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Soccer Capsules: Morelia sends Chivas into a deep crisis
Comments 0 | Recommend 0MEXICO CITY — Morelia scored twice in six minutes Sunday in a 3-1 comeback win over a Chivas team that lost its third straight match and plunged into a deep crisis in the Mexican Apertura championship.
Javier Hernandez' penalty in the 35th put Guadalajara ahead, but Aldo Leao Ramirez leveled in the 52nd and, six minutes later, a spectacular scissors kick by Colombian striker Luis Gabriel Rey gave Morelia the lead for good.
Elias Hernandez sealed the win in the 67th for Morelia, which has the second best record in Mexico with 28 points in 14 rounds, just one point shy of the first place Toluca, which had a 2-0 win over Queretaro on Sunday to become the first team to qualify for the playoffs.
Carlos Esquivel (65th) and Antonio Naelson (80th) scored goals for the Red Devils, who got their first victory since the 10th round to secure their spot in the postseason.
With three rounds remaining in the regular season, Chivas was on 15 points and in third place in Group 1. The 11-time champions were in danger of missing the playoffs for the second straight season.
Later, at estadio Azteca, Enrique Esqueda scored a goal with 15 minutes left to play as America salvaged a 1-1 draw at home to Jaguars.
Oscar Razo scored in a counter attack play in the 68th but Esqueda's header off a cross from Pavel Pardo earned the Eagles a draw, enough for 26 points and second place in Group 2.
In Torreon, Matias Vuoso scored the last goal in the history of the Corona Stadium and gave Santos a 1-1 draw against the Pumas, who are out of the playoffs less than six months after winning their sixth title.
Pablo Barrera got a goal in the 10th minute but Vuoso tied it in the 66th for the Warriors, who will open a new stadium next Wednesday with a friendly match.
In other scores, it was: Cruz Azul 3, Atlante 1; Ciudad Juarez 0, Puebla 2; Tigres 2, Estudiantes 2; San Luis 0, Monterrey 3; Atlas 1, Pachuca 1.
MLS Playoffs
Revolution beat Fire in playoff series opener
FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — Shalrie Joseph scored in the 75th minute to lift the New England Revolution to a 2-1 victory over the Chicago Fire on Sunday in the opening game of their Eastern Conference semifinal series.
Chris Rolfe opened the scoring for Chicago in 17th minute, and Emmanuel Osei tied it for New England seconds before halftime.
The teams conclude the two-legged series at Toyota Park on Saturday.
The Fire tested the Revolution defense early, as Brian McBride headed a pair of passes that went wide of net just before the 10th minute.
The Fire finally capitalized when Marco Pappa went down the right side and sent a wide-angled shot that Revolution goalkeeper Matt Reis failed to smother. Rolfe captured it and scored to put Chicago ahead.
New England started to carry the play offensively after the 20th minute, with Jeff Larentowicz sending a pair of close shots as the Revolution kept the pressure on the Fire through 30 minutes.
The Revs continued to attack and Osei nearly recorded his first MLS goal in the 40th minute when his 25-yard shot skimmed off the near corner of the net.
Osei didn't have to wait long for another chance. Two minutes into extra time, Kenny Mansally delivered a free kick that Osei deflected past Jon Busch for the tying goal.
The Fire battled back early in the second half and nearly went ahead when Pappa's long-distance shot hit the bar and bounced off the goal line in the 71st minute.
The Revolution quickly took advantage of their good fortune. Four minutes later, Larentowicz directed the ball toward Joseph, who fired it through to give his club the lead.
New England withstood Chicago's push for the tie in the final 15 minutes.
Elsewhere
Ronaldo wants patience from Real Madrid fans
MADRID — Cristiano Ronaldo wants patience, both from his Real Madrid teammates and the Spanish club's demanding fans.
The Portugal winger, who moved to Madrid from Manchester United in the offseason, has scored nine goals in seven appearances — all wins — since leaving England. But an ankle injury has recently forced him to the sidelines, where he has been watching his star-studded team struggle.
