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Soccer Capsules: Toluca and Morelia reach the Mexican semifinals
Comments 0 | Recommend 0MEXICO CITY — Toluca beat 12th seeded San Luis and Morelia rallied past Santos on Sunday to join Monterrey and Cruz Azul in the Mexican Apertura semifinals.
Chilean striker Hector Mancilla converted a Diego Novareti cross in the 79th minute at Nemesio Diez stadium to give Toluca a 1-0 win that leveled the two-leg quarterfinal series 1-1. Toluca advanced based on its superior record in the regular season.
Toluca, the first seed in the Mexican playoffs, avoided an early elimination for the second tournament in a row after it was bundled out of this years Clausura tournament by Ciudad Juarez.
"This is just a step, we need to beat another two teams to become champions. We will take it one step a time," said Toluca manager Jose Manuel de la Torre. "Our greatest asset was that we gave a great effort until the end, we knew that we could not afford to become desperate against a good team as San Luis".
At Morelos stadium, Brazilian Wilson Tiago, Miguel Sabah and Mauricio Romero scored goals as Monarcas defeated Santos 3-0 and progressed on a 4-2 aggregated.
Toluca will next meet Monterrey, which defeated America 2-1, while Cruz Azul, a 7-6 aggregate winner over Puebla, will play Monarcas.
Tiago scored from a seventh minute cross by Sabah, who push the lead to 2-0 with his goal in the 39th, and Romero sealed the win in the 84th.
On Saturday, Cesar Villaluz scored in the 19th, Julio Dominguez in the 34th and Fausto Pinto in the 52nd for Cruz Azul, which qualified for the semifinals for the third time in the last four seasons.
Cruz Azul, which has not won a league title since 1997, was the runner-up in the two 2008 tournaments.
"We know that this team needs a title, we are working on it, let's see what the future holds", said Cruz Azul manager Enrique Meza.
Andres Olivera scored twice for Puebla.
"They played better and are the rightful winners, I think that they are going to become champions", Puebla coach Jose Luis Sanchez said.
At estadio Azteca, goalkpeer Jonathan Orozco made key saves and Chilean striker Humberto Suazo scored with 10 minutes left in regulation to give Monterrey a 1-1 draw with America.
Paraguay striker Salvador Cabanas scored for the Eagles in the 52nd.
League Roundups
Chelsea beats Arsenal; Liverpool defeats Everton
LONDON — Didier Drogba scored twice as Chelsea maintained its five-point Premier League lead with a 3-0 victory at Arsenal on Sunday, while Liverpool's monthlong search for a league win ended with a 2-0 victory at Everton.
Drogba scored toward the end of each half to total 10 goals in nine games against Arsenal, whose defender Thomas Vermaelen also turned the ball into his own net at a rain-soaked Emirates Stadium.
"We are playing really well with great team spirit and we need to continue this," Chelsea captain John Terry said. "We soaked up the pressure, and going forward the midfielders and attackers were exceptional."
On Saturday, second-place Manchester United maintained the pressure on Chelsea by beating Portsmouth to go four points ahead of third-place Tottenham.
After a second straight loss, Arsenal is a point further adrift in the fourth Champions League spot, with Liverpool two points behind after Joseph Yobo's own-goal and Dirk Kuyt's late strike settled the 212th Merseyside derby at Everton.
Catching Chelsea is proving a tough task for the chasing pack, with a fifth straight league win strengthening its title bid.
While Arsenal dominated the first half of the London derby, Arsene Wenger's injury-hit side failed to take its chances.
"We lacked a little bit of the power in the final third," said Arsenal manager Arsenal Wenger, whose side also lost at Sunderland last weekend. "We have nothing to be ashamed of our performance today ... they have in Drogba an exceptional player."
With the break approaching, Ashley Cole crossed for Drogba to flick in his ninth goal in as many games off the far post in the 41st minute.
Arsenal barely had time to recover before John Terry combined with Ashley Cole, whose cross ricocheted off Vermaelen's knee past his own goalkeeper and went in off the post again.
Arsenal playmaker Andrei Arshavin put the ball in the net from close range in the second half, but it was ruled out because Eduardo da Silva was adjudged to have kicked the ball out of Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech's hands.
And Chelsea's emphatic win was rounded off in the 86th when Drogba side-footed a free kick past goalkeeper Manuel Almunia.
Liverpool's victory at Goodison Park owed much to Yobo's errors. The Everton center back inadvertently diverted Javier Mascherano's 30-meter (yard) strike past goalkeeper Tim Howard in the 12th minute, and another late mistake from Nigeria international led to Kuyt's goal.
Yobo's error on an attempted clearance in the 80th allowed Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard to seize the loose ball and tee up Albert Riera for a shot that was parried by Howard but then kicked into the net by Kuyt.
Liverpool's first league victory since Oct. 25 against Man. United was secured without injured striker Fernando Torres, and it helped lift some of the gloom surrounding the club in the wake of its elimination from the Champions League.
"It was an important game to move up the league," Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said. "We've not performed as well as we'd have liked this season. But we're the ones who can change that, with a couple of wins hopefully we can do that, but we still have a long way to go."
Everton's third straight loss leaves it two points above the relegation zone.
"I thought the players did a good job," Everton manager David Moyes said. "I've got encouragement from today but it doesn't change our position."
