Soccer Capsules: Monterrey keeps rolling; Chivas loses again
MEXICO CITY — Abraham Carreno scored the winner Saturday as defending champion Monterrey defeated Club America 2-1 to improve to 35 points and the top record in Mexico's Clausura tournament.
The victory came as Chivas Guadalajara lost 2-0 to Atlas. Chivas was the best team in the nation until a few weeks ago, but has now lost three straight.
The club has struggled since its top five players, including Javier Hernandez, who is negotiating a transfer next season to Manchester United, joined Mexico's World Cup training camp.
In other games Saturday: Jaguares 1, Indios 0; Queretaro 1, Estudiantes 0; Atlas 1, Tigres 2; Pachuca 1, Toluca 1.
Angel Reyna gave America a 1-0 lead in the 26th, but Sergio Santana equalized in the 54th with Carreno getting the winner in the 70th. He entered in the 33rd as a substitute for Aldo De Nigris.
America stayed on 22 points.
In Guadalajara, Hebert Alferez scored in the 14th and 67th in Atlas' victory over struggling Chivas. Altlas played with 10 men after Diego Jimenez was sent off in the 36th.
Leobardo Lopez gave Pachuca a 1-0 lead in the 26th with Manuel Perez equalizing from a free kick in the 38th for Toluca.
The other three matches involved teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention.
Antonio Salazar scored for Jaguares in its 1-0 victory, Isaac Romo scored for Queretaro and Francisco Acuna got both goals in Tigres' 2-1 victory over Atlante.
U.S. Soccer
Angel leads Red Bulls past FC Dallas 2-1
HARRISON, N.J. — Juan Pablo Angel scored his first two goals of the season in the second half, the second on a penalty kick in the final minute of regulation, giving the New York Red Bulls a 2-1 win over FC Dallas Saturday night.
The Red Bulls (3-1-0) remained unbeaten in their new $200 million home, Red Bull Arena. The team has won two in MLS action, while also capturing an international friendly with Santos of Brazil last month.
"No doubt, we would have lost this one last year," Angel said. "We came out flat and let them score. They had more chances, yet we ended up winning the game. It was one of those ugly games, but we’ll take the result."
The Red Bulls, who won five games in 2009, didn’t win their third match last season until August 23.
The game was played before 13,667 fans, considerably less than the 24,572 who came to the Red Bulls’ MLS debut in their home opener March 27 against Chicago.
"It’s not easy being out there with a penalty kick that late, especially after missing the first one," said Angel, who has now scored a franchise-best 47 goals. "I knew that this was the last chance, so I had to make sure I made it."
The game-winning score was set up when FC Dallas defender Daniel Hernandez took down Sinisa Ubiparipovic in the penalty area. Angel, who missed a penalty kick in the 64th minute, converted his second chance.
FC Dallas (0-1-2) scored in the 10th minute, when Heath Pearce took the ball at the right wing and made a perfect right-footed cross to McCarty, whose header went past Red Bull goalkeeper Bouna Coundoul for the 1-0 lead. It was McCarty’s fourth career goal and his second against the Red Bulls.
The Red Bulls tied the game in the 56th minute, when Joel Lindpere brought the ball up the left flank, splitting two FC Dallas defenders, then making a drop pass back to Angel, who knocked it home.
Coundoul had a spectacular game in goal for New York, making six acrobatic saves in the second half.
"He was top class today," Red Bulls head coach Hans Backe said. "He saved a couple that I thought were crossing the line. Bouna kept us in the game when we could have easily lost. He made some key saves."
Dynamo blank Chivas USA 3-0
HOUSTON — Geoff Cameron, Lovel Palmer and Dominic Oduro scored goals and the Houston Dynamo shut out Chivas USA 3-0 on Saturday.
The Dynamo got two saves from Pat Onstad and extended their home unbeaten streak against Chivas USA to eight games (6-0-2).
Chivas is winless in 10 straight games overall against Houston and has not beaten the Dynamo since a 3-2 win in California on Aug. 26, 2006.
In the 12th minute, just seconds after missing a shot of his own, Corey Ashe sent a pass up the middle for Cameron. Cameron got past two defenders, got the pass and fired a shot past Zach Thornton and inside the right post for a 1-0 lead.