"I've already missed some games to injury but it's not like I'm the savior," Ronaldo said in an interview. "I'm just a player that will give to help the team to win, but the team needs to work. I think things will improve."
Ronaldo has missed Madrid's past six games, one of those being a 4-0 loss at Alcorcon in the first leg of the fourth round of the Copa del Rey. That result put the pressure on coach Manuel Pellegrini, who has pleaded for more time.
But how much more time can be given to a team that spent more than €250 million ($365 million) in the offseason for players such as Ronaldo, Kaka, Karim Benzema and Xabi Alonso?
"I don't know, only time will tell," Ronaldo said in Spanish. "I can't say to you tomorrow, or after a month. I just hope it's as quickly as possible because if not we'll lose games or points and that's not good for the club or for us the players, either.
"It's difficult when we lose a game, or another with a little pressure, but that's normal and it's a club that's used to it and players should be ready for that."
The biggest factor for the early season sluggishness, Ronaldo believes, is the return of Madrid president Florentino Perez and his purchase of several new players.
"It's a club where you can't learn, you have to be ready when you arrive here and us players have to give our best to continue improving," Ronaldo said. "I'm certain — 100 percent certain — that the team will reach a high level, but that takes time."
In the Spanish league, Madrid trails defending champion Barcelona by one point and Ronaldo believes the difference in experience has much to do with their contrasting starts.
"We know if we get better we'll reach a good level and we'll be able to fight against (Barcelona), which has a clear base foundation of great players who go out playing the same way with the same difference," he said. "Madrid is not like that. But, little by little, I'm confident the team will improve and we will play well. I'm sure of that."
Lionel Messi is one of Barcelona's best players, and the Argentina forward is the clear favorite to take Ronaldo's Golden Ball and FIFA Player of the Year titles away after helping his team become the first Spanish club to win three major trophies in a season.
Ronaldo said Barcelona's never-changing system is the main reason for that.
"He's got a great team at his back and it's a lot easier when you have so many great players of quality around you," Ronaldo said. "When you play in a team under construction, it's much more difficult and Barca has a team that for many years has been great."
Ronaldo, however, isn't ready to concede the league title to Barcelona just yet.
"They're are no favorites in my opinion," Ronaldo said. "The truth is Barca is playing really well, playing better than us. That's the reality and people know that. But accounts are settled at the end of the season and I'm confident we're going to improve and we're going to fight to the end of the season."
Although surrounded by press managers, photographers and bodyguards, Ronaldo stayed calm when asked about getting back on the field.
"I'm very relaxed and will keep working in the same way that I did at Manchester and I know things will work out little by little and the team will get better," said the 24-year-old Ronaldo, who will also begin modeling Armani clothes alongside Hollywood actress Megan Fox.
Not even a foot injury and luxury clothes could keep Ronaldo from juggling a football, when his normally stoic demeanor dropped momentarily as he described his life in the Spanish capital.
"Life is very good. It's very similar to Portugal, I knew that before and I'm very happy here. It's a very lovely city," Ronaldo said. "It's totally different (from Manchester). Here there is almost always sun. The personality of the people are very different. The league, the food — almost everything is different and for that it's been a very radical change."
-- Paul Logothetis
Gonzalez out of Marseille's Champions League game
MARSEILLE, France — Marseille playmaker Lucho Gonzalez will miss next week's Champions League game against FC Zurich after twisting his ankle in a French league match.
Gonzalez, who joined Marseille from FC Porto for €18 million ($25 million) during the offseason, picked up his injury in Marseille's 1-1 draw against Toulouse on Saturday.
"He will undergo further medical tests on Monday but it looks like it's less serious than expected," Marseille doctor Christophe Baudot said. "With this kind of injury, he could be sidelined up to four weeks."
Gonzalez already missed several games earlier this season after fracturing his left collarbone.
The 28-year-old Gonzalez has played 43 games for Argentina, scoring six times. He tore the meniscus in his left knee in a Champions League match against Manchester United in April.
