Soccer Capsules: Dynamo beats Chivas 3-2 to finish second in West
CARSON, Calif. — The Houston Dynamo scored two goals in a three-minute span midway through the first half Sunday, then held off Chivas USA 3-2 to finish second in the Western Conference.
Houston (13-8-9) had 48 points along with Los Angeles, which held the tiebreaker over the Dynamo for the top spot in the conference. The Dynamo will play the expansion Seattle Sounders FC in the first round, with the first leg likely to be played Thursday in Seattle.
Chivas USA (13-11-6) dropped to fourth in the West with 45 points and will play archrival Los Angeles at the Home Depot Center in the postseason for the first time. Chivas will be the home team for the first match on Nov. 1, with the Galaxy hosting the return leg Nov. 8.
Andrew Hainault, Dominic Oduro and Abe Thompson scored for the Dynamo, who improved to 6-1-5 against Chivas in the regular season. Hainault opened the scoring in the 26th minute after Stuart Holden headed a corner kick to the front of the net.
Three minutes later, Brad Davis slipped a ball in the middle of the field as Oduro raced into the penalty area unmarked. He beat Zach Thornton from 15 yards to make it 2-0.
Thompson added another goal in the 52nd minute before Chivas scored in the 59th, when rookie Michael Lahoud scored his first MLS goal.
Chivas got within 3-2 on Eduardo Lillingston's penalty kick in the 88th minute but could not find an equalizer in the final minutes.
Expansion Sounders to open vs. Houston
SEATTLE — The expansion Seattle Sounders FC will open up the Major League Soccer playoffs against the Houston Dynamo.
The first-round, home-and-home series will likely begin on Thursday in Seattle with the return game a week later in Houston. The winner is determined by aggregate goal total.
Seattle is 2-0-1 this season against the Dynamo. The Sounders beat Houston 2-1 in Seattle in July and then pulled out a 1-1 draw in Houston later in the season.
Seattle also beat Houston 2-1 in overtime in the semifinals of the Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup.
The Sounders finished third in the Western Conference, one point behind Los Angeles and Houston. The Galaxy held the tiebreaker over Houston and claimed the top seed in the playoffs.
Elsewhere
PSG game at Marseille postponed due to swine flu
PARIS — Nearly a dozen people were injured after violence broke out between rival fans on Sunday following the postponement of Paris Saint-Germain's French league match at fierce rival Marseille after several PSG players contracted swine flu.
Police prefect Philippe Klayman told reporters in Marseille that "about ten people" had been arrested following the clashes.
One PSG supporter was hit by a car and was hospitalized with a broken leg while a police officer was slightly injured.
A third PSG player was diagnosed with swine flu on Sunday and the French league decided to postpone the game following advice from its medical commission. No new date for the match has been decided but Marseille coach Didier Deschamps asked the league to reschedule it on Wednesday.
The violent incidents between Marseille and PSG fans started in downtown Marseille. Police used tear gas to stop the clashes, while about 60 Parisian fans were kept apart from home supporters near Marseille's old port area. Further incidents were reported near the train station.
Earlier in the afternoon, about 100 PSG fans — some of them wearing shirts emblazoned with the Kop of Boulogne emblem used by the hard core supporters — started a fight, forcing police to intervene.
PSG president Robin Leproux said his club was working with Marseille's security officials and police to help Parisian fans return to the capital as soon as possible.
"As we speak, there are no serious injuries, but a lot of minor injuries," Leproux told a news conference.
Matches between Marseille and PSG are regularly marred by violence off the pitch, and special security measures were in force in and around the Velodrome stadium.
Marseille president Jean-Claude Dassier called the decision to postpone the game "late and skimpy."
"Let's hope I won't have to call it a dangerous decision before the end of the evening," Dassier said, referring to violence.
French Sports Minister Rama Yade urged Marseille and PSG officials to speak responsibly "while police forces are still deployed to maintain public order.
"Everybody has to respect the decision (to postpone the game)," Yade said. "The time is for preventive action and caution, not for controversies."
On the medical front, PSG players and staff members will be quarantined for the next 72 hours to avoid any risk of new infection.
The league said it wanted to avoid any risk of contamination "including on the opposing team and to avoid any serious medical complications that could occur."
It had initially said Saturday that the game would go ahead despite the first two swine flu cases — Ludovic Giuly and Mamadou Sakho — being diagnosed.
"The League made its decision today when it could have been yesterday, but there are medical circumstances," Klayman said. "If the match had been canceled yesterday, a majority of fans would not have made the trip."
PSG announced only a few hours before the game was due to start that an unidentified third player had been hit by the virus and two other staff members were having similar symptoms.
According to the French media, the third player is midfielder Jeremy Clement.
French league president Frederic Thiriez said that the "players' safety is more important that any other consideration," and apologized to the fans, clubs and French television station Canal, which holds the broadcasting rights.