Palmer, in his first start for the Dynamo, made it 2-0 eight minutes later when he fired from 25 yards away and beat Thornton high into the right corner of the net.
Oduro capped the scoring when he took a pass from Brad Davis and beat Thornton in the 64th minute. Mike Chabala finished with two assists.
India’s Chhetri brings rock-star status to Wizards
KANSAS CITY, Kan. — The news came in a single line in the list of the day’s sports transactions: KANSAS CITY WIZARDS — Added F Sunil Chhetri to the 24-man roster.
The move barely registered with most American sports fans, while it was probably somewhat exciting to a small portion of the most knowledgeable soccer followers; nowhere near David Beckham but still kind of cool.
Back in India, however, Chhetri’s signing was monumental. Front-page news, can-you-believe-it, call-your-friends big.
One of the biggest stars in the world’s second-most populated country — 1.1 billion people and counting — became the first player from his country to sign with Major League Soccer, to go through a door the people of India hope will stay open.
"He’s a rock star, absolutely," said Raghu Sardhr, an Indian attending the University of Missouri-Kansas City, where Chhetri played his first game for the Wizards. "The people back in India love him. It was really, really big news."
Sunil Chhetri (pronounced Soo-neel CHeh-tree) was little more than a name on a list when he first popped up on Kansas City’s radar.
The Wizards, like most MLS teams, receive dozens of letters, video links and DVDs each month from players seeking a chance to play professional soccer. The Kansas City staff feels guilty about not giving everyone a chance, so they take a look.
Chhetri immediately caught their eye, even in the limited video clips they were able to obtain. Find a way to get him to the United States and we’ll give him a shot is what they told representatives from the Indian team.
After Chhetri made it to Arizona for a training camp with the Wizards, it was clear he could play.
Blurry-fast feet. Nose for the goal. Connected with the other players on the attack almost instantly. Good instincts, able to adapt to the team’s style of play without thinking about it. Quick to get the ball ahead instead of holding it too long. Hits well with both feet, uses his entire body to strike it. Pretty good in the air at 5-foot-7.
This guy, the one the Wizards players thought was a local kid, the coaches only knew from a list, could really play.
Even better, Chhetri had a burning intensity to go with his talent.
"We learned he’s extremely competitive, has a desire to be successful and when you have that, you can get a lot out of a guy," Wizards coach Peter Vermes said. "If someone has the talent and they don’t have the fire in the belly, so to speak, every day you’re struggling to get those guys going. This guy just gets it."
What the Wizards didn’t realize was just how big he was back in India.
Chhetri has been a regular on the Indian national team since 2004, scoring 16 goals in 35 appearances. His most famous moment came in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup final against Tajikistan, where he scored three goals to send India to the Asian Cup for the first time since 1984.
The reaction in India to Chhetri’s move to the U.S. has been like what happened in Japan nine years ago when Ichiro Suzuki switched to Major League Baseball, just without the round-the-clock TV coverage — at least not yet.
The Wizards held the news conference for his signing at 9:30 p.m. local time so it could be broadcast in India. The team has doubled its Facebook friends to 12,000 since he joined the team, many of them posting photos of their favorite star, some saying his signing will bring more fans to MLS than Beckham ever did.
Rob Johnson, Kansas City’s vice president of communications, has been inundated with calls from media members in India, often at 3 or 4 a.m. because of the time difference.
"It’s really blown us away, not only the amount of the interest but the depth of the interest, kind of all things Sunil," said Greg Cotton, chief operating officer of the Wizards’ parent company, OnGoal. "But he is the face of Indian soccer. A lot of the Indian press has told us that they believe Sunil is going to be the one who’s going to bring Indian soccer to the rest of the world. That’s pretty exciting when you hear stuff like that."
Back in India, dozens of stories have been written about Chhetri’s monumental move, treating every development — a goal during training was front-page news — as if it were a lunar landing. Chhetri has done close to 150 interviews since agreeing to terms with the Wizards on March 25 and another live feed to India is expected this week.
The Times of India, a newspaper with over 10 million readers, printed the Wizards’ news release verbatim when it was announced that Chhetri would start Tuesday night’s game against Colorado in the U.S. Open Cup.
"We’ve called him the Michael Jordan of India, but I don’t think we still really appreciate how big he is," Wizards defender Jimmy Conrad said. "It’s a country of 1 billion and everybody knows his name. That alone puts him a little different stratosphere."