Perez says he's sticking with coach Pellegrini
ROME — Real Madrid president Florentino Perez has indicated he wants to stick with coach Manuel Pellegrini though the end of the season.
Pellegrini was under fire after a humiliating 4-0 loss to third-division club Alcorcon in the first leg of the fourth round of the Copa del Rey, but a 2-0 win over Getafe on Saturday appears to have restored calm.
Speaking by phone Sunday on Italian state TV, Perez says Madrid is "happy with Pellegrini and we're sure that he will end the season in a positive manner."
Madrid visits AC Milan in the Champions League on Tuesday. Two weeks ago, Milan beat Madrid 3-2.
League Roundups
Ronaldo scores twice in Corinthians' draw
SAO PAULO — Ronaldo scored two goals for Corinthians but 10-man Palmeiras rallied twice to earn a 2-2 draw and retain the lead in the Brazilian league on Sunday.
Palmeiras and defending champion Sao Paulo, which beat Barueri 1-0 on Saturday, have 58 points each with five rounds to go, but Palmeiras leads on goal difference.
Third-place Atletico Mineiro defeated Goias 3-2 to move within two points of the lead, while fourth-place Flamengo edged Santos 1-0 on Saturday and is four points behind Palmeiras and Sao Paulo.
Ronaldo scored his first goal with a 38th-minute penalty after Marcos, Palmeiras' veteran World Cup goalkeeper, fouled striker Jorge Henrique inside the area and was sent off.
Palmeiras equalized with a header by defender Danilo in the 51st, but Ronaldo put Corinthians ahead again in the 66th thanks to a perfect through-ball from Argentine midfielder Matias Defederico, who had also set up the move that prompted the first-half penalty.
Ronaldo calmly waited for Palmeiras' substitute goalkeeper Bruno to charge and then beat him with a low left-footed shot. The goals were Ronaldo's ninth and 10th in the Brazilian league, taking his total to 21 since returning to competitive football in March after recovering from the third serious injury of his career.
Ronaldo and Corinthians had several chances to increase the lead at Prudentao stadium, but Palmeiras took advantage of a set piece in the 85th to equalize again with a header by defender Mauricio.
Palmeiras is unbeaten against Corinthians in three years, since a 1-0 defeat in October 2006. With the draw in Presidente Prudente, Palmeiras — seeking its first Brazilian title since 1994 — narrowly avoided losing the lead in the league for the first time in 18 rounds.
Sao Paulo moved closer by beating Barueri 1-0 with a first-half goal by midfielder Jorge Wagner at Morumbi stadium on Saturday, giving the six-time champion its third straight win.
Barueri played without two regular starters who were suspended by team directors after they told local media that other clubs had offered Barueri money to beat Flamengo last Wednesday.
Also on Saturday, goalkeeper Bruno saved a penalty in each half in Flamengo's defeat of Santos in front of nearly 80,000 people at Maracana stadium. Midfielder Paulo Henrique missed both penalties for Santos, which is winless in its last five matches.
Atletico Mineiro edged Goias at Serra Dourada stadium in Goiania thanks to a 69th-minute penalty converted by the league's leading scorer Diego Tardelli, keeping alive the team's hopes of winning the championship for the first time since 1971. Atletico Mineiro won despite allowing Goias to come back from a two-goal deficit in the first half.
Internacional dropped to fifth place after losing 1-0 to Botafogo at its Beira-Rio stadium in Porto Alegre, its second defeat in a row. The victory kept Botafogo out of the relegation zone.
Sixth-place Cruzeiro missed a chance to move closer to the leaders after squandering a two-goal first-half lead to lose 3-2 to Fluminense. The result at Mineirao stadium in Belo Horizonte ended the team's five-match winning streak and left it six points back.
Former Lyon striker Fred scored twice for Fluminense, which rose from last place with the victory but remains in the relegation zone.
The top four clubs will qualify for next year's Copa Libertadores, while the bottom four will be relegated.