Four swine flu cases have been diagnosed in the French first division. Montpellier defender Emir Spahic contracted the virus in August.
Marseille trails leader Bordeaux by five points, while PSG is 13th after three draws and two losses in its last five games.
-- Samuel Petrequin
Liverpool fans assured over new investors, Benitez
LIVERPOOL, England — Liverpool fans got good news on and off the field Sunday.
First managing director Christian Purslow said the team will have new investors within six months and that manager Rafa Benitez's job is secure. Then the gloom that had been engulfing the club was further lifted by a 2-0 victory over Manchester United.
A run of four straight losses before the win had intensified the pressure on American co-owners Tom Hicks and George Gillett Jr. to spend money to strengthen the squad.
Before the match, around 1,000 fans chanted "Yanks out" as they protested outside Anfield against Hicks and Gillett Jr., who were on a rare joint visit.
Hicks, who wildly celebrated Sunday's first goal by Fernando Torres, and Gillett went public last month with their search for new equity after a Saudi Arabian prince said he wanted to buy a stake in the 18-time English champions.
And Purslow assured fans an injection of cash will be arriving soon.
"There has been a huge amount of interest in the club from some extremely wealthy and expert investors, but it will take three to six months to pull that together," Purslow said. "It means there will be new investment into the football club. Mr. Hicks and Mr. Gillett have no plans to sell their shares. We will be issuing new equity to new investors, broadening our ownership."
Hicks also owns the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars. Gillett recently sold the Montreal Canadiens but is still a majority owner of NASCAR's Richard Petty Motorsports team.
Despite the recent poor run of results in the Champions League and Premier League, Benitez is still seen as the manager to deliver the club's first English championship since 1990.
Benitez signed a new five-year contract in March despite winning only two major trophies since arriving in 2004 — the Champions League in 2005 and 2006 FA Cup.
"Liverpool Football Club is on a long-term journey and that journey is to be the most successful club, firstly in our country and secondly in the world, and you don't do that by worrying about short-term results," Purslow said. "You do that by having long-term plans centering on the people and the strategy. Rafa Benitez is absolutely central to that plan."
Purslow said neither of the team's pivotal players, Torres and Steven Gerrard, were for sale at any price.
-- Rob Harris
Ferguson praises Liverpool, criticizes referee
LIVERPOOL, England — Manchester United manager Alex Ferguson said he was disappointed by his team's performance in Sunday's 2-0 loss at Liverpool, but also criticized the performance of the referee in the defeat.
Goals from Fernando Torres and David Ngog consigned the English champions to their first defeat in 12 matches in all competitions and their first since the second game of the season at Burnley.
"It was a disappointing performance and Liverpool were better," Ferguson told United's TV channel because he refuses to attend post-match media conferences. "We never got any luck in terms of refereeing decisions, but we have to hold our hands up — we weren't good enough.
Ferguson added: "I'm not trying to take anything away from Liverpool — they were the better team — but there were so many controversial things that happened out there and we feel a bit aggrieved."
The Scot complained about referee Andre Marriner, claiming he was influenced by the Anfield crowd as Rafa Benitez's side halted a four-match losing streak.
"There was a wounded animal aspect to the game," said Ferguson, who was charged by the Football Association earlier this week after criticizing a referee's fitness. "I think it affected our players and it affected the referee. It is very difficult atmosphere here."
Nemanja Vidic was sent off for the third consecutive match against Liverpool after pulling down Dirk Kuyt in the 90th minute.
"The Vidic booking was the worst decision," Ferguson said.
Ferguson was also aggrieved that Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher was not sent off earlier for a foul on former teammate Michael Owen when Liverpool was leading 1-0.
"The referee was only four or five yards from it he cannot use a covering defender as an excuse," Ferguson said. "Michael was clean through. With Michael's pace he is going to get away from him."
Ferguson also said that United midfielder Michael Carrick should have been awarded a penalty when he was fouled.
Unlike his manager, defender Patrice Evra was making no excuses for the loss that left United two points behind leader Chelsea.
"Liverpool were aggressive but we didn't play and that's why it's so frustrating to lose," Evra said. "The display was poor today. Normally when United play we create at least five or six clear chances but we only had the one when (Antonio) Valencia hit the crossbar.
"It's not enough if you want to win against Liverpool."
And it hasn't been for three matches now between the two sides, with United condemned to a hat trick of losses by its northwest rival.
"There was a big silence in the dressing room afterwards and we will need a few days to recover from this big disappointment," Evra said. "Now I think we need to do what we did last year — win the league after losing to Liverpool."
-- Rob Harris
Lothar Matthaeus appointed Racing Club coach
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina — Lothar Matthaeus has been appointed coach of Racing Club.
