Besiktas in the group phase on Dec. 8.
"No matter what level of friendlies you play, you still cannot estimate the level of the team in full," coach Leonid Slutsky said. "In this component Sevilla is a definite favorite."
The Spanish club, which is likely to field Brazil striker Luis Fabiano, is coming off a 3-1 victory at Real Mallorca.
"We played a good game and we're winning back that intensity we had before," coach Manolo Jimenez said. "We need to play the same way each game. There's a lot at stake on Wednesday and my only fear is that there could be a drop (in the intensity)."
Traveling to Greece for Tuesday's game, Bordeaux gained some help from the French league, which allowed its champion to postpone its domestic match against Auxerre on Saturday.
That was because Laurent Blanc's team has had a hectic fixture schedule in the last two weeks, with French league, cup and League Cup games all in quick succession.
-- Robert Millward
City draws 0-0 with Liverpool in Premier League
LONDON — Roman Pavlyuchenko scored two late goals as Tottenham captured fourth place in the Premier League with a 3-0 victory at Wigan on Sunday, while Manchester City and Liverpool labored to a 0-0 draw.
Aston Villa scored four goals in 13 minutes to come from behind to beat Burnley 5-2 and stay in contention for the lucrative fourth spot which means a shot at next season's Champions League. After Sunday's games only a point separates fourth place Tottenham and seventh place Villa. Man City and Villa both have a game in hand on their rivals.
Jermain Defoe turned home a cross by Gareth Bale in the 27th minute on a muddy pitch at Wigan's DW stadium for the opener, though television replays showed him to be in an offside position.
Pavlyuchenko added the second in the 85th from a pass by Luka Modric and scored the third in injury time.
"It was a great performance from us today. I was really pleased with the attitude we showed," said Spurs manager Harry Redknapp, whose team beat Wigan 9-1 at home in November.
The victory gives Redknapp's team 46 points from 27 games and it is ahead of Man City on goal difference. Liverpool and Villa have 45.
In a tedious match with few scoring chances, Man City had a penalty claim turned down near the end when Emmanuel Adebayor went down under a challenge by Daniel Agger. Liverpool also had a late penalty appeal through Yossi Benayoun denied.
"I don't think the result is good for anyone," said Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. "We both wanted to win." Aston Villa winger Stewart Downing scored his first two league goals for the club in a three-minute spell.
After Steven Fletcher gave Burnley a shock lead at Villa Park, the home side hit back before halftime through Ashley Young. Downing then scored twice, before Emile Heskey and Gabriel Agbonlahor also hit the target to take the score from 1-1 to 5-1 from the 56th to the 68th minutes.
"In a game where expectations were high for us to win it, to come from behind was very pleasing," said Villa manager Martin O'Neill. "There was relief with the equalizer when Downing scored a great second goal and then we had a spell where we were electric.
"In that spell, the movement was terrific and we also had the ability to finish moves off — which has not been our strongest point."
Martin Paterson added a second goal for Burnley, which slipped closer to relegation trouble.
Blackburn beat next-to-last neighbor Bolton 3-0 after goals from Nikola Kalinic, Jason Roberts and Gael Givet. Bobby Zamora scored a last-minute winner as Fulham came from behind to beat Birmingham 2-1.
Birmingham was given an early boost when Fulham defender Chris Baird headed a cross from Lee Bowyer into his own net in the third minute. But Damien Duff equalized in the 59th minute before Zamora fired home the winner from a free kick.
In Saturday's games, Chelsea beat Wolves 2-0 to move four points ahead of Manchester United, which tumbled 3-1 at Everton. Third-place Arsenal beat Sunderland 2-0 to stay six points behind Chelsea but move to only two back from Man United.
-- Robert Millward
Higuain, Kaka lead Madrid past Villarreal 6-2
MADRID — Cristiano Ronaldo opened the scoring and Gonzalo Higuain and Kaka added two goals apiece as Real Madrid thrashed Villarreal 6-2 on Sunday to stay within two points of leader Barcelona.
Ronaldo gave Madrid the lead with a dipping freekick in the 18th minute and Kaka doubled the home side's advantage from the penalty spot just three minutes later after Ivan Marcano tripped Higuain.