Just don’t expect Chhetri to feel the pressure.
Soccer doesn’t have nearly the fervent following in India as cricket does, but it’s still much bigger there than in the U.S. An estimated 80 million viewers tune in to watch English Premier League games on TV and Indian national-team members are like national heroes.
Chhetri accepts the expectations of a nation, he just won’t let them weigh him down. He worked too hard to get this opportunity, still has so much he wants to do.
The focus that got Chhetri here will keep his eyes on the goal as the attention swirls around him.
"I haven’t given anyone my telephone number, I’ve tried to keep to myself because all of this is like added pressure," Chhetri said. "I try not to think about these things. The only thing I was thinking about when I got here was to give my best and make the most of this opportunity."
Sardhr and the rest of India’s soccer fans are counting on it.
He and four other Indian students watched Tuesday’s game from the stands, then worked their way behind a fence to a sidewalk leading to the Wizards locker room. After 10 minutes of furtive, excited glances toward the door, they saw Chhetri walk out.
Their eyes lit up and so did his when he looked up to find a group of his countrymen waiting. They chatted for a few minutes and snapped a photo together before Chhetri walked off toward the team bus, leaving the students with huge grins and an amazing story to tell the people back home.
"We’d love to see more Indians come here and I think this will open the door," Sardhr said. "He’s one of the best if not the best in India, so they’re excited."
That, as the Wizards found out, is a huge understatement.
-- Joh Marshall
League News
Man United cuts Chelsea lead to 1 point
LONDON — Manchester United moved within a point of Chelsea in the Premier League title race on Saturday thanks to Paul Scholes' injury time winner in a 1-0 victory at Manchester City and Tottenham's 2-1 triumph over the leader.
Scholes' header at City gave Alex Ferguson's team 76 points from 35 games, and first-half goals by Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale spurred Tottenham on to a win which leaves Chelsea with 77 from 35 with three rounds to go. Chelsea captain John Terry was sent off in the second half before Frank Lampard replied in injury time.
The victory also lifted Spurs, which also beat Arsenal 2-1 on Wednesday, into fourth place above Man City and Harry Redknapp's team now has a two-point advantage in the race for a Champions League spot.
"To come back as they have to turn in two unbelievable performances against Arsenal and Chelsea today is top class," said Redknapp, whose team has won seven of its last eight league games. "We well deserved to win tonight, there's no doubt about it. We were the better team today."
Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti said his team fell below its recent form but still had the lead at the top of the standings.
"The important thing is to maintain the lead at the top of the league," he said. "It is only one point and only three games (to play) but the title is still in our hands. We don't have to be afraid, we have to stay calm and look for the next game against Stoke."
Both teams missed chances in the Manchester derby at Eastlands before Scholes was left unmarked in the City area to head home a cross from Patrice Evra in the third minute of stoppage time.
"We deserved to win the match, no question. But I couldn't see a goal coming," United manager Alex Ferguson said. "I decided to put Scholes a bit further forward and it paid off. He was man-of-the-match today. He was wonderful, he's such a skillful player."
The victory put pressure on Chelsea, which was four points ahead at the start of the day.
Tottenham went ahead from the penalty spot in the 15th minute when Terry was ruled to have handled and Defoe fired home the spot kick. It was 2-0 just before halftime when Bale fired past goalkeeper Petr Cech and his near post.
Terry was sent off for a second yellow card midway through the second half which means he misses Chelsea's next game against Stoke.
Promoted last season through the playoffs, next-to-last Burnley looks likely to return to the League Championship after a 2-1 loss at Sunderland.
First-half strikes by strikers Fraizer Campbell and Darren Bent, who scored his 23rd league goal of the season, put Sunderland in control at the Stadium of Light.
Burnley, which replied through Steven Thompson in the 82nd minute, is still four points from safety with three games to play. West Ham, which is 17th, visits Liverpool on Monday.
Hull also remains deep in trouble in 18th place despite a 0-0 draw at Birmingham. Iain Dowie's team has one more point than Burnley but has four games left.
Tim Cahill scored a last-minute winner in Everton's 3-2 victory at Blackburn.