The 48-year-old Matthaeus, who captained West Germany to the 1990 World Cup title, was given the job with Racing having failed to win one of its past 10 matches.
"It isn't an expensive contract, and we have come to the conclusion that Lothar was the right person," said Racing president Rodolfo Molina, adding that Matthaeus is expected to arrive in Argentina on Wednesday.
Interim coach Juan Barbas will remain as Matthaeus' assistant.
Matthaeus has previously coached the national teams of Hungary and Israel, Austrian club Red Bull and Brazilian team Atletico Paranaense.
Matthaeus played in five World Cups, from 1982-1998, and was chosen as FIFA's world player of the year in 1991.
League Roundups
Liverpool beats Man U; Man City held by Fulham
LONDON — Liverpool beat Manchester United 2-0 to end its four-game losing streak and keep Chelsea at the top of the Premier League on Sunday while Arsenal and Manchester City threw away two-goal leads and were held to draws.
Arsenal was held 2-2 at next-to-last West Ham but still moved above Tottenham to third while Man City failed to hold on to a comfortable lead at home to Fulham and drew 2-2. Bolton edged Everton 3-2 in Sunday's other game.
Goals by Fernando Torres and David Ngog earned Liverpool its third straight Premier League victory over the club which has become its closest rival and last season tied its record 18 league title triumphs.
Despite two defeats in the league and two in the Champions League, Liverpool outplayed Man United even without injured captain and most influential player Steven Gerrard.
"The players have answered a lot of questions and that's the most important thing," said Liverpool manager Rafa Benitez. "We have to keep going. We can't get too excited about today.
"The team is better than people think."
Man United goalkeeper Edwin van der Sar made a top quality diving save to keep out a free kick by Fabio Aurelio in the 15th minute but Liverpool was rewarded for its improved play by taking the lead in the 65th.
Torres collected a through ball from Yossi Benayoun and held off Rio Ferdinand before shooting into the roof of the net.
Michael Owen went on as a late Man United substitute to a chorus of boos from the Liverpool fans who used to idolize him and set up Antonio Valencia for an angled shot which hit the bar.
United centerback Nemanja Vidic sent off for second yellow card in the 90th minute and was followed by Liverpool's Javier Mascherano. They will both miss this week's League Cup games.
With United caught upfield Liverpool broke out for Ngog to race clear and score the second to leave Alex Ferguson disappointed with United's performance.
"It was a bad performance by us. We didn't handle the atmosphere of the game," he said. "Liverpool were the better team they created more chances. They deserved their victory. We let ourselves down with our penetration."
United's second defeat means it is two points behind Chelsea, which outplayed Blackburn 5-0 on Saturday and has 24 from 10 games. Liverpool moved up three spots to fifth with 18 points.
Arsenal's first goal after 16 minutes at Upton Park was a gift.
Hammers goalkeeper Robert Green collided with teammate James Tomkins and dropped a cross from Bacary Sagna to give Robin van Persie a shot into an empty net.
William Gallas headed home Van Persie's corner for the second in the 29th minute. But West Ham hit back with 18 minutes to go when Alessandro Diamanti's free kick was palmed out by goalkeeper Vito Mannone to Carlton Cole, who headed his fifth league goal of the season.
Diamanti fired home a 79th minute penalty for the equalizer after Alex Song was judged to have brought Cole down.
West Ham was reduced to 10 men when Scott Parker was sent off for his second yellow card in the 85th minute.
"I thought we were a bit unlucky today with decisions," said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger. "West Ham did fight for their lives and made it very difficult. We played a good game but couldn't finish with a third goal."
The point allowed Arsenal to move into third place above north London neighbor Tottenham, which lost 1-0 at home to Stoke on Saturday. The Gunners, who have 19 points from nine matches, also have a game in hand on Tottenham and Liverpool and the two teams above.
Man City also squandered the lead and a chance to climb up from sixth in the standings.
Defender Joleon Lescott gave City the lead from close range in the 53rd minute after Fulham failed to deal with a corner and Martin Petrov added a second in the 60th.
But Damien Duff replied two minutes later and Clint Dempsey made it 2-2 in the 68th as Fulham hit back for a point only to stay in the lower half of the standings.
"At 2-0 up we should see the game off," said City manager Mark Hughes. "But we haven't done our job satisfactorily. We acknowledged before the game that Dempsey was a good header of a ball and told the guys but we allowed him to score."
Ivan Klasnic scored an 86th winner for Bolton in a 3-2 victory at home to Everton after the visitor had come back from two goals down to make it 2-2.
South Korea international winger Lee Chung-yong gave Bolton a 16th minute lead and Gary Cahill's header headed made it 2-0. But Louis Saha replied with a 25-meter shot in the 32nd and Marouane Fellaini equalized in the 55th before Klasnic captured all three points from Bolton to lift the side five places to 12th.