Everton striker Jo did find the back of the net twice but he was correctly judged to be offside both times.
Liverpool goalkeeper Pepe Reina almost handed Everton a soft goal when he fumbled Steven Pienaar's long-range shot and the ball dropped behind him before he quickly recovered it.
Reina made two crucial saves from Tim Cahill's header and Marouane Fellaini's follow-up.
Also Sunday, Lee Bowyer scored in the third minute to give Birmingham a 1-0 victory over Midlands rival Wolverhampton, which is in the relegation zone.
Flamengo takes lead in Brazil with 1 round left
SAO PAULO — Flamengo defeated Corinthians 2-0 Sunday to overtake defending champion Sao Paulo for the Brazilian league lead with one round of matches to go.
Midfielder Ze Roberto and defender Leo Moura scored in each half to put Flamengo in position to win its sixth title — and first since 1992.
Brazil's most popular club, Flamengo has 64 points, two more than Internacional, Palmeiras and Sao Paulo, which led the competition entering the round but slipped to fourth after a 4-2 loss to Goias.
Internacional kept its title hopes alive by beating Sport 2-1, while Palmeiras remained in the chase after a 3-1 victory over Atletico Mineiro in which playmaker Diego Souza scored from midfield.
Internacional leads the tiebreaker among the three teams because it has more victories, while Palmeiras edges Sao Paulo on goal difference.
Fluminense left the relegation zone for the first time in 28 matches with a 4-0 rout of Vitoria, leaving rival Botafogo in danger of relegation after a 2-0 loss to Atletico Paranaense.
In Flamengo's match against Corinthians, a fan invaded the field in second-half stoppage time and was confronted by one of the linesmen. The two exchanged punches and kicks until police intervened to get the fan away.
Flamengo took the lead for the first time with the win against Corinthians in Campinas. The traditional Rio de Janeiro club will secure the coveted title if it beats Gremio at Maracana next week.
The victory on Sunday came despite the absence of star striker Adriano, who burned his foot in a household accident.
Former Schalke midfielder Ze Roberto scored from inside the area in the 26th, while Moura sealed the victory with a controversial penalty in injury time.
Corinthians, out of contention for the title, played a man down from the 68th after defender Chicao was dismissed for a bad foul. It also played without striker Ronaldo from the 25th because of a muscle injury.
The team played with a jersey filled with small photos from supporters who paid to have their images stamped.
Sao Paulo, trying to win its fourth straight title and seventh overall, lost its lead after the defeat to Goias at Serra Dourada stadium in Goiania. It was the team's second loss in a row.
Striker Washington scored for Sao Paulo in the 15th and 70th, while Goias — which hadn't beaten Sao Paulo in four years — got on the board with Vitor in the 21st, Rithelly in the 37th, Fernandao in the 66th and Leo Lima in the 71st.
Internacional, whose last title was in 1979, moved from fourth to second in the 20-team standings by coming from behind to beat already relegated Sport 2-1 in Recife. Midfielder Andrezinho scored the winner in the 83rd.
Palmeiras' victory against sixth-place Atletico Mineiro at Palestra Italia stadium was marked by a stunning goal by playmaker Diego Souza, who scored from just in front of the midfield line.
After Atletico Mineiro Uruguayan goalkeeper Fabian Carini left his box to clear a breakaway, the ball went directly into Souza's direction and the midfielder struck a firm one-timer straight into the net.
Atletico Mineiro got on the board with Diego Tardelli, one of the competition's leading scorers with 19 goals along with Flamengo's Adriano.
Fifth-place Cruzeiro defeated Coritiba 4-1 in Curitiba and remains with a chance to earn one of the four spots available for the Copa Libertadores next year.
At the bottom of the standings, Fluminense left the relegation zone with the 4-0 win over Vitoria at Maracana stadium. Argentine midfielder Dario Conca scored two goals and former Lyon striker Fred added another for Fluminense.
Nautico was relegated after a 5-3 loss to Santo Andre in Santo Andre, joining Sport as the two teams going down so far. Botafogo, Santo Andre and Coritiba remain in danger.
The second division ended on Saturday with four-time national champion Vasco da Gama promoted to the top flight along with 1978 champion Guarani, Ceara and Atletico Goianiense. The four teams relegated to the third tier were Fortaleza, Campinense, ABC and Juventude, the 1999 Brazilian Cup winner.
-- Tales Azzoni
Barcelona beats Real Madrid 1-0 in Spanish classic
BARCELONA, Spain — Zlatan Ibrahimovic scored four minutes after coming on as a substitute Sunday to lead Barcelona to a 1-0 victory over Real Madrid and send the defending champion to the top of the Spanish league standings.
Moments after Barcelona's defense had denied a Gonzalo Higuain effort, Daniel Alves found Ibrahimovic at the far post with a lofted cross in the 56th minute and the Sweden striker never broke stride as he volleyed past Iker Casillas with his left foot in the highly-anticipated Spanish "clasico" match.
"Dani gave me a good cross, I just tried to hit the ball and it went in," Ibrahimovic said. "It's a very happy moment because it was my first 'clasico'."
Barcelona was then reduced to 10 men in the 63rd minute with a red card for Sergio Busquets, but the European champions battled on before the numbers were evened up by a 90th minute red card for Lassana Diarra.