Marcos Senna's superb 31st-minute free kick pulled one back for Villarreal, but Higuain restored Madrid's two goal advantage with a blistering diagonal strike in the 54th.
Villarreal fought back to 3-2 with a goal from Nilmar in the 66th. But three goals in the final 20 minutes put Madrid out of sight.
First, Higuain scored with a tap-in after being set up by Marcelo's pass after a move started by Ronaldo.
The Portugal winger was then also instrumental in creating the final two goals, setting up Kaka for a left-footed shot into the corner in the 79th and winning the penalty dispatched by Xabi Alonso three minutes from time.
"It was important to win today to stay with Barcelona," Ronaldo said. "We have to keep playing this way to the end."
Barcelona has 58 points and Madrid 56 points after 23 games. Valencia, which plays Getafe on Monday, is third with 43 points, Sevilla has 42, Deportivo La Coruna 38 and Mallorca 37.
The emphatic victory came after Madrid's disappointing 1-0 loss to Lyon on Tuesday in the Champions League.
"It's true it's a good result after Lyon," Higuain said. "We were missing a result like this. But what's important is to keep on this way."
Earlier, Athletic Bilbao cruised to a 4-1 victory over 10-man Tenerife earlier to stay seventh with 36 points.
Tenerife's Jose Antonio Culebras was red-carded in the 17th minute to set up Fernando Llorente's goal from the penalty spot before Gaizka Toquero half-volleyed past goalkeeper Sergio Aragoneses five minutes later for 2-0.
Andoni Iraola coolly slotted home at the near post in the 54th before Tenerife pulled a goal back five minutes later through Alejandro Alfaro's rifle of a shot, but Igor Gabilondo completed the easy victory at the San Mames in the 63rd with a volley into the top corner.
Tenerife remained in the drop zone alongside Valladolid and Xerez after all three failed to win this weekend.
Valladolid joined Tenerife with 20 points — nine better than Xerez — after Albert Camunas' 86th-minute goal rallied Osasuna for a 1-1 draw. Haris Medunjanin had put Valladolid ahead six minutes earlier with an impressive strike.
Also on Sunday, Almeria beat Atletico Madrid 1-0, Malaga beat Espanyol 2-1 and Sporting Gijon won 3-1 at Zaragoza.
Atletico's defense let goalkeeper Sergio Asenjo down in the 87th minute as it failed to clear an outstanding save and Pablo Piatti slotted through a crowd for the winner. Atletico, which has 27 points, hit the post and goalkeeper Diego Alves made several outstanding saves for a clean sheet.
Malaga secured its win in the 75th when Victor Obinna scored from a goalmouth scramble at La Rosaleda Stadium.
At Zaragoza, Mate Bilic and Luis Moran put Sporting 2-0 up by the 63rd before Javier Arizmendi headed home in injury-time to cut the lead in half. But David Barral sealed the points moments later.
Xerez stayed last after a 2-1 loss to Deportivo La Coruna on Saturday, when Sevilla ended Mallorca's perfect home record with a 3-1 win.
-- Paul Logothetis
Botafogo beats Vasco 2-0 to win Guanabara Cup
SAO PAULO — Sebastian "El Loco" Abreu and Fabio Ferreira scored second-half goals as Botafogo beat Vasco 2-0 on Sunday to win the Guanabara Cup, the first stage of the Rio de Janeiro state championship.
Defender Ferreira broke the deadlock in the 70th minute and Uruguay striker Abreu converted a penalty in the 84th for Botafogo, which will face the winner of the Rio Cup — the tournament's second stage — for the state title.
It is the second consecutive Guanabara Cup title for Botafogo, which is trying to win the Rio state tournament for the first time since 2006.
In the Sao Paulo state championship, Robinho's Santos maintained its lead in the standings by beating Mirassol 2-1, while Palmeiras defeated Sao Paulo 2-0 in its first match without fired coach Muricy Ramalho.
Ferreira scored in front of more than 80,000 fans at Maracana stadium with a header off a corner kick, and Abreu converted from the penalty spot after he was grabbed inside the area by Vasco defender Nilton, who was sent off.
"Sometimes we are not able to play great football, but we can always overcome that by playing with a lot of heart, like we did today," Abreu said.