Mikel Arteta gave the visitors the lead with a fourth-minute penalty after he had been brought down by Ryan Nelsen. Steve Nzonzi equalized in the 69th and, although Ayegbeni Yakubu made it 2-1 to Everton 10 seconds after he entered the game in the 79th minute, Jason Roberts scored in the 81st for 2-2.
Matt Taylor scored two goals in the last six minutes as Bolton won 2-1 at Stoke to secure Premier League safety, and Wolves edged closer with a 0-0 draw at Fulham.
Third-place Arsenal is not in action until Sunday when it goes to relegation-threatened Wigan. Aston Villa goes to already relegated last-place Portsmouth.
Norwich captured promotion from third-tier League One a year after it was relegated, and Notts County and Rochdale went up from League Two. It was Rochdale's first promotion in 41 years; the team had stayed in the fourth tier since 1974.
Stevenage will join the Football League for the first time next season after gaining promotion from the Conference following a 2-0 victory at Kidderminster.
-- Robert Millward
Espanyol holds Barcelona 0-0 in Spanish league
MADRID — Barcelona was held to a 0-0 draw at Espanyol after being reduced to 10 men in a high-tempo Catalan derby Saturday to drop two valuable points in the Spanish league title race.
With 84 points, Barcelona still leads the standings, although Real Madrid can cut the difference to one point if it beats third-place Valencia on Sunday.
Espanyol is 12th on 38 points.
"The derby isn't an ordinary game, there's a lot of rivalry involved," said Espanyol defender Francisco Chica. "We wanted to work hard and that's what we did."
Earlier, Sevilla improved its chances of qualifying for a Champions League spot by beating nine-man Sporting Gijon 3-0. Villarreal moved into the European places as it beat Atletico Madrid 2-1.
Barcelona had difficulty settling into its passing game in a frenzied encounter at its cross-city rival's Cornella-El Prat Stadium. Espanyol created the first serious chance when Pablo Osvaldo shot high following a slick move that left the Barca defense standing.
In a highly physical match, Osvaldo received a yellow card in the fifth minute for a tackle on Sergio Busquets. Luis Garcia was cautioned soon after, as Espanyol refused to give Barcelona time on the ball. Xavi Hernandez complained to referee Undiano Mallenco that Espanyol's players were over-zealous in their marking of him.
With Zlatan Ibrahimovic only recently recovered from injury, Maxwell and Pedro Rodriguez flanked Lionel Messi in attack, although they barely mustered a serious chance in the first half. A cross from Pedro that struck the post in the opening minutes was Barcelona's best chance.
For the hosts, Jose Maria Callejon shot over and Jose Baena headed wide as Espanyol enjoyed a spell of pressure leading up to halftime.
Messi was unusually quiet until he showed his class by dribbling round two defenders and cutting inside, although Maxwell did not reach his cross.
Espanyol responded with a counterattack that saw Osvaldo's strike stopped with a desperate lunge from Victor Valdes.
With Barcelona still unable to make the breakthrough in attack, coach Pep Guardiola introduced Thierry Henry and Seydou Keita early in the second half, replacing Yaya Toure and Gabriel Milito.
The change nearly paid off immediately, as Messi made some space on the edge of the area and curled a shot just wide.
Dani Alves was unfortunate to receive his second yellow card for a challenge on Callejon, leaving Barcelona with 10 men.
Guardiola reshuffled his attack again eight minutes from the end when he introduced Ibrahimovic for Pedro.
Messi looked like he might break the deadlock in the 85th when he dribbled past four men into the area, although Nicolas Pareja slid in to steal the ball.
Frederic Kanoute gave Sevilla the lead against Gijon in the seventh minute by tapping in the rebound after goalkeeper Juan Pablo Colinas stopped his close-range header.
Luis Fabiano then jumped above his marker in the 52nd to head in Adriano's cross, before Juan "Cala" Torres scored the third from close range from Alvaro Negredo's pass in the 84th.
The result lifts Sevilla into fourth place on 54 points, leapfrogging Mallorca which plays on Monday. Gijon is 14th on 37 points.
Gijon struggled to create chances early on at the Sanchez Pizjuan Stadium as Sevilla swiftly took control. The hosts tightened their grip on the game after Gijon's Mate Bilic was sent off in the 31st for receiving two yellow cards for dangerous challenges.