Cristiano Ronaldo, making his first start in two months, had Madrid's best chance in the 20th minute, but was denied by Victor Valdes. Ronaldo's replacement, Karim Benzema, fired over the top with only Valdes to beat in the 80th minute.
"It was a very even game, and we had our chances," Madrid coach Manuel Pellegrini said. "We just didn't take advantage. I think we at least deserved a draw."
Barcelona leads the standings with 30 points, overtaking Madrid on 28. Sevilla is third with 26, followed by Valencia and Deportivo La Coruna, who are both on 25 points.
Ibrahimovic, who replaced Thierry Henry in the 52nd minute, let out a cry of "Vamos!" ("Let's Go!") as nearly 100,000 fans roared at the Camp Nou after the European champion's record signing marked his return from a hamstring injury with his eighth goal of the season.
"He changed the game," Barcelona coach Pep Guardiola said of his $65 million (€45 million) transfer, that also included Samuel Eto'o going to Inter Milan.
The elation came just after Carles Puyol had blocked Higuain's shot.
Ronaldo, who was returning from an ankle injury, threatened throughout before marking his exit in the 66th with a glancing header that went over the top.
But the Portugal winger will remember his early chance when Valdes stuck a leg out to save his shot from the right side of the area following an impressive setup by Kaka.
"We had a lot of chances, above all with Cristiano Ronaldo in the first half," Casillas said. "But we lacked accuracy."
Still, Ronaldo made an impact in his first Spanish league showdown with Lionel Messi, who is favored to take the player of the year awards from Ronaldo next month. Casillas denied Messi from close range in the 89th, sticking his left leg out to thwart the Argentina forward's best chance.
The cold, wet night marked the 110th anniversary of the Catalan club's founding, and the 159th meeting between the arch rivals took on added significance following Madrid's €250 million ($365 million) summer spending spree on the likes of Ronaldo, Kaka, Benzema and Xabi Alonso. The signings followed a record 6-2 defeat at the Bernabeu last season.
"This was a very good test," Guardiola said. "It's always difficult against Madrid but even more so when you go in as favorite and them as a big underdog. That's when Madrid is most dangerous."
Madrid made an assured start even if Henry had the first scoring chance after nine minutes after being released by Messi, but Casillas was down to cover the low shot from the left.
Madrid looked nothing like the disjointed side that had been struggling of late and enjoyed the better first half chances as it mostly looked to strike on the counter.
"I don't care about our image. What I care about is winning games," Casillas said. "Now it's them who see us in the rear-view mirror."
Kaka and Ronaldo combined well but were let down by Marcelo, who had his shot from inside the area blocked in the 26th minute. Madrid's constant pressure also helped keep Messi neutralized as the Argentine was pinned back.
With tension high in a match given Hollywood billing — it was also being shown live in cinemas across Spain — even the normally calm Andres Iniesta exchanged words with Ronaldo just before halftime following a sliding challenge.
Ibrahimovic looked set for a second in the 69th but Gerard Pique mistakenly headed a cross destined for the towering Swede wide. At the other end, Puyol again slid in to clear the danger inside the Barcelona area, this time as Benzema threatened.
Pellegrini brought striker Raul Gonzalez on for the last 20 minutes as Madrid pressed with the man advantage, and Barcelona defender Eric Abidal flashed a shot by the far post in the 75th.
"We never lost face," Guardiola said. "Even with 10, we still went looking to secure the win."
After lobbing over from inside the box, Benzema threatened with four minutes left but Barcelona's defense scrambled quickly again to clear and preserve its 61st win over its opponent — and third in a row.
Atletico Madrid climbed out of the relegation zone by beating Espanyol 4-0 with two goals from Sergio Aguero.
Deportivo La Coruna jumped to fifth place with 22 points with a 1-0 win at Racing Santander, while Athletic Bilbao maintained its recent strong form with a 4-1 win over Almeria 4-1.
Also, Roberto Soldado scored his second hat trick of the season to lead Getafe 5-1 over Xerez, Tenerife hit back from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 against Valladolid and Osasuna beat Zaragoza 1-0.
On Saturday, Sevilla drew 2-2 with Malaga, Mallorca drew 1-1 against Valencia and Sporting Gijon beat Villarreal 1-0.
-- Paul Logothetis
Inter Milan extends lead in Serie A
ROME — Diego Milito converted a late penalty to extend Inter Milan's lead in Serie A to seven points with a 1-0 win over Fiorentina on Sunday.
Inter is now trailed by city rival AC Milan, which moved above Juventus into second place following a 2-0 victory away to Catania. Juventus lost 2-0 at Cagliari.
At the San Siro, Inter's Milito converted a penalty five minutes from the end after being brought down by Gianluca Comotto.
In the late match, Milan needed two goals from Klaas Jan Huntelaar in injury time to snatch victory after a performance lacking in inspiration.
For Cagliari, Nene opened the scoring with a long range effort in the 30th minute that gave Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon no chance and Alessandro Matri added a second from a counter attack just a minute from time.
Inter is top with 35 points and Milan second on 28. Juventus is third with 27, three points and one place ahead of Sampdoria.
"This was a very important match and Inter played well," Inter coach Jose Mourinho said. "For 80 minutes my team played better and had the better scoring chances. We scored a fair goal and the referee ruled it out, but in the end the goal came."