Vasco had been a man down from the 72nd minute after defender Titi was red carded for a hard foul on Botafogo striker Caio.
Last than a month ago, Vasco had routed Botafogo 6-0 in the first stage of the Guanabara Cup. A four-time national champion which spent last season in the Brazilian league's second division, Vasco hadn't reached a Cup final in six years. It was unbeaten this year until Sunday's defeat.
Botafogo reached the final by eliminating three-time defending Rio champion Flamengo, while Vasco advanced by edging Fluminense on penalties.
Botafogo coach Joel Santana is trying to win his first state title since leaving Flamengo to coach South Africa in 2008. Santana has won Rio titles with all four major clubs in the state — Botafogo, Flamengo, Vasco and Fluminense.
In the Sao Paulo state championship, Santos maintained its lead by beating Mirassol 2-1 in Mirassol.
It was the seventh consecutive win for Santos, which played without youngsters Neymar and Paul Henrique because of suspensions. Robinho, on loan from Manchester City, was substituted in the 73rd.
Santos has 25 points, four more than second-place Santo Andre, which beat Barueri 3-1 in Barueri.
Palmeiras rebounded from a series of disappointing results with a commanding 2-0 win over rival Sao Paulo at Palestra Italia stadium. Striker Robert scored both goals for the four-time national champion, which hadn't won in two matches.
It was Palmeiras' first match since firing renowned coach Ramalho and hiring former player Antonio Carlos Zago, who is starting his coaching career.
Palmeiras is seventh in the standings with 16 points, while Sao Paulo is fifth with 17 points.
All 20 clubs face each other once and the top four reach the semifinal stage, which begins in April.
Third-place Corinthians was held by Rio Branco to a 0-0 home draw on Saturday. The defending champion played without left back Roberto Carlos and striker Ronaldo, who were rested for the team's debut in the Copa Libertadores against Uruguay's Racing on Wednesday.
The Copa Libertadores is the only major competition Corinthians is yet to win.
-- Tales Azzoni
AS Roma wins to close gap on Inter to 5 points
MILAN — AS Roma closed to within five points of Serie A leader Inter Milan on Sunday after Mirko Vucinic scored the only goal in a comfortable 1-0 win over Catania.
One day after Inter had two players sent off in a 0-0 draw with Sampdoria, the Montenegro international struck early in the first half for his fifth league goal this season to put Roma in control of the match.
"Some might say that we should be happy where we are," Roma coach Claudio Ranieri said. "But we can't be and we have to keep moving forward. The tension is high on the field and in the changing rooms because the guys want to win and will go through a lot to do so."
Inter leads with 55 points, Roma is second on 50 and AC Milan is third with 48 after beating Bari 2-0 away with goals from Marco Borriello and Alexandre Pato.
Juventus is back up to fourth on 41 following a 2-1 win away over Bologna.
Roma took the lead in the 18th minute when Vucinic found space at the far post to score from Jeremy Menez's corner.
Daniele De Rossi nearly doubled the lead in the 40th, but Catania keeper Mariano Andujar stopped his shot on the line.
Roma continued to pressure the Catania goal in the second half, but Menez shot wide, Andujar stopped another De Rossi effort and Rodrigo Taddei blasted a shot over the bar in the closing minutes.
At Bari, Milan took the lead late in the second half when Borriello volleyed in a cross from Ronaldinho.
The Brazilian was also involved in the second goal. Bari goalkeeper Jean Gillet pushed his shot onto the bar, but when Bari's defense was unable to clear Pato fired the ball into the unguarded net.
Bari had a chance to pull a goal back from the penalty spot with two minutes remaining, but Milan keeper Christian Abbiati dived low to stop Paulo Barreto's shot.
"We've got to think about Fiorentina now," Ronaldinho said, looking ahead to the game in Florence on Wednesday. "It will be a tough game as Fiorentina is a strong team. After that we can think about how close we are to Inter."
Diego opened the scoring for Juventus early on, Antonio Busce equalized shortly after halftime, but Antonio Candreva hit the winner midway through the second half.
"I think we should be delighted to be up to fourth place," Juventus coach Alberto Zaccheroni said. "But we are better than fourth place. We are there because of things that have gone before.