Fabiano sent a glancing header over the bar from Jesus Navas' cross in the 37th. Navas set the Brazil striker up again at the start of the second half with a delicate through pass, although Fabiano was ruled offside as he slotted the ball past Colinas into the net.
Gijon's Diego Castro replaced Miguel Angel de las Cuevas for the second half as the visitors unsuccessfully attempted to turn the flow of the game around.
Rafael Sastre sent a rare chance wide for Gijon in the 68th.
Sevilla's dominance was underlined when Jose Angel was also sent off for two yellow cards in the 83rd.
At Villarreal's El Madrigal Stadium, defender Diego Godin's first-time backheel from a corner put the hosts ahead in the 21st.
Giuseppe Rossi increased the lead when he poked the ball in following a goalmouth scramble in the 44th.
Sergio Aguero cut the deficit in the 63rd when he ran onto Jose Antonio Reyes' lobbed pass, chested the ball down and shot past Diego Lopez.
Villarreal is sixth on 49 points and Atletico is 10th on 40 points.
Despite Atletico's defensive chaos, it posed a constant threat in attack.
Reyes found some space and shot high from long range in the 26th and Aguero headed just wide in the 36th from a corner.
Villarreal was dangerous on the counterattack and in the 30th Nilmar ran onto a through pass down the right and David de Gea had to stretch to save his shot.
At the start of the second half Antonio Lopez looked certain to score as he ran onto a curling cross from Simao Sabrosa, and Lopez just got a hand to the ball.
On Sunday it's: Malaga vs. Valladolid; Tenerife vs. Getafe; Xerez vs. Racing Santander; Deportivo La Coruna vs. Almeria; and Athletic Bilbao vs. Zaragoza. On Monday it's Mallorca vs. Osasuna.
-- Guy Hedgecore
Bayern routs Hannover 7-0 to keep Bundesliga lead
FRANKFURT — Arjen Robben scored three goals Saturday as Bayern Munich routed Hannover 7-0 to retain its Bundesliga lead in emphatic fashion.
Ivica Olic and Thomas Mueller scored two goals each as Bayern remained two points ahead of Schalke, which beat Borussia Moenchengladbach 3-1 to keep alive its own title hopes. Ivan Rakitic scored twice for Schalke.
"This has to give us confidence. We were very motivated and we didn't give Hannover a chance," Robben said.
Werder Bremen won 4-2 at defending champion Wolfsburg as it bids for a place in Champions League qualifying, while Stuttgart beat 10-man Bayer Leverkusen 2-1 after two goals from Cacau for its fifth straight victory.
Bayern has 63 points and Schalke 61, with three rounds remaining.
Bremen is third on goal difference over Leverkusen, which hasn't won in five games. Both teams are nine points behind Bayern.
Elsewhere, Hamburg lost 1-0 at home to Mainz and fell to seventh place, putting in jeopardy a place in the Europa League next season. Next week, Hamburg is scheduled to play Fulham in the semifinals of this seaon's Europa League.
Freiburg had an important 2-1 victory over Nuremberg in a match between two teams battling relegation.
Bayern warmed up for its Champions League semifinal Wednesday against Lyon by demolishing next-to-last Hannover, which had upset Schalke in the previous round.
"We played a very good game," Bayern coach Louis van Gaal said. "Once you score, it's always easier. This game didn't take too much energy, it was fun. It was good preparation."
Once Olic broke the deadlock in the 22nd minute there was no stopping van Gaal's team, which ripped apart Hannover's crowded defense.
With Robben and Franck Ribery applying pressure on the flanks, Bayern scored almost at will.
Schalke won after two straight defeats, going ahead nine minutes into the game. Jefferson Farfan laid the ball on for Rakitic, who drilled in a right-footed shot into the upper corner from the edge of the penalty area.
Raul Bobadilla pulled Borussia level when he rose higher than defenders Rafinha and Benedikt Hoewedes to head the ball down and then beat goalkeeper Manuel Neuer to the ball, round the 'keeper and slot home.
Farfan made it 2-1 in first-half injury time following a corner. Goalkeeper Logan Bailly blocked Kevin Kuranyi's header from a corner, but Farfan knocked in the rebound.
Rakitic scored his second from a penalty in the 47th, after Dante had upended substitute Mario Gavranovic.
Kuranyi hit the post late in the game.