Midfielder Sulley Muntari had the first chance of the match in the 14th minute, but fired into the side netting from short range after Milito had picked him out with a pass.
Both sides struggled to create chances in a physical first half and two weak Juan Vargas free kicks straight at Inter keeper Julio Cesar was the best that Fiorentina could produce.
Inter continued to dominate proceedings after halftime.
"The players played with confidence and showed no fear after the loss to Barcelona in the Champions League this week," Mourinho said. "We kept working till the 85th minute and then got our reward."
Walter Samuel had a header ruled out after Inter's Argentine defender was adjudged to have pulled Dario Dainelli's shirt.
Milito then missed a good chance in the 61st minute. Samuel Eto'o and Dejan Stankovic linked up and played the Argentine in behind the Fiorentina defense, but Milito shot wide.
Alberto Gilardino hit the post for Fiorentina after making space for himself eight minutes from time, before Milito was brought down by Comotto to win the spot kick.
"Milito didn't have the greatest game, but he was always available and scored a very difficult penalty for us," Mourinho said.
Late on, Eto'o was one on one with Sebastien Frey, but the Cameroon striker dithered before shooting and the keeper saved.
In Catania, neither side managed to create many scoring chances. Clarence Seedorf shot into the side netting from Milan's best opening and Marco Borriello forced Catania keeper Mariano Andujar into a sharp save from close range.
Giuseppe Bellusci fired wide with Catania's best chance, having been set up by Nicolas Spolli.
After the break, neither side displayed much inspiration in attack and shots from outside the area from Seedorf and Alexandre Pato were the best either side produced.
Strikers Filippo Inzaghi and Huntelaar came on to boost Milan's attack and in injury time the pair linked up for the Dutch striker to score the opener.
Less than a minute later Huntelaar scored his second by chipping Andujar from the edge of the area.
"We had to win today and in the end I had to score the goals," Huntelaar said. "I work hard to play and score — and I'm happy that they finally went in. I hope things get better after this."
Huntelaar's strikes are his first since joining the club in the close season. Since then it has been a difficult four months and there were rumors that he would be moving on in the January transfer window.
"I told everybody I play for Milan and I will fight for them," Huntelaar said. "Today was a great moment for me as I worked hard for this. You need some goals to get going and it was good to finally get them now."
At Cagliari, Diego had Juventus's best chance of the first half, but fired his free kick straight at goalkeeper Federico Marchetti.
The home side opened the scoring when Daniele Conti took a quick free kick and Nene blasted it past Juventus goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon from long range.
"In the first half we had some difficulties," Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara said. "But in the second we had a number of chances."
After halftime Juventus forward Amauri had a header ruled out for offside, while Cagliari felt it should have been awarded a penalty after Juve defender Martin Caceres handled in the area.
In the last minute, as Juventus was throwing men forward, Marchetti hit a long ball to Matri, who beat defender Fabio Cannavaro and raced through to slot the ball past Buffon.
"Of course I am disappointed with how far we are from Inter and with our performance today, but today we didn't deserve to lose. We did lack something going forward though and in particular down the flanks," Ferrara said.
Also Sunday, it was; Atalanta 1, AS Roma 2; Bari 2, Siena 1; Chievo Verona 1, Palermo 0; Lazio 0, Bologna 0; and Parma 1, Napoli 1.
Leverkusen beats Stuttgart to reclaim league lead
FRANKFURT — Stefan Kiessling scored hat trick Sunday to lead Bayer Leverkusen to a 4-0 win over Stuttgart to reclaim first place in the Bundesliga.
The win gave undefeated Leverkusen 30 points, three more than Werder Bremen after 14 rounds, while Kiessling raised his league-high season total to 12 goals.
Bremen had led for a day after a 2-2 draw at home Saturday against defending champion Wolfsburg.
In the late match Sunday, Ivica Olic scored one goal and set up another as Bayern Munich won 3-0 in Hannover to move into fourth place with 24 points. Schalke is third on 25.
Toni Kroos had a role in the first three goals and hit the post twice as Leverkusen dominated a Stuttgart side that produced one single chance. Stuttgart, the 2007 champion, is winless in its last seven Bundesliga games and remains stuck in 17th place, one above bottom.
"We played some first-class football today," Leverkusen coach Jupp Heynckes said.
Kiessling scored first in the 22nd minute from Kroos' free kick. Sami Hyypia rose at the far post and headed the ball down to Kiessling, who knocked it into the net from close range.
Kroos, who is on loan to Leverkusen from Bayern Munich, floated a long ball into space for Eren Derdiyok to head past goalkeeper Jens Lehmann in the 39th.
Kiessling made it 3-0 in the 59th, collecting a pass form Kroos to slot past Lehmann. The goalkeeper gave away a penalty when he downed Derdiyok, and Kiessling converted form the spot to complete the victory in the 87th.
Kiessling was given a standing ovation when he left the game shortly before the end. He was replaced by Patrick Helmes, who made his first appearance since tearing knee ligaments in June. He scored 21 goals last season.
"We showed today that we can play good football," Kiessling said. "We also didn't allow them many chances."