-- Robert Millward
Barcelona thrashes Zaragoza to go clear at top
MADRID — Barcelona thrashed Zaragoza 6-1 to move three points clear of Real Madrid at the top of the Spanish league on Sunday, helped by a Seydou Keita hat trick and two goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
The Catalans shrugged off their surprise loss to Rubin Kazan in the Champions League midweek and produced a dominant display. Three early goals put the European Champion out of reach by halftime.
Barcelona is now on 22 points, three ahead of Real Madrid, which failed to bounce back from its midweek loss to AC Milan in drawing with Sporting Gijon 0-0 on Saturday. Sevilla is third on 16 points.
"We have proved that Barcelona is a big team," said Keita after the game. "I'm happy but I am not a goal scorer. If (Leo) Messi or Ibrahimovic scores, it's better for the team."
Ibrahimovic and Messi, who led the attack with Andres Iniesta, were a constant threat for Barcelona.
With five minutes played, Xavi Hernandez found Messi in space but the Argentina winger shot just wide. A long pass from Xavi in the 12th found Ibrahimovic, who headed down for Messi — but his low shot was pushed round the post by keeper Juan Pablo Carrizo.
Barcelona finally took the lead in the 24th minute when Messi took a short pass from a corner and his cross connected with the head of the diving Keita to make it 1-0.
Five minutes later Carrizo got both hands to a rocketing shot from Ibrahimovic but couldn't keep it out.
Ibrahimovic was twice ruled offside after finding the net from a Messi assist. In the 41st Ibrahimovic was the provider when he cut in from the left and Keita swept his cross into the net.
The Swede combined with Keita moments later, flicking the Malian's cross with the outside of his boot into the net for his second of the night.
A rare lapse by Barcelona allowed Jorge Lopez to burst through in the 78th and beat goalkeeper Victor Valdes with a stinging shot.
Messi struck back two minutes later, gathering a pass from Iniesta on the edge of the area and lobbing Carrizo to make it 5-1 and Keita scored his third when he headed in from a corner.
Goals from David Villa, Pablo Hernandez and Juan Manuel Mata gave Valencia a 3-0 win over 10-man Almeria on Sunday, taking the side up to fourth place in the standings.
Spain striker Villa returned to the starting line-up after spending most of the midweek Europa League game against Slavia Prague on the bench. He scored his seventh of the season when he rose to head in Hernandez's delicate cross in the 53rd minute.
Just after the hour, Almeria was reduced to 10 men when goalkeeper Diego Alves was sent off for a rash challenge on Hernandez.
In the 74th minute, Hernandez saw substitute 'keeper Andres Esteban off his line and his long-range lob found the net.
Juan Manuel Mata made it 3-0 with a low drive in the 86th minute.
Valencia is level with Deportivo La Coruna on 15 points.
Earlier, Villarreal beat Malaga 2-1 to win its first game of the season and move off the bottom of the table.
Villarreal looked unsettled after seven league games without a win, but Nilmar da Silva calmed nerves with a goal in the 27th minute.
Malaga's Albert Luque equalized just before halftime, but Joan Capdevila's low free kick put the hosts ahead again in the 52nd.
"We've suffered a lot, but when you are way down there in the standings that's how it is," said Villarreal coach Ernesto Valverde after the game. "The win is very good, even though we had to suffer. We won without playing the way we wanted."
The result left Malaga bottom in the standings.
Also Sunday, Valladolid beat Deportivo La Coruna 4-0, Getafe defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-0, Osasuna drew 1-1 with Racing Santander and Tenerife edged Xerez 1-0.
On Saturday, nine-man Mallorca held Atletico Madrid to 1-1 and Sevilla drew 0-0 against Espanyol.
Juventus keeps pressure on Inter, Sampdoria
MILAN — Juventus won 1-0 away to Siena on Sunday to keep the pressure on Serie A pacesetters Inter Milan and Sampdoria.
Juventus striker Amauri headed home a freekick taken by Diego to secure the points, despite a lackluster performance.
Fiorentina, which was level with Juventus on 15 points, lost 1-0 at home to Napoli after Christian Maggio scored a late winner.
On Saturday night, Inter beat Catania 2-1 and Sampdoria recorded a 4-1 victory over Bologna.
Inter is top with 22 points, Sampdoria is second with 20 and Juventus lies third on 18, followed by and Palermo, Fiorentina and AC Milan on 15 points.
Milan later made it three wins in a week, but needed a brace from defender Alessandro Nesta in the last 10 minutes to take the points from Chievo Verona.
Giampiero Pinzi gave Chievo the lead in the seventh minute, but Nesta grabbed the points with two headers.
"Obviously today we knew we needed a win and I think we deserved it even though we didn't create many chances," Juventus coach Ciro Ferrara said.