In other results Sunday, Sport dropped to last place with a 3-2 loss to rival Nautico in Recife, while Santo Andre beat Gremio 2-0 in Santo Andre.
-- Tales Azzoni
Llorente goals help Villarreal beat Tenerife 5-0
MADRID — Villarreal beat Tenerife 5-0 on Sunday to end its poor run of form and climb out of the relegation zone in the Spanish league.
Joseba Llorente scored twice, putting Villarreal ahead in the 15th minute with a well-taken right-footed shot and increasing the lead in the 52nd. French winger Robert Pires and Italy striker Giuseppe Rossi also got on the scoreboard in the 47th and 51st respectively. Ruben "Cani" Garcia scored the fifth two minutes from the end.
Despite the early advantage, Tenerife looked more likely to score throughout the first half. Villarreal, which had won only one match this season, struggled to settle until Pires tapped in Rossi's cross straight after the break and the goals started to flow.
"(Tenerife) has played better against us than any other team — yet we won 5-0," Villarreal coach Ernesto Valverde said. "This time our forwards were on target and that decided the game."
Also Sunday, Valencia beat last-place Malaga 1-0, Espanyol drew 1-1 with Valladolid, Mallorca edged Racing Santander 1-0, Zaragoza beat Almeria 2-1 and Deportivo La Coruna drew 1-1 with Sporting Gijon.
On Saturday, Real Madrid beat Getafe 2-0, reducing to one point the gap on leader Barcelona, which drew 1-1 at Osasuna. Atletico Madrid lost 1-0 at Athletic Bilbao.
At El Madrigal stadium, Villarreal looked vulnerable early on without defensive midfielder Marcos Senna and Tenerife's midfield was in control for much of the first half.
Tenerife's Alejandro Alfaro seemed certain to score when put through by Julian Omar in the 22nd, but he shot straight at goalkeeper Diego Lopez. Teammate Juan Francisco "Nino" Martinez missed another clear chance soon after.
Villarreal is now 13th in the standings.
At Malaga's La Rosaleda, David Navarro gave Valencia the lead in the 68th, heading into an empty net after goalkeeper Gustavo Munua was caught out of position by Pablo Hernandez's cross.
David Villa had spotted Munua off his line and attempted to lob him with a header in the fifth minute, but the goalkeeper managed to reach it.
Malaga enjoyed several clear chances early on with Antonio "Apono" Galdeano and Victor Obinna both coming close for the hosts.
Valencia threatened on the counterattack, yet failed to convert a string of decent chances.
Hernandez raced down the left in the 24th and, although he had David Silva and Villa well positioned in space to his right, he attempted a long shot that went wide.
Malaga pressured as the clock ticked down, with Obinna coming close on several occasions. However, Valencia held on for the win to give it 18 points, five behind Barcelona. Malaga stays bottom of the standings on four points.
Deportivo went ahead at its Riazor stadium in the 42nd, when Juan Rodriguez's header from a free kick bounced off the inside of the crossbar and Lassad Nouioui followed up to sweep in the ball.
The wet conditions influenced play. In the 69th minute, Deportivo goalkeeper Daniel Aranzubia slid past Diego Castro as the forward burst into the area with the ball to equalize.
Inter beats Livorno 2-0 to extend Serie A lead
ROME — Inter Milan stretched its lead to seven points at the top of the Serie A by beating Livorno 2-0 Sunday with goals from Diego Milito and Maicon.
Since Serie A started awarding three points for wins in 1994-95, Inter's lead is the largest established after 11 rounds.
"This is the result of all the great work that the guys have done every day, although there is still a long way to go," Inter coach Jose Mourinho said.
Sampdoria drew 0-0 against promoted Bari, which missed a penalty in the 90th minute and then had a goal ruled out for a questionable offside call six minutes into added time.
Inter leads with 28 points. Sampdoria joined second-place Juventus on 21 points each and AC Milan is fourth with 19.
Napoli beat Juventus 3-2 Saturday and Milan defeated Parma 2-0.