"I think we have a good chance of becoming champion," Magath said. "I don't think Bayern will win all remaining games, because of the burden of the Champions League."
In Wolfsburg, Edin Dzeko scored his league-high 20th goal of the season when he collected a pass from Bosnia teammate Zvjezdan Misimovic in the 18th.
Marko Marin earned a penalty for Bremen when he was downed by Fabian Johnson, and captain Torsten Frings converted to level the game in the 38th.
Misimovic also set up Grafite's goal in the 40th, as Wolfsburg regained the lead.
But Frings turned provider for Claudio Pizarro's header in the 49th. Pizarro returned the favor in the 62nd for the captain to notch his second of the match.
Hugo Almeida completed the victory in the 75th.
In Stuttgart, Leverkusen midfielder Tranquillo Barnetta was sent off in the 19th minute after earning two bookings inside three minutes.
Leverkusen was leading by then after Stefan Kiessling's 19th goal of the season, when he was left unmarked in the 13th minute.
Stuttgart quickly took advantage of being one man up with Cacau striking the equalizer in the 29th, heading in at the far post from a cross from Cristian Molinaro that eluded three defenders.
Cacau scored the winner in the 85th from a deflected cross from Pavel Pogrebnyak.
In Hamburg, Aristide Bance struck after 20 minutes for Mainz.
Freiburg's win left it tied with Nuremberg and Bochum on 28 points. Only Hannover and Hertha Berlin are beneath them.
Dominic Maroh's own-goal allowed Freiburg to take an early lead, and Papiss Demba Cisse secured the victory in the 60th before Maroh found the right net for Nuremberg.
Marseille beats Boulogne 2-1 in French league
PARIS — Marseille beat Boulogne 2-1 Saturday to consolidate its lead in the French league and inch closer to the title.
Taye Taiwo converted a penalty in stoppage time to give Marseille its sixth straight win, after a header from Brandao had hit Yoann Lachor's arm.
Mathieu Valbuena opened the scoring with a low diagonal shot in the 43rd minute from a pass from Mamadou Niang. But Jeremy Blayac took advantage of a poor clearance from the Marseille defense to equalize from close range for Boulogne in the 82nd.
Marseille tops the standings after 33 rounds with 68 points, five clear of Auxerre which routed Lorient 4-1 to retain second place.
"We're now in the final sprint," Marseille coach Didier Deschamps said. "We're coming out of the curve in the best position. But we keep in mind that it's a matter of details. If we had drawn (with Boulogne), Auxerre would have cut our lead to three points. There are still five matches left."
Lyon rallied twice to salvage a 2-2 draw against Bordeaux and keep third place with 59 points.
Montpellier could leapfrog Lyon in the standings if it beats Toulouse on Sunday.
Also Saturday it was: Rennes 0, Nancy 0; Valenciennes 0, Le Mans 1; Nice 0, Lens 0; Grenoble 2, Sochaux 2.
In Auxerre, Daniel Niculae fed Dennis Oliech who shot past Lorient goalkeeper Fabien Audard in the 36th. Poland forward Ireneusz Jelen notched his 11th goal this season to double the lead for Auxerre in the 38th with a lob, and Slovenia midfielder Valter Birsa curled a free kick into the top corner to make it 3-0 in the 56th.
Lorient was down to 10 men in the 58th after Jeremy Morel was sent off for picking up a second yellow card. Kevin Gameiro still pulled one back for Lorient in the 81st, raising his tally to 14 goals this season to become the second most prolific scorer in the league.
Audard was red-carded in the 86th for fouling Jelen, who was clean through on goal. Cedric Hengbart converted the ensuing penalty to seal the win for Auxerre.
In Bordeaux, Marouane Chamakh headed home a free kick from France playmaker Yoann Gourcuff in the 25th. Honorato Ederson leveled in the 54th for Lyon with a powerful strike from 25 meters, but Bordeaux recaptured the lead in the 62nd when Czech midfielder Jaroslav Plasil fired a long-range drive into the top corner.
Brazilian defender Cris then outjumped the Bordeaux defense to nod in a free kick from Bosnia playmaker Miralem Pjanic in the 71st.
"It feels good not to lose," Ederson told Canal Plus television. "We're happy. Finishing in the top three is still doable."