"I am very pleased with how we played," he said. "We had to fight for the win."
Diego gave Juventus the lead in the fourth minute. Bologna goalkeeper Emiliano Viviano saved his initial shot from the edge of the area, but the Brazilian reacted quickest to reach the rebound first.
Viviano had better luck with a double save in the 23rd minute, first blocking Claudio Marchisio's shot from the edge of the area and then recovering quickly enough to stop Diego's effort from the rebound.
Bologna went close to equalizing in the 35th when Adailton hit the bar from a freekick, but made a breakthrough in the 50th when Busce tapped in from a rebound.
Candreva scored the winner by shooting low under Viviano after Alessandro Del Piero set him free in the area. Bologna responded by pushing forward and came close to drawing level again when Daniele Portanova headed straight at Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon.
Also Sunday, it was; Atalanta 0, Chievo Verona 1; Cagliari 2, Parma 0; Fiorentina 2, Livorno 1; Palermo 3, Lazio 1; Siena 0, Napoli 0.
-- Jeremy Inson
Bremen saves point against Leverkusen
FRANKFURT — Werder Bremen scored two minutes into stoppage time on Sunday to earn a 2-2 draw with Bayer Leverkusen to prevent the Bundesliga leader from moving clear of Bayern Munich.
Per Mertesacker's header tied the game, leaving Leverkusen ahead of Bayern on goal difference with both teams on 49 points.
Schalke lost 2-1 at Wolfsburg as Grafite scored twice but remained third on 45 points.
In the early match Sunday, Cicero also scored two to help last-place Hertha Berlin win 3-0 at Freiburg. The victory improved Hertha's hopes of avoiding relegation and left Freiburg just one place above the drop zone.
Leverkusen remain undefeated in 23 games, tying Bayern's record for the best start to a season from the 1988-89 campaign, when Bayern's coach was Jupp Heynckes, now in charge at Leverkusen.
Eren Derdiyok curled in a free kick to put Leverkusen ahead in the 29th minute but Bremen hit back five minutes later.
Naldo fired in a free kick that Leverkusen's goalkeeper Rene Adler dropped and allowed the ball to slip through his legs and Claudio Pizarro poked it across the line.
Leverkusen regained the lead when Toni Kroos lashed a right-foot shot from 25 meters (yards) inside the right post.
But Bremen earned a share of the spoils when Mertesacker, the tall central defender, headed in a cross from Marko Marin.
In Wolfsburg, Kevin Kuranyi scored with a header from a corner by Ivan Rakitic for his 12th goal of the season and had another header cleared off the line in the second half.
Schalke goalkeeper Manuel Neuer tipped a shot from Edin Dzeko onto the crossbar, Grafite got the rebound but his volley also struck the bar.
But in the 71st, Grafite found the target with a header after Neuer mistimed his jump and was left punching the air instead of the ball.
Six minutes later, Grafite turned the match when he connected with a low cross from Marcel Schaefer to give Wolfsburg the lead and drilled the ball into the roof of the net with the outside of his right foot to end his team's 10-game winless streak.
Chinese national team winger Hao Jumin made his Bundesliga debut for Schalke, without making much of an impact playing out of position as a right back.
Wolfsburg fans gave Schalke coach Felix Magath a friendly welcome. Magath led Wolfsburg to its first Bundesliga championship last season, then left to join Schalke.
Berlin's Adrian Ramos opened the scoring after 28 minutes by knocking in a loose ball after Freiburg's goalkeeper Simon Pouplin had parried a shot.
Cicero doubled the lead in the 35th and then secured only Hertha's third victory of the season with a powerful shot from 18 meters (yards) out in the 57th.
Hertha is now only two points behind Nuremberg and Hannover, with 11 matches to play.
On Saturday, Bayern Munich's 13-game winning streak ended with a 1-1 draw at next-to-last Nuremberg.
Stuttgart won 5-1 in Cologne behind four goals from Cacau and Borussia Dortmund thrashed Hannover 4-1, while Eintracht Frankfurt earned a 0-0 draw at Hamburger SV and Mainz also drew 0-0 at home with Bochum.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Lille edges Rennes 2-1 in French league
PARIS — Lille made up ground in the French title race on Sunday after substitute Pierre Aubameyang struck a late winner in a 2-1 victory over Rennes.