Marco Marchionni scored twice and Alberto Gilardino sealed a 3-1 win for fifth-place Fiorentina over Catania, with both sides ending with 10 men.
In the late game, Palermo and Genoa played to a 0-0 draw.
AS Roma ended a three-game losing streak with a 2-1 win over Bologna, with Simone Perrotta scoring the winner in the 52nd minute.
Brazilian forward Adailton had put Bologna up 1-0 in the 32nd, and Mirko Vucinic equalized for Roma in the 35th minute with his first goal of the season.
"We created several scoring chances and as usual we weren't able to take advantage," Roma coach Claudio Ranieri said. "The opponents created only one chance and they scored. But we were able to turn the game around, so evidently the winds are starting to change. We certainly deserved to win."
Also, it was: Cagliari 3, Atalanta 0; Chievo Verona 1, Udinese 1; and Siena 1, Lazio 1.
Inter was struggling at Livorno until the beginning of the second half, when Mourinho inserted Samuel Eto'o alongside Milito in attack.
The move paid off almost immediately, with Milito sliding a low shot between two defenders to bring his season tally to seven goals. Maicon then took a pass from Patrick Vieira and scored easily from the center of the area to seal the victory.
"Livorno was playing with a lot of desire and aggressiveness but we changed things around in the second half and we were fortunate to score right away," Mourinho said. "We had a different tactical and mental approach."
Creative Sampdoria forward Antonio Cassano rarely threatened against Bari, his hometown club and where his career began. Bari's Brazilian forward, Paulo Vitor Barreto, missed a penalty and teammate Massimo Donati had a goal disallowed in a frenetic finish.
Cassano did not appreciate whistles from Sampdoria fans during the game, and afterward he threatened to leave the club.
"I already did it at Roma and (Real) Madrid, so it wouldn't be a problem to do it here," he said.
-- Andrew Dampf
Hoffenheim beats Freiburg 1-0
FRANKFURT — A superb goal from Brazilian striker Maicosuel earned Hoffenheim a 1-0 victory over Freiburg on Sunday that moved it up to fifth place in the Bundesliga.
In the other Sunday game, Eintracht Frankfurt beat Bochum 2-1 to spoil Heiko Herrlich's debut as a Bundesliga coach.
Maicosuel collected a pass from Vedad Ibisevic and found the net from the edge of the penalty area with a spectacular shot in the 39th minute.
Hoffenheim dominated the first half, wasting several chances, while promoted Freiburg raised its game after the break but could not avoid its fourth consecutive loss.
Freiburg also announced that its long-time president Achim Stocker died Sunday as a result of a heart attack suffered Wednesday. Stocker was 74 and had been at the head of the club since 1972, the longest- serving boss in the Bundesliga.
With 20 points from 11 games, Hoffenheim is three points behind leader Bayer Leverkusen.
Hoffenheim was the only top team to win over the weekend and moved past Bayern Munich, which is sixth in the standings.
In Frankfurt, Eintracht defender Maik Franz redeemed himself for giving away an own goal by scoring the winner with a close-range header in the 53rd minute against Bochum.
Eintracht dominated the match against the next-to-last team in the standings, whose coach Herrlich took the job this week, with Nikos Liberopoulos twice being denied by the woodwork.
Caio fired home a free kick in the 14th minute to put Eintracht ahead but Franz turned the ball into his own own net in the 25th while trying to clear a cross from Joel Epalle.
Bochum's Shinji Ono was sent off in the 80th minute for a second booking, which came less than a minute after his first yellow card.
On Saturday, Bayer Leverkusen went one point clear at the top despite wasting a two-goal lead in a 2-2 draw at Schalke.
Hamburger SV's stunning 3-2 home loss to Borussia Moenchengladbach after twice being a goal in front left Leverkusen as the only undefeated team after 11 games, with 23 points.
Defending champion Wolfsburg also struggled in a 3-3 draw at home with promoted Mainz, while Bayern Munich finished with a 0-0 draw at Stuttgart.