That heated match ended with a brawl in stoppage time and three players were sent off Lyon defender Anthony Reveillere and Bordeaux forward Jussie and fullback Benoit Tremoulinas.
Bordeaux stayed in fifth place with 57 points.
"We have to say goodbye to the title," Bordeaux winger Yoan Gouffran told Canal Plus television. "Now we know that it's mission impossible. But we'll try to fight for third place and play in the Champions League next season."
In Valenciennes, Sebastien Corchia gave 10-man Le Mans the victory with a free kick in stoppage time. Guillaume Loriot was sent off in the 83rd for receiving a second yellow card.
Le Mans remained in the relegation zone with 28 points.
In Grenoble, Jeremie Brechet nodded in a free kick in the 75th to salvage a draw for Sochaux.
Brown Ideye had headed in a corner from Marvin Martin to put Sochaux ahead in the 27th. But Danijel Ljuboja beat the offside trap to level for last-place Grenoble in the 55th before Japan midfielder Daisuke Matsui converted a rebound in the 62nd to give Grenoble the lead.
On Sunday, Lille faces Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain visits Saint-Etienne.
-- Trung Latieule
Estudiantes, Independiente move atop standings
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Estudiantes and Independiente picked up victories on Saturday to move atop the standings in Argentina's Clausura tournament with 30 points each from 15 matches.
Estudiantes won 2-1 at Tigre and Independiente was a 3-1 winner at Banfield.
River Plate made it a happy debut for new coach Angel Cappa with a 2-1 win at home over Godoy Cruz. Godoy Cruz remained on 28 points and River improved to 16 points.
In the day's other match, last-place Atletico Tucuman got its first victory of the season, defeating Chacarita 2-1.
Argentinos Juniors have 28 points and can take sole possession of first place with a victory at Arsenal on Monday.
Alejandro Desabato opened the scoring for Estudiantes in the 9th minute Jose Sosa made it 2-0 in the 26th. Tigre's scored on an own-goal by Marcos Rojo in the 39th.
Andres Silvera, Leandro Gracian and Leonel Nunez scored for Independiente, while Banfield's only goal was from Ruben Ramirez.
River Plate, in the first game under Cappa, rallied from a 1-0 deficit to win 2-1 on a 69th-minute strike by Ariel Ortega and another a minute later by Paulo Ferrari. Federico Higuain had given Godoy Cruz the lead in the 33rd.
Cappa replaced Leonardo Astrada, who was fired on Monday.
After six draws and seven losses, last-place Tucuman finally broke its drought with goals from Emanuel Cigliotti and Matias Blanes offsetting Erwin Avalos' goal for Chacarita.
In Sunday games it's: San Lorenzo-Huracan, Gimnasia-Boca Juniors, Rosario Central-Newell's, Racing Club-Velez. On Monday Arsenal hosts Argentinos Juniors and Lanus travels to Colon.
Celtic beats Hibs 3-2 to delay Rangers again
GLASGOW, Scotland— Morten Rasmussen scored an 87th-minute winner as Celtic came from behind to beat Hibernian 3-2 on Saturday and postpone Rangers' seemingly inevitable Scottish league title celebrations.
With Celtic trailing 2-1 with 10 minutes to go, Rangers looked set to capture its second Scottish league title in a row on Sunday with a victory against Hearts.
But Marc-Antoine Fortune equalized and then provided the cross for Rasmussen to turn the ball home. Earlier in the game, Robbie Keane gave Celtic a fourth-minute lead only for Derek Riordan to level in the sixth and Anthony Stokes to put Hibs ahead with a 54th minute penalty.
"It's not over, not until it's mathematically over," said Celtic's temporary manager Neil Lennon. "(We need to) keep winning games and make them sweat."
The result means Celtic has 69 points from 34 games with four matches to go and Rangers has 77 from 33.
In other league games, Steve MacLean fired Aberdeen to a 1-0 victory over last-place Falkirk to boost its chances of avoiding relegation. Eighth-place Hamilton also looked safer after a 3-0 victory over Kilmarnock, which slipped to next-to-last.
St. Mirren moved up to 10th but threw away a two-goal lead at St. Johnstone which hit back to draw 2-2.
Braga beats Leixoes 3-1 to cut Benfica lead
LISBON, Portugal — Braga beat Leixoes 3-1 Saturday to cut Benfica's lead at the top of the Portuguese league to three points.