In the first home game since the suicide of its goalkeeper and captain Robert Enke less than three weeks ago, Hannover was convincingly beaten by Bayern, which produced one of its better performances this season.
"I saw a very strong midfield," coach Louis van Gaal said. "It's been a good week for us."
Olic provided the cross for Thomas Mueller to score in the 19th minute at the far post.
Bayern goalkeeper Joerg Butt made a good save from Jan Rosenthal, and then turned away a powerful shot by Constant Djakpa.
Olic doubled Bayern's lead in the 47th minute, connecting with a cross from Danijel Pranjic after a bad clearance by Hannover.
Hannover's Arnold Bruggink and Mike Hanke missed chances and Enke's replacement Florian Fromlowitz denied Mueller before Mario Gomez scored in the 90th minute to seal the victory.
Italy striker Luca Toni, who is in dispute with Van Gaal, sat out the match on the bench.
On Saturday, defender Per Mertesacker scored in the second minute of injury time as Werder Bremen rallied to draw 2-2 with Wolfsburg.
Mertesacker's header from close range after a corner from Mesut Oezil stretched Werder's unbeaten run to 21 games in all competitions.
Edin Dzeko scored both goals for visiting Wolfsburg, which led twice, while Hugo Almeida had the first goal for Werder.
Also Saturday, Borussia Moenchengladbach edged Schalke 1-0 and promoted Mainz came from behind to draw 1-1 at home against Hamburg, which is now winless in six games.
Three teams won on the road — Borussia Dortmund edged 10-man Hoffenheim 2-1, Freiburg won 1-0 over Nuremberg and Eintracht Frankfurt beat bottom-place Hertha Berlin 3-1.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Bordeaux beats Nancy 3-0 to lead French league
PARIS — Defending champion Bordeaux beat Nancy 3-0 to go top of the French league on Sunday.
Bordeaux, which bounced back from two straight league losses, leads the standings with 28 points from 14 matches, two clear of Lyon, which drew 1-1 with mid-table Rennes.
Despite missing France playmaker Yoann Gourcuff due to a groin injury, Bordeaux took the lead in the 25th minute in Nancy, Yoan Gouffran pulling the ball back for Fernando Menegazzo to score with a low shot.
Brazilian midfielder Geraldo Wendel skipped past two Nancy defenders before chipping goalkeeper Gennaro Bracigliano for Bordeaux's second in the 61st minute and Gouffran sealed the win with an angled shot which flew in off the post in the 75th.
Nancy slipped to 16th place with 17 points.
In Lyon, Asamoah Gyan took advantage of a missed interception from Jean-Alain Boumsong to collect a through ball from Guinea forward Ismael Bangoura and put Rennes ahead with a low angled drive in the 15th minute. Gyan's eighth goal of the season made him the league's second highest scorer, one goal behind Monaco's Nene.
Lyon stepped up the pressure on the Rennes defense with a long-range effort from Cris in the 25th minute and a free kick from Bosnia midfielder Miralem Pjanic in the 29th, both of which sailed wide.
Pjanic then beat the offside trap in the 34th to go clear on goal, only to be denied by Rennes keeper Abdoulaye Diallo.
Argentine forward Lisandro Lopez made up for his teammate's poor finishing with a pinpoint curling free kick from 25 meters to equalize for Lyon in the 42nd minute and raise his league tally to five goals.
Either side could have won the match in the closing minutes. France goalkeeper Hugo Lloris saved Lyon from defeat in the 82nd when he stopped a close-range shot from Bruno Cheyrou with his leg.
Lyon nearly won the match in the 89th but Diallo tipped Bafetimbi Gomis's powerful strike against the bar.
Meanwhile, Saint-Etienne was held 1-1 at Le Mans.
Anthony Le Tallec equalized with a 73rd minute header for Le Mans after Brazilian striker Araujo Ilan tucked home a cross from Bakary Sako in the 18th to open the scoring for Saint-Etienne.
Le Mans ended a four-game losing streak with the draw but remained in the relegation zone with nine points, five behind Saint-Etienne.
Auxerre lost top spot with a 1-0 defeat at Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday. Jeremy Clement's second-half goal ended Auxerre's seven-match winning streak.
Auxerre, now third, is level on points with Lyon while PSG has moved up to 12th with 19 points from 13 matches. But PSG paid a high price for the win as goalkeeper Gregory Coupet was carried off on a stretcher in the 85th minute after breaking his left ankle.
Coupet underwent surgery Sunday and will be sidelined for at least three months, the club said on its Web site.
Also Saturday, it was: Lorient 2, Grenoble 2; Lens 1, Marseille 0; Lille 4, Valenciennes 0; Sochaux 1, Nice 0 and Toulouse 1, Boulogne 0.
Monaco's match against Montpellier was postponed after an outbreak of swine flu hit the Montpellier squad.
-- Trung Latieule
Ajax wins 5-1 at Vitesse to stay 6 points off lead
AMSTERDAM — Marko Pantelic scored three goals Sunday to lead Ajax to a 5-1 comeback win at Vitesse Arnhem and stay within six points of Dutch league leader FC Twente.
Dalibor Stevanovic put Vitesse ahead in the fourth minute before Luis Suarez played in Pantelic for the equalizer 15 minutes later.