Werder Bremen came from behind to earn a last-minute 2-2 draw at Nuremberg and move past Hamburg on goal difference into second place. Both teams have 22 points. Schalke is fourth with 21.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Valenciennes beats Rennes 3-0, PSG wins at Sochaux
PARIS — Paris Saint-Germain ended a five-match winless streak in the French league that stretched back to August with a 4-1 victory at Sochaux on Sunday.
PSG, whose match last week against Marseille was postponed because of a swine flu outbreak in the Parisian team, moved up to 10th in the standings after its first win since beating Lille 3-0 at home on Aug. 30.
Midfielder Jeremy Clement broke the deadlock in the 35th minute, scoring his second goal this season from the rebound after striker Mevlut Erding saw his penalty parried by Teddy Richert. The goalkeeper had conceded the spot-kick for a foul on Peguy Luyindula.
Following a neat one-two with Christophe Jallet, Clement Chantome increased PSG's lead in the 56th minute with a chip over Richert. Former Sochaux player Erding, back from a shoulder injury that had sidelined him more than two months, then pounced from close range in the 78th minute from a cross by Jallet.
Stephane Dalmat scored a consolation goal for Sochaux with a 20-metre strike in the 85th, two minutes before Luyindula slid the ball under Richert for PSG's fourth.
Earlier Sunday, Valenciennes won 3-0 at Rennes to climb to sixth in the table.
Goals from former Celtic defender Bobo Balde, Fahid Ben Khalfallah and Gregory Pujol secured a third consecutive win for Valenciennes, which has the best attacking record in the league with 22 goals. The club has 19 points from 11 games.
"I think that Rennes is a better team but they were a bit weaker than usual," Valenciennes coach Philippe Montanier said.
The 34-year-old Balde, who joined Valenciennes last month as a free agent until the end of the season, headed home in the 58th minute from a free kick after being left unmarked in the box.
Ben Khalfallah doubled the lead with a powerful strike after eluding two Rennes players in the 78th and Pujol rounded off the scoring in the 85th minute.
"This is a humiliation," Rennes coach Frederic Antonetti said. "We left them too much space. If you want to play a major role in the league, it's impossible to lose 3-0 at home."
Having thrashed seven-time champion Lyon 4-1 last week, Nice maintained its good form with a 1-0 win against struggling Le Mans, which was reduced to 10 men when Brazilian defender Geder was sent off for elbowing striker Mamadou Bagayoko in the 16th minute.
Nice defender Ismael Gace headed the winner five minutes before halftime after Le Mans goalkeeper Didier Ovono misjudged the flight of the ball from a corner.
Bordeaux extended its lead at the top of the standings on Saturday by beating Monaco 1-0, defender Marc Planus scoring the winner in the second half.
Lyon moved up to second with 23 points, two behind Bordeaux, with a 1-0 win at local rival Saint-Etienne after two consecutive league losses. Third-place Monaco has 21 points.
Marseille lost ground on Bordeaux after drawing 1-1 at home with Toulouse.
-- Samuel Petrequin
Man City draws 0-0 at Birmingham in Premier League
LONDON — Manchester City goalkeeper Shay Given saved James McFadden's penalty in a 0-0 draw at Birmingham on Sunday for his team to climb two spots to fourth in the Premier League.
Man City's fourth draw in a row — but first 0-0 score in 55 games stretching back to March 2008 — gave Mark Hughes' team 19 points from 10 games with only one loss, fewer defeats than any other Premier League team.
City has a game in hand but is now eight points behind leader Chelsea and six back from defending champion Manchester United.
"It was the poorest we've played for some time," Man City manager Mark Hughes said. "I was expecting us to show more quality. We've picked up another point on our travels, which was our Achilles' heel last season. But we can play better than that."
Despite the big difference in their league positions, 14th-place Birmingham created far more chances with the visitors needing Given to be in top form to stay level.
The Ireland goalkeeper pushed a shot from Birmingham forward Christian Benitez on to the post in the ninth minute, and he tipped a rising shot from McFadden over the crossbar in the 27th.