Elsewhere, Michel Bastos scored a hat trick to help Lyon rout Sochaux 4-0, while Mamadou Niang performed the same feat for Marseille in a 3-1 victory over Nancy at the Stade Velodrome.
Bordeaux tops the standings with 51 points, three clear of second-place Montpellier, which lost 1-0 at Saint-Etienne on Saturday. Lille is third with 47 points, one more than fourth-place Lyon.
"The victory came from the bench, which means that the team's mindset is good," Lille coach Rudi Garcia told Canal Plus television. "We deserved the victory because we had the best chances. We'll try to go as high as possible (in the standings)."
In Rennes, Pierre-Alain Frau gave Lille a 10th minute lead, setting off on a run from midfield before firing home a low diagonal shot from the edge of the box, taking his tally to 10 goals this season.
Jerome Leroy equalized for Rennes in the 26th. Ghana forward Asamoah Gyan jumped to divert a long ball from Kader Mangane toward Leroy, who took a touch before beating goalkeeper Mickael Landreau with a side-footed finish.
Lille nearly recaptured the lead from a corner in the 42nd minute, when Adil Rami's header crashed against the bar.
But Aubameyang made no mistake when he pounced on a rebound to score from close range in the 89th minute after goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez had blocked a shot from Stephane Dumont.
Rennes, down in ninth place with 37 points, is virtually out of contention for a European spot.
In Sochaux, Bastos opened the scoring after four minutes with a low free kick.
The Brazilian winger doubled the lead in the 24th with a powerful strike under the bar off a cross from Bafetimbi Gomis.
Bastos added his third a minute later from a tight angle, volleying home a high cross from Brazilian playmaker Honorato Ederson.
Argentine forward Lisandro Lopez intercepted a backpass to net his 10th goal this season and put the result beyond doubt in the 78th minute.
"We'd like to play such matches every time," Lyon defender Jean-Alain Boumsong said. "There has been a lot of criticism over our style of play but tonight our football was brilliant."
Before the game, Sochaux's American forward Charlie Davies performed a ceremonial kickoff — an event held prior to the official kickoff at the Stade Bonal.
Davies is recovering from severe injuries after a car crash last October.
The American striker hopes to get in contention for a callup to the United States squad for the World Cup in South Africa and is trying to be fit to play for his club by the end of the season.
In Marseille, Senegal striker Niang outjumped the Nancy defense to head in a cross from Charles Kabore in the ninth minute to open the scoring.
Brazilian defender Andre Luiz leveled for Nancy four minutes later off a pass from Issiar Dia.
But Niang volleyed home a cross from Taye Taiwo to make it 2-1 in the 34th before sealing the win in the 67th on a counterattack, notching his 14th goal this season to become the top goalscorer in the league.
"The most important thing is to win matches," Niang said. "It doesn't matter who scores. We don't care, we're a team. We all want to win together."
Marseille remained in fifth place with 45 points but still has a game in hand, while Nancy dropped to 14th place, level on points with Sochaux.
Defending champion Bordeaux was scheduled to play Auxerre on Saturday, but the match has been postponed to allow the French club time to prepare for its Champions League game against Olympiakos this week.
In Saturday's other results, it was: Lens 3, Monaco 0; Nice 1, Lorient 0; Grenoble 0, Valenciennes 1; Paris Saint-Germain 1, Toulouse 0; and Boulogne 1, Le Mans 3.
-- Trung Latieule
PSV's Dutch league lead reduced after 1-1 draw
AMSTERDAM — PSV Eindhoven's lead in the Dutch league was cut to a single point on Sunday after it had to settle for a late 1-1 draw with Sparta Rotterdam as title rival FC Twente beat Willem II 1-0.
Rydell Poepon scored an injury-time equalizer to earn six-time champion Sparta a point after Otman Bakkal had given PSV the lead in the 14th minute.
Peter Wisgerhof scored Twente's winner in the 54th minute to give his side an important victory.