Pantelic headed left back Vurnon Anita's cross to give Ajax the lead in the 23rd. Belgium defender Toby Alderweireld set up Pantelic for the third in the 50th, and Suarez beat an offside trap to send substitute Keddedy Bakircioglu clear in the 69th.
Midfielder Ismail Aissati's solo goal made it 5-1 in the 73rd as Ajax secured only its first win at Vitesse in four seasons.
Twente won 3-1 at Willem II on Saturday, extending its unbeaten run to 15 games.
Twente, led by former England coach Steve McClaren, has 41 points, two ahead of PSV Eindhoven, which also maintained its unbeaten start to the season with a 3-2 win at Sparta Rotterdam on Friday. Ajax is third with 35, seven more than Feyenoord, which beat ADO The Hague 2-0 after goals by Ron Vlaar and Andwele Slory.
Defending champion AZ Alkmaar improved to sixth after beating VVV-Venlo 2-0 Saturday, while Heracles Almelo defeated Roda JC 3-2. Also Saturday, SC Heerenveen beat last-place RKC Waalwijk 3-1.
Later Sunday, it was: FC Utrecht 3, NAC Breda 1 and FC Groningen 2, NEC Nijmegen 2.
AZ improved to fifth after beating VVV-Venlo 2-0 Saturday, while Heracles Almelo defeated Roda JC 3-2. Also Saturday, SC Heerenveen beat last-place RKC Waalwijk 3-1.
Later Sunday, it's: FC Utrecht vs. NAC Breda and FC Groningen vs. NEC Nijmegen.
Olympiakos beats Panathinaikos, takes league lead
ATHENS, Greece — Costas Mitroglou scored both goals Sunday to give Olympiakos a 2-0 victory over rival Panathinaikos and the lead in the Greek league standings.
Mitroglou put Olympiakos ahead in first-half injury time with a shot from close range, and then added the second in the 54th by converting a cross from Jaouad Zairi.
The win puts the defending champion one point ahead of Panathinaikos, with 30 points from 12 games.
Olympiakos had the first good scoring chance in the ninth minute when a powerful shot by Italian midfielder Enzo Maresca forced goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas to palm the ball away.
In the 30th, it was Panathinaikos' turn to squander a chance when a shot by Dimitris Salpingidis grazed Antonis Nikopolidis' crossbar.
Four minutes later, Nikopolidis pushed a blistering shot by Loukas Vyntra over the bar.
Panathinaikos came close to narrowing the gap through Djibril Cisse in the 65th, but Nikopolidis saved the shot with an extended arm.
Also Sunday it was: Larissa 1, Kavala 0; Panthrakikos 0, Levadiakos 2; Aris 1, Panionios 1 and Atromitos 2, Giannena 1.
Porto beats Rio Ave 2-1 in Portuguese league
LISBON, Portugal — FC Porto beat Rio Ave 2-1 on Sunday to keep in touch with Portuguese league pacesetters Benfica and Braga.
An 85th-minute goal from Silvestre Varela gave Porto victory after Rio Ave's Joao Tomas had equalized in the first half following Hulk's opener.
Benfica leads the standings with 26 points, Braga has 25, FC Porto 23 and Nacional 18.
In Sunday's other games Academica beat Setubal 3-0, Pacos Ferreira drew 1-1 with Leixoes and Belenenses drew 2-2 with Maritimo.
On Saturday Benfica moved one point clear of Braga after drawing 0-0 against Sporting in the Lisbon derby. Sporting's struggles continued as it remained 11 adrift of Benfica with 15 points.
Braga can take back top spot with victory against Leiria on Monday.
Also Saturday, Nacional drew 1-1 against Naval.
Guimaraes beat Olhanense 2-0 on Friday.
FC Copenhagen beats FC Midtjylland 2-0
COPENHAGEN — Atiba Hutchinson and Dame N'Doye scored Sunday to lead FC Copenhagen to a 2-0 win over FC Midtjylland and retain second place in the Danish league.
Hutchinson gave the defending champions a fifth-minute lead after receiving a pass from William Kvist. N'Doye secured the win with an 88th-minute goal from a pass by Oscar Wendt.
FC Copenhagen is second with 34 points from 17 games. Odense, which will play Koge on Monday, leads with 35 points after 16 games.
Earlier Sunday, Randers FC drew 0-0 with SonderjyskE and Silkeborg beat FC Nordsjalland 1-0 after a goal by Christian Holst in the 77th minute.
On Saturday, Esbjerg drew 1-1 with Aalborg to stay third in the standings with 32 points.
Melbourne extends A-League lead
SYDNEY — Striker Archie Thompson scored twice as Melbourne outclassed Gold Coast United 4-0 to open a five-point lead atop Australia's A-League.
The Victory's buffer was aided by nearest rival Sydney losing 3-1 at Newcastle. In other games, Central Coast was held to a 0-0 draw by Perth, North Queensland moved off the bottom with a 2-1 win over Adelaide, and Brisbane downed Wellington 4-1.
Melbourne coach Ernie Merrick rated the performance as complete as any his side had produced all season.
"We've suffered two pretty bad defeats at home and we wanted to atone for that ... we kept a clean sheet, we attacked well, it was good to see the combinations working so well up front," Merrick said.
Gold Coast remains in third, six points behind Melbourne but with a gulf between them on the pitch.