Just before halftime, Given blocked a powerful drive from Lee Bowyer and grabbed the loose ball before another Birmingham player could force it home.
Birmingham had an even better chance to go ahead in the 55th minute after Nigel de Jong was judged to have handled the ball inside the area. But Given dived to his left to block McFadden's left-footed penalty kick.
Birmingham midfielder Barry Ferguson was sent off in the last of six minutes of added time for his second yellow card.
Chelsea stayed top after a 4-0 victory at Bolton on Saturday, when defending champion Manchester United beat Blackburn 2-0 at Old Trafford to remain two points behind.
Arsenal outplayed north London neighbor Tottenham 3-0 but Liverpool had two players sent off and lost 3-1 at Fulham to lose more ground on the leaders. Rafa Benitez' team has lost six of its past seven games in all competitions, the exception being a 2-0 victory over Man United.
-- Robert Millward
AIK wins 11th Swedish league title
GOTEBORG, Sweden — AIK secured its 11th Swedish league championship on Sunday after Daniel Tjernstrom scored a late winner in a 2-1 victory over title rival IFK Goteborg on the last day of the season.
Tjernstrom struck in the 85th minute after receiving a pass from Dulee Johnsson in a match between the top two teams in the standings. AIK had started the game one point ahead of Goteborg and needed only a draw to secure the trophy.
Thomas Olsson gave Goteborg the lead in the 32nd minute, but Antonio Flavio equalized for AIK in the 55th.
After the win, hordes of AIK supporters stormed the field at Ullevi Arena to celebrate.
"I'm living in a dream," AIK coach Mikael Stahre said. "I'm incredibly happy for me, for the team, for AIK, for all the hundreds of thousands who have supported AIK, it's incredible."
"Even though we were behind 1-0 in the first half we came back and dominated the second half," AIK midfielder Bojan Djordjic added. "We are Sweden's best team, playing away, we showed that. I think it was a worthy gold final and worthy winners."
AIK finished the 16-team standings with 61 points, followed by Goteborg on 57 and third-place IF Elfsborg with 55 after beating Helsingborgs IF 1-0.
Last year's champions, Kalmar, finished fourth. Orgryte and Hammarby were relegated to the second division.
Ajax beats Feyenoord 5-1 in Dutch league
AMSTERDAM — Demy de Zeeuw scored twice for Ajax in a 5-1 win over a Feyenoord side which finished the match with only nine men in the Dutch league on Sunday.
The result leaves third-place Ajax three points behind league leader FC Twente, which beat Roda 2-1 on Saturday, with the two teams meeting in Enschede in a week's time. PSV remains in second, two points behind Twente, while Feyenoord is a distant fourth, nine points off the pace.
Feyenoord created some good chances but the game remained deadlocked until De Zeeuw struck three minutes before the break with a shot that took a deflection off defender Leroy Fer.
A minute later, Feyenoord's Stefan Babovic appeared to elbow Jan Vertonghen in the face while leaping to head a ball, and was red-carded.
Ajax looked confident after the break and Urby Emanuelson blasted a shot into the corner to make it 2-0 before further goals from Gregory van der Wiel and De Zeeuw put the result beyond doubt. Denny Laandzaat pulled a goal back for Feyenoord with a long-distance lob that Ajax keeper Maarten Stekelenburg misjudged.
In the closing minutes, Feyenoord goalkeeper Rob van Dijk was shown a red card for tripping Ajax striker Luis Suarez inside the area on a breakaway. Suarez converted the resulting penalty.
PSV beat Vitesse 1-0 on Saturday.
In other matches it was VVV-Venlo 1, NAC Breda 1; AZ Alkmaar 1, FC Groningen 0; SC Heerenveen 3, ADO The Hague 0; RKC Waalwijk, Willem II; Heracles Almelo 3, FC Utrecht 1; Sparta Rotterdam 2, NEC Nijmegen 0.