"I'll say again that this Juventus team has to and will improve, but the win today was crucial."
Juventus began the game in a sluggish manner and appeared tired from the physical midweek Champions League match with Maccabi Haifa.
Neither side managed to build much momentum in the first half and the closest that Ciro Ferrara's team came to opening the scoring came was when Diego blasted Christian Poulsen's pass high over the bar.
The second half began in much the same vein, though Giorgio Chiellini had to come to Juventus's rescue in the 64th minute by putting in a last ditch tackle on Siena striker Emanuele Calaio.
Eventually Juventus' strength came to the fore and from Diego's freekick in the 72nd, Amauri rose above the Siena defense to head past goalkeeper Gianluca Curci.
"Diego isn't totally over his problems," Ferrara said. "He linked up well with Amauri in the first half, though there wasn't a great deal of room for him to work in. Overall he had a good game."
Fiorentina also appeared lethargic after the Champions League match with Debreceni and only Juan Vargas came close to opening the scoring with a shot across the face of goal in the 21st.
In the second half Fiorentina began the strongest.
Two minutes after the restart Alberto Gilardino and Martin Jorgensen both had shots cleared off the line and in the 64th Napoli goalkeeper Morgan De Sanctis blocked Vargas' powerful drive.
As the match wore on and Fiorentina was unable to find the net Napoli's confidence grew. In the 79th minute Massimo Gobbi pulled down Napoli midfielder Marek Hamsik, but Sebastien Frey dived to push Fabio Quagliarella's penalty away for a corner.
"I think it was the right decision as Hamsik had won the penalty, but Quagliarella was in a better condition to take it," Napoli coach Walter Mazzarri said.
Two minutes later Frey again denied Quagliarella, but Napoli kept attacking and with a minute remaining substitute German Denis slipped the ball to Maggio at the near post and the winger flicked it over the onrushing Frey.
It is the second week in a row that Maggio has scored a late winner and continues the upturn in Napoli's form since Mazzarri took over from Roberto Donadoni.
"Every manager wants to put his mark on his team," Mazzarri said. "I had to do it quicker than I expected, but the players understand what I want from them.
"The shape of the team in such an important game was crucial and the defense in particular was extremely important in us winning this game."
Milan also began the match as though still feeling the effects of the Champions League win away to Real Madrid in midweek and Chievo wasted no time in taking advantage.
Andrea Mantovano crossed from the left and Pinzi volleyed home from close range.
Milan had created few chances but managed to equalize after substitute Marco Borriello headed against the bar and Nesta beat the Chievo defence to the rebound.
Milan could have easily gone 2-1 down, but Dida produced a spectacular save to block a header by Pablo Granoche.
"It was a great save by Didi," Nesta said. "We would have lost the game without him."
Minutes later, Nesta rose at the back post to head the winner.
"It was a great night and something new for me," said the defender, whose side had beaten AS Roma 2-1 the previous weekend. "We have won three important matches in a row and are on the right track."
Also Sunday, it was: Atalanta 3, Parma 1; Bari 2, Lazio 0; Cagliari 3, Genoa 2; Palermo 1, Udinese 0; and AS Roma 0, Livorno 1.
-- Jeremy Inson
Schalke and Hamburg draw 3-3
FRANKFURT — Hamburger SV battled with 10 men to draw 3-3 at Schalke on Sunday and go level on points with Bundesliga leader Bayer Leverkusen.
Leverkusen, which like second-place Hamburg is unbeaten in the league, drew 1-1 with Borussia Dortmund on Friday and stays top on goal difference. Both teams have 22 points.
In other games Sunday, Werder Bremen rallied for a 4-1 win in Bochum and bottom-place Hertha Berlin ended an eight-game losing streak by holding champion Wolfsburg to a 0-0 draw. Bremen moved above Schalke into third place.
Hamburg led 2-0 and 3-2 but Kevin Kuranyi scored his second goal of the match in the 90th minute to earn a draw for Felix Magath's team.
Gerald Asamoah could have won the game for Schalke in injury time but he directed his diving header straight at Hamburg goalkeeper Frank Rost.
Schalke held the early initiative with Kuranyi and Jefferson Farfan coming close before Hamburg went ahead through Marcus Berg in the 27th minute after Eljero Elia's run down the left flank.
Piotr Trochowski doubled the lead in the final minute of the first half when he struck the ball inside the far post from a free kick from nearly 30 meters (yards).
Jonathan Pitroipa wasted a great chance for Hamburg to go three goals up early in the second half and Kuranyi reduced the score when he rose above Guy Demel to meet a cross from Rafinha with a perfectly timed header.
Schalke equalized after Hamburg defender David Rozehnal earned a red card for bringing down Kuranyi as the striker charged alone towards the goal in the 62nd minute.