"When you say miracle, it's more likely that the predictable will happen and that's what happened," coach Miron Bleiberg said.
Newcastle's English striker Michael Bridges scored a pair of goals, including a 24th-minute penalty, in the win over Sydney.
The former Leeds star added his second goal in the 51st minute and captain Matt Thompson gave Newcastle a 3-0 lead seven minutes later. Alex Brosque scored Sydney's only goal in the 75th minute.
Reinaldo scored twice as Brisbane beat Wellington to end a four-game home winless streak.
On Friday, Perth and Central Coast played a scoreless draw despite the Mariners being in hot scoring form with nine goals in their past two matches.
North Queensland Fury rebounded from last week's hammering by Central Coast, beating Adelaide 2-1, with former Liverpool star Robbie Fowler scoring the eventual winning goal in the 67th minute.
Adelaide put pressure on the Fury's newly promoted goalkeeper Justin Pasfield in the opening minutes of the game with two attempts on goal that led him to make desperate saves. But the visitors' only goal came from substitute Cristiano in stoppage time.
"Just the effort from the boys was fantastic and just to get the three points is what we wanted," Pasfield said.
Adelaide assistant coach Phil Stubbins said it was a bad result for the club, which dropped to last place.
"We just fell short again," Stubbins said. "The first half was not as good a performance as we had hoped for."
Kashima a win away from J-League title
KASHIMA, Japan — Kashima Antlers thrashed title rival Gamba Osaka 5-1 on the weekend to move within one win of a third straight J-League championship.
Shinzo Koroki scored twice as Kashima dominated 10-man Gamba to open a two-point lead atop the standings heading into the final round.
Takuya Nozawa and substitutes Yuzo Tashiro and Danilo also also scored for Kashima which is bidding for an unprecedented third consecutive title.
Second-placed Kawasaki Frontale ensured the race for the title will come down to the final week with a 1-0 win over Albirex Niigata, thanks to a 71st-minute goal from North Korean striker Chong Tese.
In the final round next weekend, Kashima is away at sixth-placed Urawa Red Diamonds, while Kawasaki visits already relegated Kashiwa Reysol. Second-placed Kawasaki has a three-goal better goal difference.
Gamba needed a win at Kashima to stay alive in the title race, but despite the defeat, it secured third place and a spot in next year's Asian Champions League after Urawa Reds lost at Kyoto Sanga.
Elsewhere, Kashiwa failed in its bid to avoid relegation. Needing a win at Omiya Ardija, it fell behind to Hayato Hashimoto's goal with 13 minutes remaining. Brazilian striker Franca equalized, but Kashiwa will be joining Oita Trinita and JEF United Chiba in the second division next year.
Kyoto substitute Hiroki Nakayama guaranteed his team's first division status for next season by heading in the winner 18 minutes from time in the 1-0 win over Urawa.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima's Hisato Sato scored his 13th goal of the season his side a 1-0 win at Jubilo Iwata, while goals in each half from Yoshizumi Ogawa and Magnum earned Nagoya Grampus a 2-0 win over Montedio Yamagata.
FC Tokyo edged Vissel Kobe 1-0 thanks to Daishi Hiramatsu's 88th-minute winner.
In Sunday's games, Yokohama F Marinos beat Shimizu S-Pulse 2-0 while Oita defeated JEF by the same score.
Elsewhere
Brazilian president backs England's World Cup bid
LONDON — England's bid to host the World Cup in 2018 has been boosted by Brazil's president offering his support ahead of a crucial week of campaigning.
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, whose country will stage the 2014 World Cup, believes England deserves to stage the tournament again after having not staged football's biggest event since 1966.
"Now is the time for the UK to host a FIFA cup again," Silva said Sunday on Britain's Channel Four News. "England will always have the competence and will always be a country that will have a great force, great strength to win bid for the FIFA cup."
The endorsement came a day after FIFA vice president Jack Warner performed a U-turn by backing England.
The bidding nations will be pushing their cases in South Africa next week ahead of the World Cup draw on Friday — and a year before the vote by FIFA's 24-man executive committee.
England's campaign, which has been rocked by weeks of internal infighting, will be relying on David Beckham's star quality in Cape Town to woo voters next week.
David Triesman, chairman of England's Football Association and the bid board, said Silva's support is "really important."
"He's been a huge a fan, a huge advocate of English football — he loves it," Triesman said. "When he made his state visit he made a joke that we might have introduced Brazil to football and taught them how to do it, but they'd become the teachers and we'd become the pupils."
While England's resources are focused on staging the 2018 tournament, it is also entered in the 2022 race. FIFA will vote on both hosts in December 2010.
England's bid chairman, David Triesman, says the Brazilian president's backing is "really important."
The other contenders are Russia, United States, Australia, Japan and joint bids from Netherlands-Belgium and Spain-Portugal.
Barcelona's Ibrahimovic happy with 'clasico' debut
BARCELONA, Spain — Scoring the winner in Barcelona's 1-0 victory over Real Madrid on his Spanish 'clasico' debut Sunday was the perfect way for Zlatan Ibrahimovic to return from an injury layoff.
Daniel Alves found Ibrahimovic at the far post with a lofted cross in the 56th minute and the Sweden striker never broke stride as he volleyed past Iker Casillas with his left foot in the high-profile game between Spain's arch rivals.