Panathinaikos beats Panionios to go top in Greece
ATHENS, Greece — France striker Djibril Cisse scored two first-half goals Sunday as Panathinaikos won 2-1 against 10-man Panionios to go top in the Greek league.
He converted a penalty in the seventh minute after being fouled by Suleiman Omo, who was sent off.
Cisse collected a through ball by Sotiris Ninis into the area to score his sixth goal of the season in the 11th. He is joint top in the league with teammate Costas Katsouranis.
Panathinaikos has 25 points along with defending champion Olympiakos, which won at Atromitos 1-0 Saturday. The goal difference is the same Panathinaikos
Panionios' Bernard Kumordji nearly scored in the 32nd with a low drive that forced goalkeeper Alexandros Tzorvas to make a diving save.
The visitors had another chance when a free kick by Bosko Balaban hit Tzorvas' crossbar in the 42nd.
Panionios' Sito Riera scored in the 53rd and came close to leveling five minutes later, but his thumping header went just wide.
Also Sunday, it was: Iraklis 1, Asteras 0; Kavala 3, Panthrakikos 0; Giannena 1, Levadiakos 1 and Ergotelis 2, AEK Athens 2.
Sporting loses ground with draw against Maritimo
LISBON, Portugal — Sporting Lisbon dropped to 12 points off the lead in the Portuguese league after drawing 1-1 with Maritimo on Sunday.
Chile midfielder Matias Fernandez put Sporting in the lead in the 51st minute. Emanuel "Manu" Evaristo equalized with a spectacular right-rooted shot for Maritimo in the 62nd.
Sporting is off to its worst start in 18 years to be in seventh place in the standings with 13 points after nine rounds.
Also Sunday, Rio Ave beat Olhanense 1-0, Leiria defeated Pacos Ferreira 1-0 and Nacional edged Setubal 2-1.
Braga moved three points clear at the top of the standings on Saturday by beating Benfica 2-0 following goals from Hugo Viana and Paulo Cesar.
Braga has 25 points, three more than Benfica.
Ernesto Farias' second-half goal saw Porto rally for a 1-1 draw at Belenenses on Friday.
Last-place Academica plays Guimaraes on Monday.
Prica wins title as Rosenborg draws 1-1 with Brann
BERGEN, Norway — Rosenborg forward Rade Prica equalized Sunday in a 1-1 draw with Brann to win the scoring title in the final round of the Norwegian league.
The 29-year-old Prica scored 17 goals in 30 games as Rosenborg won the league title. The Swede was also the most prolific player in 2007.
He finished one goal ahead of Senegalese striker Mame Biram Diouf for Molde and Peter Kovacs for Odd Grenland. Daniel Nannskog of Stabaek was fourth with 15 goals.
Rosenborg lost only one game all season — against Start in the fourth-last round — to finish on top with 69 points. Molde was second with 56 points, three ahead of Stabaek.
This weekend, Molde beat Lillestrom 3-0 at home, while Stabaek won 3-1 at Sandefjord.
Fredrikstad won 5-0 at last-place Lyn of Oslo but still has to meet a second-division team in a playoff to stay in the top flight. Bodo Glimt joined Lyn in being demoted.
Copenhagen and Esbjerg draw 0-0
COPENHAGEN — FC Copenhagen went top of the Danish league on Sunday after the champion ground out a 0-0 draw at second-place Esbjerg.
A cautious approach to the game by both sides and a lot of stray passes in the windy conditions made for a disappointing contest.
Police detained 38 fans before the match as a precautionary measure to avoid any crowd trouble.
"We chose to take away the most aggressive people", police spokesman Helle Lundberg told daily BT.
Copenhagen, Esbjerg and Odense all have 28 points at the top of the standings, with Odense able to go clear when it plays AaB of Aalborg on Monday.
Brondby trails the top trio by one point after winning 1-0 at Nordsjalland, where Martin Bernburg headed the winner.
In other games Sunday, Silkeborg beat last placed Randers 2-0 away and SonderjyskE played out a goalless draw with second from bottom Koge.
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