With 10 rounds to go, PSV tops the 18-team league with 62 points, Steve McClaren's Twente has 61 and Ajax has 55 after it hammered Vitesse Arnhem 4-0.
Two Champions League berths are up for grabs for the top two clubs, while teams finishing from third to ninth will fight for Europa League places.
Luis Suarez led the rout at the Amsterdam Arena, setting up Siem de Jong for the opening goal in the 18th minute before adding another off a rebound, three minutes later.
Vitesse's Paul Verhaegh scored an own goal in the 27th minute to extend Ajax's lead before De Jong made it 4-0 in the 58th.
Earlier Sunday, ADO The Hague held Feyenoord to a 2-2 draw. Giovanni van Bronckhorst, who doubles as captain for Feyenoord and the Dutch national team, diverted Karim Soltani's cross into his own net after 10 minutes to put ADO in front.
Midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum equalized in the 23rd minute after he was played in by Leroy Fer.
Denmark striker Jon Dahl Tomasson scored off a rebound in the 76th as Feyenoord took lead but Danny Buijs snatched a late equalizer for ADO, steering the ball home after Robert Zwinkels had flicked the ball goalwards.
On Saturday, it was: NAC Breda 0, FC Utrecht 2; VVV-Venlo 3, AZ Alkmaar 3; RKC Waalwijk 1, SC Heerenveen 2 and NEC Nijmegen 0 FC Groningen 2.
-- Bruce Mutsvairo
River, Boca salvage draws
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Argentine powerhouses River Plate and Boca Juniors struggled for draws Sunday, leaving them far off the pace of league-leading Velez and Colon in the Clausura tournament.
Marcelo Gallardo scored from a free kick in the 50th minute to help River Plate salvage a 1-1 draw with Arsenal. Arsenal opened the scoring via a Sergio Sena goal in the 40th.
River has only five points from five matches, one more than a very weak Arsenal side.
River Plate played with 10 men after Matias Almeyda was sent off for his second yellow card in the 51st minute.
Argentine international Martin Paleremo headed in the equalizer in the 71st minute after Godoy Cruz went ahead 1-0 in the 23rd with a Federico Higuain goal.
Also on Sunday, Banfield and Rosario Central played out a scoreless draw, and Atletico Tucuman drew 1-1 with Argentinos Juniors. On Monday, Estudiantes face Huracan in the final match of the round.
Velez and Colon lead Argentina's Clausura tournament with 11 points, followed by Godoy Cruz with nine and Tigre and Independiente with eight. Banfield, Chacarita and Gimnasia have seven.
In other fifth-round results Friday and Saturday it was: Chacarita 1, Colon 2; Velez 3, Independiente 0; Tigre 1, Gimnasia 1; Newell's 1, Lanus 1; Racing Club 1, San Lorenzo 0.
Porto routs Braga to re-ignite Portuguese hopes
LISBON, Portugal — FC Porto trounced Braga 5-1 to re-ignite its Portuguese league title hopes while keeping its opponent from going top of the standings.
Benfica, which was not in action this weekend, remained top of the league with 49 points, one better than Braga, while four-time defending champion Porto is third with 43 points. Sporting is fourth with 29 points after Saturday's 0-0 draw at Olhanense.
Also on Sunday, Pacos Ferreira beat Rio Ave 2-1 and Naval was a 1-0 winner over Setubal.
Porto led 3-0 by halftime thanks to goals from Raul Meireles, Alvaro Pereira and Radamel Falcao, who headed home his second in the 73rd before Fernando Belluschi completed the rout in the 83rd.
Braga striker Alan headed home a consolation goal in injury time.
Last-place Belenenses tackles Academica on Monday.
On Friday, Maritimo drew 1-1 with Nacional while Guimaraes beat Leixoes 2-0 on Saturday.
PAOK beats Panathinaikos 2-1
ATHENS, Greece — Zlatan Muslimovic came off the bench to score the winner on Sunday as PAOK beat Greek league leader Panathinaikos 2-1 at home to throw the title race wide open.
With seven rounds to go, Panathinaikos leads with 52 points, two ahead of both Olympiakos and PAOK.