"It's a very happy moment because it was my first 'clasico'," Ibrahimovic said. "It was a fantastic atmosphere, I'm really happy."
Ibrahimovic beat Casillas at the near post only four minutes after coming for Thierry Henry, playing his first game in three weeks before nearly 100,000 fans at the Camp Nou stadium.
"When you come into a game from the bench it's not easy because the first sprint that you do, you are very tired because your pulse is like 200," the 28-year-old Swede said. "But Dani gave me a good cross, I just tried to hit the ball and it went in."
Ibrahimovic's eighth league goal — he trails only Valencia striker David Villa by two — also allowed Barcelona to overtake Madrid and move two points clear at the top of the standings.
"It was very important because we played at home and now we are first in the competition and we should bring this to the next game," the former Ajax player said. "I'm very happy that I came in because I had an injury for 10-15 days and had a hamstring (problem). But it went well."
Although the victory guarantees nothing for the defending champion's chase for another league title, Ibrahimovic's strike secured a valuable win against the new-look Madrid — which featured Cristiano Ronaldo, Kaka and Karim Benzema.
"I think Madrid also came here to win, (while) some come to defend," said Ibrahimovic, Barcelona's record signing after arriving from Inter Milan in a swap for Samuel Eto'o that also included $66 million (€45 million) going to the Italians.
In terms of classic derby matches, Ibrahimovic said this one was tops.
"Inter-Milan is also a big derby with a lot of feelings, a lot of emotions. (But) I think this one is more international, bigger than Inter-Milan, with more people watching the game," Ibrahimovic said.
-- Paul Logothetis
Blatter: Not Henry's duty to tell ref of handball
PARIS — FIFA president Sepp Blatter says it wasn't Thierry Henry's responsibility to tell the referee he handled the ball in the buildup to France's goal against Ireland in the World Cup playoff.
Henry handled the ball in the lead-up to William Gallas' equalizer in a 1-1 draw at Stade de France on Nov. 18 that gave France a 2-1 aggregate win and a place at next year's World Cup at the expense of the Irish.
Blatter was quoted as saying in Sunday's edition of L'Equipe newspaper that it wasn't his Henry's "responsibility to tell the referee (Martin Hansson) " and that "the referee should have taken the time to reflect rather than immediately awarding the goal."
Blatter said he called Henry because the Barcelona striker had tried to phone him.
Valencia's Silva out for month with knee injury
MADRID — Valencia midfielder David Silva will not play again until early next year because of a knee injury.
Silva strained knee ligaments during his side's 1-1 draw with Mallorca in the Spanish league on Saturday and was substituted after 30 minutes.
Valencia doctor Jorge Candel says "it could have been worse" and "if this knee wasn't so strong there could have been a tear."
Candel said Sunday that Silva will not play for the next four weeks, but is optimistic the player will return to action in early January. Valencia hosts Espanyol on Jan. 3 after the winter break.
The Spain international is likely to miss games against Lille in the Europa League and Real Madrid in the Spanish league among others.
Messi leads shortlist of 10 for Golden Ball award
PARIS — Lionel Messi has been selected among four Barcelona players on a shortlist of 10 for the Golden Ball award.
The Argentina forward was included Sunday along with teammates Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta on the list by France Football magazine.
Messi is the favorite to succeed Real Madrid winger Cristiano Ronaldo, who is also on the list, as the best player in Europe. The winner will be announced on Tuesday.
Restricted to players in Europe, the annual Golden Ball winner is decided by a poll of football journalists compiled by the magazine.
The other players on the list are Didier Drogba (Chelsea), Samuel Eto'o (Inter Milan), Steven Gerrard (Liverpool), Kaka (Real Madrid) and Wayne Rooney (Manchester United).
Chelsea begins FA Cup defense against Watford
LONDON — Chelsea's FA Cup defense will begin in the third round against second-tier side Watford on the weekend of Jan. 2-3.
Liverpool will travel to Reading, which also plays in the League Championship, while Manchester United was drawn to face either Leeds or non-league Kettering, which drew 1-1 in the second round on Sunday.
In all-Premier League matchups, 2005 winner Arsenal travels to West Ham, Aston Villa hosts Blackburn and Hull is at Wigan.
Everton, which lost to Chelsea in the May final, hosts League One side Carlisle.
Soccer violence results in 85 arrests in Germany
FRANKFURT — German authorities say 85 people were arrested and at least nine were injured when soccer fans fought each other and police in three cities over the weekend.
Police said on Sunday that the disturbances involving supporters of several Bundesliga clubs occurred in Berlin, Bochum and Bielefeld.
A match between the youth teams of Schalke and Borussia Dortmund had to be abandoned after 25 minutes because of fighting between rival fans.
Inter Milan fan in coma
MILAN — An Inter Milan fan is in a coma at a hospital in the city after falling from the second tier of seats at the San Siro on Sunday.
The supporter jumped on to the edge of the safety railing when celebrating Diego Milito's 85th minute penalty against Fiorentina and a late chance for Samuel Eto'o immediately afterward, ANSA news agency reported.
The 36-year-old man was in a serious condition by the time he was taken away from the stadium in an ambulance.
Milito's strike allowed reigning champion Inter to beat Fiorentina 1-0 and stretch its lead at the top of Serie A.
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