Alan scored twice and Moises once for Braga, while Christian Pouga cut the deficit for Leixoes. Braga is on 64 points and it was the team's first win against relegation-threatened Leixoes since the 1988-89 season.
Benfica, on 67 points, can increase its lead to six points again on Sunday, when it visits Academica. With three games left after this weekend, Benfica is seeking to clinch its first title in five years.
Defending champion Porto is third with 56 points and plays Guimaraes Sunday.
Also Saturday, Naval beat Pacos Ferreira 3-1. In Friday's game Maritimo beat Olhanense 2-1.
Also Sunday, it's Belenenses vs. Rio Ave and Nacional vs. Leiria.
On Monday it's: Sporting vs. Setubal.
Chievo beats Livorno 2-0 in Serie A
VERONA, Italy — Chievo Verona beat last-place Livorno 2-0 in Saturday's only Serie A match.
Veteran forward Sergio Pellissier put Chievo in front in the 28th minute with an angled shot and Elvis Abbruscato sealed the victory with a score from the edge of the goal box in the 88th.
With 41 points — 10 above the relegation zone — Chievo has nearly made sure it will stay in Serie A for another season. Livorno, meanwhile, appears headed back to Serie B.
Elsewhere
Redknapp: World Cup hopeful Lennon not ready
LONDON — Aaron Lennon's chances of making England's World Cup squad are uncertain after Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp said Saturday that the winger is still not ready to return from four months out with a groin injury.
Lennon had started to become a regular pick on the right of England's midfield formerly occupied by David Beckham but has not played since December.
"He's training but he's had three or four setbacks," Redknapp said. "We've got to take it day by day with him. He'll join in this week and do some stuff with us but he's not ready to play just yet."
The 23-year-old Lennon played in England's last two qualifiers before missing November's friendly loss to Brazil because of injury.
The speedy winger was used as a substitute at the 2006 World Cup and has played 15 times for England. He is a strong contender for a starting spot if he recovers in time to convince England coach Fabio Capello he is fit.
Beckham had dropped to a substitute role even before he was ruled out of the June 11-July 11 World Cup in South Africa with an Achilles injury, while no other contender for the position has impressed consistently this season.
Redknapp said he was hopeful that Lennon could appear in at least some of Tottenham's final four matches of the Premier League season, against Manchester United, Bolton, Manchester City and Burnley.
"He was in good form for England but we could do with getting him back for the run in," Redknapp said.
Tottenham had hoped to have Lennon back in action for last weekend's FA Cup semifinal against Portsmouth but he missed the match and Spurs lost 2-0 to the relegated club.
While Lennon missed this week's 2-1 wins over Arsenal and Chelsea, Tottenham captain Ledley King played in the former before sitting out Saturday's victory because of his chronic knee problem.
Redknapp said the central defender could still be an asset to England's World Cup squad.
"He needs six days to recover between games," Redknapp said. "He'd get six days at the World Cup."
England plays the United States in its opening game on June 12 before completing its first-round group against Algeria on June 18 and Slovenia on June 23.
Redknapp also said stand-in captain Michael Dawson deserved consideration for a squad berth.
"He's an old-fashioned English center half," Redknapp said. "You couldn't go wrong with Michael Dawson in your World Cup squad."
-- Stuart Condie
Volcano puts European matches under a cloud
LONDON — The volcanic ash plume drifting over Europe is threatening next week's Champions League and Europa League semifinals.
There are no-fly restrictions over much of Europe, which are unlikely to be relaxed in the coming days.
In the Champions League, Barcelona must travel to Inter Milan for Tuesday's match, while Lyon are playing at Bayern Munich on Wednesday.
Two English sides are away Thursday in the Europa League, with Liverpool at Atletico Madrid and Fulham at Hamburg.
Fulham manager Roy Hodgson said Saturday that the Premier League club has been in contact with UEFA.
"One of UEFA's concerns is that it should be fair and that their opponents don't have to go through hell and high water to get to the game," Hodgson said. "An ideal scenario would be that the volcanic ash clears up and we can fly over to Germany.
"It's totally and utterly linked to if there are flights. If there are no flights then the only option is to get a train and bus to Hamburg. There could still be a further problem because there might be no trains or coaches to travel on but I'm confident UEFA will resolve the problem."