Panathinaikos controlled the game in the early stages, squandering a clear scoring chance when a powerful free kick from the edge of the area by Giorgos Karagounis hit Costas Halkias' post in the 24th minute. In the 36th, it was Loukas Vyntra's turn to miss another chance when his low drive went just wide.
In the dying seconds of the first half, PAOK came close to scoring when a header from inside the area by Edihno sailed over Alexandros Tzorvas' crossbar. A curling free kick by Pablo Garcia gave PAOK the lead on the hour mark, only for French striker Djibril Cisse to level four minutes later following a cross by Dimitris Salpingidis.
Muslimovic, who had replaced Edinho in the 52nd minute, scored the winner in the 68th from a probing ball forward by Olivier Sorlin. Panathinaikos almost leveled nine minutes from the end when Sotiris Ninis' shot from inside the area went wide.
Also Sunday it was: Atromitos 0, Asteras 0; Larissa 0, Panthrakikos 2; Giannena 2, Panionios 3; and AEK 1, Aris 0.
Elsewhere
Two Chinese clubs relegated over match fixing
BEIJING — Two Chinese Super League clubs have been relegated to the second tier amid a match fixing and gambling scandal that has already toppled the head of the country's soccer association.
Guangzhou GPC and Chengdu Blades — a team owned by English side Sheffield United — were removed from the Chinese Super League following an investigation that implicated them in the scandal, state media reported Monday.
Team spokesmen could not immediately be reached for comment Monday, but media reports said the clubs are not expected to appeal.
Two new teams who have yet to be announced and will be introduced to the Super League to keep the total at 16.
Along with match fixing and bribing of referees, abuses allegedly also include players paying for places at the national team's training camp and appearances in international competition.
The relegations were the harshest punishment dealt out to clubs caught up in the sweeping probe that has netted more than a dozen players and officials, including former soccer boss Nan Yong.
Yokohama, Nakamura agree on transfer
YOKOHAMA, Japan — Japanese media report the Yokohama F Marinos have reached an agreement to sign Espanyol's Shunsuke Nakamura on a full transfer.
Yokohama president Akira Kaetsu spoke with Nakamura's agent via phone on Saturday and the two agreed to terms on a multiyear deal that would see the Japanese midfielder return to his former team, the Nikkansports newspaper reported Sunday.
Nakamura could sign in the next week, in time for Yokohama's J-League season opener on March 6, the report said.
Nakamura turned down an offer from Yokohama last year and signed a two-year deal with Espanyol after his contract with Scotland's Celtic expired.
Nakamura has struggled with Espanyol this season and has been used sparingly, mostly off the bench.
Ronaldo offers support over tragedy on Madeira
MADRID — Cristiano Ronaldo says he is "shocked and dismayed" by the torrential flash floods and mudslides on his native island of Madeira that have killed 40 and injured 120 people.
The Real Madrid and Portugal winger says it's a "tragedy without precedent" and that "nobody can remain indifferent to the disaster."
Ronaldo offered his help on Sunday to the authorities involved in rescue work.
Heavy rain lashed the island Saturday, turning some streets in capital of Funchal into raging rivers of mud, water and debris. The storm — the worst to hit the island since 1993 — also displaced 250 people.
Xavi, Alves in Barcelona squad to play Stuttgart
BARCELONA, Spain — Midfielder Xavi Hernandez and defender Daniel Alves could return from injury in the opening leg of Barcelona's first knockout match in the Champions League at Stuttgart on Tuesday.
The two players were included Sunday in the defending European champions' squad after both had leg injuries, but Barcelona says neither has been cleared to play yet at VfB Arena.
Striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic was also included despite missing Barcelona's 4-0 win over Racing Santander in the Spanish league on Saturday because of an ankle injury.
Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola says Ibrahimovic's "ankle was swollen up, but the doctors reckon it will go down soon."
Udinese fires coach De Biasi, brings back Marino
UDINE, Italy — Udinese has fired Gianni De Biasi and brought back Pasquale Marino as coach with the Serie A club in danger of relegation.Udinese made the announcement on its Web site on Sunday, one day after a 3-0 loss at Genoa.
Marino was fired by Udinese in late December but the club has added only six points under De Biasi since then. Marino's reappointment is the 13th managerial change in the Serie A this season.