Marcelo Bordon took the resulting free kick and fired in a powerful drive which Rost touched onto the crossbar, only for Lukas Schmitz to head home the rebound.
Berg appeared to have won the match for Hamburg when collected a perfect pass from Ze Roberto for his second goal in the 80th minute.
However, Kuranyi equalized in the final minute with his second of the day, following a cross by Heiko Westermann.
In Bochum, Stanislav Sestak hit the target less than a full minute into the game and Bochum also twice struck the woodwork. But the visiting team took control after that, with Aaron Hunt, Marko Marin, Tim Borowski and Mesut Oezil scoring for Bremen. Marin scored his first goal for Bremen — following a pass by Hunt — since joining the club from Borussia Moenchengladbach in the offseason.
Hertha had the better chances and nearly upset Wolfsburg, which was playing without Grafite after the striker was granted a short vacation to his native Brazil in an attempt to get him out of a scoring slump.
Edin Dzeko had a good effort stopped by Jaroslav Drobny, the Hertha goalkeeper who returned after a five-week absence due to a thigh injury.
Dzeko also shot wide, but the finish belonged to Hertha. Wolfsburg's goalkeeper Diego Benaglio made a good save from Gojko Kacar before Adrian Ramos hit the post.
The point was the first for new Hertha coach Friedhelm Funkel, who replaced Lucen Favre three weeks ago.
Wolfsburg is now seventh.
On Saturday, Daniel van Buyten scored a late winner as Bayern Munich came from behind to beat Eintracht Frankfurt 2-1.
Bayern's Arjen Robben came off the bench three weeks after undergoing knee surgery to equalize after Alexander Meier had put Frankfurt ahead.
Stuttgart fell to its fifth defeat in six games, losing 1-0 at Hannover and increasing the pressure on coach Markus Babbel.
In other games, Hoffenheim defeated Nuremberg 3-0, Mainz beat fellow promoted side Freiburg 3-0 and Cologne drew 0-0 at Borussia Moenchengladbach.
-- Nesha Starcevic
Auxerre rallies to beat Lille 3-2
PARIS — Ireneusz Jelen scored twice as Auxerre rallied to beat Lille 3-2 in the French league on Sunday, while struggling Lens slumped to a fourth consecutive loss with a 2-0 home defeat by Toulouse.
Auxerre, which claimed its fourth consecutive win, rose to seventh in the standings with 17 points from 10 games and ended Lille's eight-game unbeaten run in all competitions.
Lille midfielder Gervinho put his team ahead in the 26th minute with a superb half-volley from Pierre-Alain Frau's perfect cross.
Jelen leveled 10 minutes later with a low shot from close range before Frau retrieved the ball in the box before beating goalkeeper Olivier Sorin in the 40th minute to restore Lille's lead.
But Jelen equalized after the interval with a shot between goalkeeper Ludovic Butelle's legs and striker Daniel Niculae gave Auxerre the three points with an angled header in the 82nd minute.
At Lens, Toulouse took the lead after France midfielder Moussa Sissoko scored from the rebound into an empty net after a shot by Franck Tabanou hit the bar in the 35th minute.
France striker Andre-Pierre Gignac doubled the lead in the 56th minute, curling right-footed shot into the top corner.
Toulouse is 11th with 14 points while Lens is next-to-last with eight points.
Violence broke out between rivals fans on Sunday after Paris Saint-Germain's French league match at fierce rival Marseille was postponed.
The French league made its decision after a third PSG player was diagnosed with swine flu. No new date for the game has been decided.
The violent incidents between Marseille and PSG fans started in downtown Marseille. Police used tear gas to stop the clashes, while about 60 Parisian fans were kept apart from home supporters near Marseille's old port area. Further incidents were reported near the train station.
Earlier in the afternoon, about 100 PSG fans — some of them wearing shirts emblazoned with the Kop of Boulogne emblem used by the hard core supporters — started a fight, forcing police to intervene.
Marseille trails leader Bordeaux by five points, while PSG is 13th after three draws and two losses in its last five games.
On Saturday, defending champion Bordeaux moved back to the top of the standings by beating Le Mans 3-0, while Lyon slumped to a second consecutive league defeat with a surprising 4-1 loss at struggling Nice.
Bordeaux, which had lost its two previous league games, has 22 points, one more than Monaco, which secured its seventh win of the season with a 3-1 victory at Boulogne. Lyon and promoted Montpellier have 20.
Montpellier missed a chance to go top for the first time in the club's history after losing 3-0 at Rennes.
-- Samuel Petrequin
Twente beats Groningen 4-0 in Dutch league
AMSTERDAM — FC Twente beat FC Groningen 4-0 on Sunday to stay top of the Dutch league and extend its unbeaten run to 11 games.
