Juan Roman Riquelme and Lucas Viatri inspired Boca Juniors to a narrow 1-0 victory over River Plate in the superclasico in Buenos Aires. Boca appear to have discovered and nurtured yet another talent in the form of Lucas Viatri, who has now scored five goals this season alone. Viatri headed in a precise Riquelme free-kick in a match where River clearly lacked creativity and slumped to a depleted 19th position, with goal difference alone separating them from complete obscurity at the foot of the table. Early pace setters San Lorenzo extended their lead at the summit of the table to five points after beating San Martin 1-0. Tigre rose to second place with a 3-0 win over Lanus, with Martin Morel scoring in either half to guarantee the three points.
Brasileirao (Brazil)
Sao Paulo were forced to settle for a point in the derby skirmish against a spirited Palmeiras after surrendering a 2-0 lead. With only eight minutes gone on the clock, two red cards had already been handed out in a typical fierce derby, Diego Souza for Palmeiras and Borges for Sao Paulo both being sent off. Sao Paulo took the lead through the quite astonishing Rogerio Ceni, the goalkeeper who is worldly renowned for his free kicks. Dagoberto extended the lead but within a space of two minutes Palmeiras pegged back to level the match at 2-2 – the goals provided by Kléber and Leandro. The result leaves Palmeiras in joint second place alongside Cruziero, Sao Paulo follow shortly in fourth while Gremio narrowly lead the championship.
Columbia National Team
Eduardo Lara has been confirmed as the full-time manager of the Columbian National Team following an initial spell as interim manager. His predecessor, Jorge Luis Pinto, was sacked after the nation lost to Uruguay and Chile and thus his tenure inevitably came to a premature end. Results have improved under Lara, who has so far overseen a goalless draw with Brazil and a defeat to group leaders Paraguay. Lara is known as a strict and coordinated manager with a tough policy over the behaviour of his players, as several of his former players have experienced. Lara is also the current manager of the Columbian Under 17s and Under 20s, where his major honours came when he guided them to gold in the 2005 South American Youth Championship.
Major League Soccer (USA)
New York Red Bulls goalkeeper Danny Cepero broke Major League Soccer history in a sensational debut. He became the first goalkeeper in the league’s 13-year history to score a goal and he claimed the feat in emphatic fashion. Cepero, a novice by all means who was literally thrown into the starting eleven after regular Jon Conway’s ten match suspension, tore apart the record book despite the fact he hadn’t even started an MLS match before. Columbus Crew fell victim to Cepero’s accidental heroics and he later confessed he was not even sure if it had gone in. "I just put it in the general area with no intention of scoring. I just hit it up somewhere where my teammates could do something with it. I didn't even know it went in. I had to ask (defender) Kevin (Goldthwaite).” The match finished 3-1 to New York Red Bulls and the 3 points have ensured that progression to the Cup Playoffs is still in their own control, with DC United following closely two points behind. Victory over Chicago Fire would guarantee their position in the Playoffs. Columbus Crew, Chicago Fire, New England Revolution, Houston Dynamo and Chivas USA have all secured their status in the next round – leaving three places still to be contested for. LA Galaxy will be forced back to the blueprints as an ambitious season that started off impeccably finished in ruins and enter the final league fixture with nothing other than pride at stake.
Watch Danny Cepero's record breaking goal here.
Virsliga (Latvia)
FK Ventspils have been crowned as Latvian champions for the third consecutive season to underline their credentials as a club force. Just one of the rewards for their achievement is a worthy place alongside the brawn of the continent’s elite in next season’s Champions League. Coach Roman Grigorchuk told uefa.com “The Champions League is a special tournament. For us, it's a new test. We have to give everything we have and even more. We're not building sand castles here; we're not voicing this intention just for the sake of it.”
Norwegian Premier Division (Norway)
It will take a miracle of immense aptitude to prevent Stabæk IF from winning the Norweigen title as they overcame reigning champions SK Brann 2-1. Fredrikstad FK are their closest rivals lying in second place and although it still remains mathematically possible, the goal difference is so vast that Fredrikstad would require two victories and have to further rely on Stabæk implausibly conceding 20 goals.
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