Groningen never recovered after Miroslav Stoch and Dwight Tiendalli scored two early goals. Blaise Nkufo converted a 62nd minute penalty for Twente's third, following the dismissal of goalkeeper Brian van Loo, and Bryan Ruiz completed the rout with his team's fourth in the 80th minute.
Also Sunday, Ajax beat AZ Alkmaar 4-2 to go second in the standings. AZ looked on course to shrug off uncertainty over the club's future when Mounir El Hamdaoui put his team in front in the 28th minute after collecting a pass from Brett Holman.
But Urby Emanuelson's equalizer in the 57th minute signaled the start of a dramatic Ajax comeback, with Luis Suarez and Gregory van der Wiel scoring inside nine minutes to put Martin Jol's side 3-1 up. Two goals followed in stoppage time, with Suarez scoring his second of the day before Graziano Pelle pulled one back for AZ.
AZ's problems began when main sponsor DSB Bank NV was declared bankrupt Oct. 19, forcing the team to play its last two matches wearing sponsorless shirts.
Balazs Dzsudzsak, Jonathan Reis and Otman Bakkal each scored in PSV Eindhoven's 4-0 win over NEC Nijmegen. Danko Lazovic also converted a second half penalty for PSV, which is still unbeaten this season.
Twente has 29 points, two more than PSV. Ajax is third with 26. Defending champion AZ is eighth with 15.
Also Sunday, it was: Willem II 4, SC Heerenveen 1.
Feyenoord kept pace with a 1-0 win over VVV-Venlo on Saturday while crosstown rival Sparta Rotterdam beat ADO The Hague 3-2.
Heracles Almelo beat Vitesse Arnhem 2-0 Saturday and NAC Breda edged RKC Waalwijk 1-0.
On Friday, Zambia forward Jacob Mulenga scored his first goal for FC Utrecht and Ricky van Wolfswinkel added another in a 2-1 win over Roda JC.
Panathinaikos beats PAOK 2-1 in Greek league
ATHENS, Greece — Costas Katsouranis scored one goal in each half on Sunday to lead Panathinaikos to a 2-1 win over PAOK Thessaloniki that took them back to the top of the Greek league, level on points with Olympiakos.
It was Panathinaikos' seventh win in eight games and leaves them alongside Olympiakos with 22 points. Olympiakos had beaten visiting Ergotelis 2-1 on Saturday.
Panathinaikos went on the attack from the start, squandering at two good chances before Katsouranis put the hosts ahead with a header off a cross by Sotiris Ninis in the 23rd minute.
Panathinaikos only kept the lead for 16 minutes until Vieirinha made it 1-1 with a low shot in the 39th. The Portuguese striker received a deep pass, chested down the ball and then easily beat Alexandros Tzorvas for the equalizer.
The second half saw the Athenians launching one attack after the other, but PAOK's defense held firm until the 70th minute when French striker Djibril Cisse fed Katsouranis in the area and the midfielder volleyed in the winner. It was his sixth goal of the season.
Also Sunday it was: Levadiakos 1, Iraklis 0; Panthrakikos 1, Larissa 3; Aris 1, AEK 1 and Xanthi 2, Kavala 1.
Celtic beats Hamilton to go top of Scottish League
GLASGOW, Scotland — First half goals by Shaun Maloney and Scott McDonald fired Celtic to a 2-1 victory at Hamilton on Sunday and back to the top of the Scottish Premier League.
Defending champions Rangers were held 1-1 at home by Hibernian on Saturday and the result opened the door for Celtic to regain top spot.
Maloney volleyed home a cross by Andreas Hinkel in the 15th minute and McDonald hit the second in the 29th after a Hamilton defender tackled Giorgios Samaras and deflected the ball into the Australian striker's path.
Mickael Antoine-Curier replied for next-to-last Hamilton in the 83rd but Celtic hung on for its sixth victory in nine games. Tony Mowbray's team has 20 points and Rangers, unbeaten with five wins and four draws, have 19.
AIK goes top in Sweden after derby win
STOCKHOLM — Kenny Pavey came off the substitutes' bench and scored the matchwinner two minutes later as AIK beat crosstown rival Hammarby 2-1 to secure top spot in the Swedish league on Sunday.
The English midfielder pounced on a rebound in the 71st minute to secure the points for the Stockholm club, which is chasing its 11th league title.
Brazilian striker Antonio Flavio had given AIK a 34th minute lead after Bojan Djordjic's corner. Simon Helg equalized for last-place Hammarby on the hour mark.
AIK now has 57 points, one more than IFK Goteborg, which beat BP 3-0 on Friday.
Elfsborg is third on 51 points after drawing 1-1 with Hacken on Sunday, while Gefle edged Trelleborg 2-1.
Melbourne extends dominance over Adelaide
SYDNEY, Australia — Mate Dugandzic scored twice as Melbourne beat Adelaide 3-1 in the weekend's 12th round of Australia's A-League, posting its eighth-straight league win over its arch rival.
Thailand international striker Sutee Suksomkit, in an impressive A-League debut, set up Dugandzic's first goal with a neat pass in the 18th minute. Dugandzic tapped in his second from a cross by Carlos Hernandez before Adam Hughes pulled one back for Adelaide in the 64th minute.
Center-back Adrian Leijer headed home a corner to clinch the win and lift Melbourne into second place in the table.
Sydney moved to the top of the standings with a 2-1 win over Brisbane, which suffered defeat in the first game for new coach Ange Postecoglou.
Second-half goals to striker Alex Brosque and Slovak midfielder Karol Kisel put Sydney ahead before a spirited Brisbane pulled one back through young midfielder Isaka Cernak.
Sydney and Melbourne moved up the standings thanks to previous leader Gold Coast suffering a shock 6-0 hammering at the hands of Wellington, which was bottom of the ladder entering the game.
Midfielder Daniel scored in each half as Wellington matched the largest winning margin in league history — Melbourne's 6-0 win over Adelaide in the 2007 grand final.
Former Milwall striker Paul Ifill, who was among Wellington's scorers, said he had been confident his team would find its scoring touch.
"I said before the game I thought somebody would get a spanking, but I wasn't sure if it was going to be this week," he said.
"The way we've been playing it's just a case of hitting the back of the net. We got those four goals in 10 minutes in the second half, and we've killed somebody off at last. It's been a long time coming."
Former Liverpool star Robbie Fowler scored his fifth league goal as North Queensland beat Perth 2-1 for its first home win in the A-League and only the second win of its debut season.
Perth scored first through former Dutch international Victor Sikora but Fowler equalized in the 65th minute and substitute Dyron Daal scored the winner six minutes later.
"For the last three or four weeks we've had that opportunity and we have not quite taken it," Fury coach Ian Ferguson said.
"But we haven't lost games either, so the good thing is that we're still hanging in there and we still had that opportunity tonight to get off the bottom of the ladder and we've taken it."
Two early goals gave Newcastle a 2-1 derby win over Central Coast, breaking a seven-match losing streak.
Former Leeds striker Michael Bridges and Labinot Haliti put Newcastle ahead 2-0 before Adam Kwasnik pulled a goal back for Central Coast in a busy opening 19 minutes.
The Mariners' goal was preceded by a two-minute long confrontation between players after a hard tackle on former South Korea international Song Jin-Hyung.
"We thought 'this is great, the players themselves have decided they want to do something, not just about this game, but where we are'," Newcastle coach Branko Culina said.
"That's so much easier for the coach and the coaching staff and the club when the players want to do it rather than you always telling them to do it."
Kawasaki reclaims top spot in J-League
KAWASAKI, Japan — Brazilian Juninho scored twice as Kawasaki Frontale thrashed 10-man Sanfrecce Hiroshima 7-0 to reclaim top spot in the J-League.
Yusuke Mori set up Juninho to put Frontale ahead in the 18th minute, and the home side was boosted by the 26th-minute dismissal of Hiroshima defender Ryota Moriwaki.
Chong Tese, Yusuke Tasaka, Renatinho, Kengo Nakamura, and substitute Kyohei Noborizato scored in the second half, before Juninho completed the rout in the last minute with his 16th goal of the season.
With four rounds left, Kawasaki has 55 points, one ahead of defending champion Kashima Antlers.
Kashima snapped a six-match winless streak on Saturday with a 3-0 win over relegation-threatened JEF United Chiba.
First-half goals from Shinzo Koroki and Marquinhos put Kashima in control before substitute Yuzo Tashiro added a third 12 minutes from time.
Third-place Gamba Osaka is four points off the pace after being held to a 0-0 draw by Yokohama F Marinos.
Shimizu S-Pulse has 50 points and saw its title hopes take a setback after a 2-1 loss to FC Tokyo, which is fifth place on 49 points.
At the other end of the standings, Oita Trinita was relegated after a 1-1 draw with Kyoto Sanga on Saturday. Chiba has 24 points and looks almost certain to join Oita in J2 next season as it is 12 points behind fourth-from-last Omiya Ardija.
Brazilian striker Rafael scored twice as Omiya took a major step toward staying up with a 3-0 win over Urawa Reds, who had Robson Ponte sent off four minutes before the break. Omiya is just above the drop zone in 15th place with 36 points.
Montedio Yamagata moved closer toward remaining in the top flight with 37 points after Katsuyuki Miyazawa scored in a 1-0 win over third-from-last Kashiwa Reysol.
Ryoichi Maeda scored a hat trick to take his tally for the season to a league-leading 18 goals, but Jubilo Iwata squandered a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Nagoya Grampus.
