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FIFA: Imports excel as leaders falter

/noticias.info/ Foreigners stole the headlines during a weekend in which the league leaders slipped up in Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Malaysia and New Zealand. Elsewhere, one of Brazil's biggest derbies unfolded at the Morumbi, while two title contenders experienced mixed fortunes in Tunisia.

FIFA.com reflects on the latest twists outside of Europe.

Argentinian Clausura: Palermo sends Boca top
Boca Juniors sit top of the Clausura after they won, Velez Sarsfield and Estudiantes slipped up, and River Plate's game was suspended with the Buenos Aires side leading 3-2. Martin Palermo was the only scorer as the Xeneizes beat Gimnasic La Plata, a result which took them above Velez - who drew 0-0 at Gimnasia Jujuy - on goal difference.

Estudiantes lost the competition's other 100 per cent record at San Lorenzo, who ended a 474-minute goal drought en route to a 3-1 victory and their first points of the campaign. Torrential rain forced River's match against San Martin to be abandoned.

Big game: Independiente kept their first clean sheet in 11 games and, thanks to strikes by German Denis and Daniel Montenegro, sent Argentinos Juniors home with a 2-0 defeat.
Headline-grabber: Jose Ulloa tasted Clausura gold with San Lorenzo in 2007. On Saturday he netted an equaliser - and then the winner - to help Olimpo edge reigning Apertura kings Lanus 3-2 for their first victory.

Brazilian State Championships: Valdivia settles 'The Derby'
A crowd of 50,000-plus gathered at the Morumbi to watch Corinthians and Palmeiras contest one of Brazil's biggest clásicos, but it was an import who settled 'The Derby' in the latter's favour. A 74th-minute goal from Chilean Jorge Valdivia proved the difference between the arch-rivals, and moved Vanderlei Luxemburgo's side on to 19 points, one behind Corinthians and four short of the Paulistão playoff places.

Guaratingueta currently lead the race for semi-final berths, four clear of Barueri, Ponte Preta and Sao Paulo, who won 2-1 at Mirassol.

Big game: Sport beat Salgueiro 4-1 to win the Campeonato Pernambucano's first bisection and secure themselves a place in the overall state championship final.
Headline grabbers: Edmundo may be more than twice Alex Teixeira's age, but their compatibility was evident as Vasco overwhelmed Boavista 4-0. Botafogo, Flamengo and Fluminense were also winners as the Taca Rio got underway.

Mexican Clausura: San Luis and Pachuca prosper
San Luis' foreign stars inspired a 2-0 reverse of rienging Apertura kings Atlante, who finished the game with only eight men. The dismissals and the goals, scored by Argentine Eduardo Coudet and Colombian Tressor Moreno, all came during a frenetic last 16 minutes. The three points elevated San Luis to second in Group 3, one point above Cruz Azul and three shy of Guadalajara following their goalless draw.

Elsewhere, Pachuca won 2-0 at leaders Toluca to close to within two points of the Group 1 summit, while Santos Laguna beat Monterrey by the same scoreline to consolidate their ascendency in Group 2.

Big game: Tigres netted three unanswered goals to move to within one point of second-bottom Necaxa in Group 3 and hand America their fourth successive defeat.
Headline-grabbers: Paraguay's Jose Achucarro and Argentinian Esteban Solari both hit doubles to lead Atlas and Pumas to respective 2-1 wins over Puebla and Tecos, results which kept the pair on course for the playoffs.

Malaysian Super League: Perak climb into contention
Perak rivived their title ambitions as the top two going into the round were held in the Malaysian Super League. A sumptuous free-kick from St. Vincent and the Grenadines striker Marlon James looked to have put pacesetters Kedah on course for victory, but Lamin Conteh's 11th-hour header earned Negeri Sembilan a home point, while Selangor and fourth-placed Terengganu finished goalless.

These results allowed Perak, who beat Perlis 2-0 courtesy of goals from Chilean Carlos Cacares and Khalid Jamlus, to climb into second, four points adrift of Kedah having played a game more.

Big game: DPMM Brunei and PDRM will have been disappointed not to have eased their relegation worries with victory, but the four goals they shared in Borneo did not disappoint the neutrals.
Headline-grabber: Argentine forward Walter Silva scored one and tormented Pulau Pinang throughout as Johor FC won 4-0 to jump two places to fifth.

Tunisian Ligue 1: Esperance capitalise
Nigerian Mickael Eneramo and Morroco's Hicham Aboucherouane were among the scorers as Esperance swept aside Stade Tunisien 4-1 at home. The result, the Tunis giants' sixth straight win, moved them to within four points of Club Africain, who are preparing to take on CS Hammam.

Etoile Sahel kept their tenth clean sheet in 16 games this season, but they missed the chance to go top by drawing 0-0 at US Monastir. The reinging African champions now lie one point behind the leaders with a game in hand.

Big game: ES Zarzis sit four points adrift at the foot after a 0-0 draw with Jendouba Sport failed to end their long winless run.
Headline-grabber: Lofti Sellami was the lone marksman as Stade Gabesien unexpectedly beat AS Marsa away to boost their survival hopes.

Elsewhere
Rhodri Payne created the first and scored the second as Cantebury United registered their first win of the New Zealand Football Championship - 2-0 over local rivals Otago United - to keep their hopes of avoiding the wooden spoon alive. The victory, the Christchurch outfit's first in almost a year, took them to within four points of second-bottom Otago after 16 of 21 rounds.

Meanwhile, Waitakere United and Team Wellington capitalised on Auckland City losing at Hawkes Bay United. Waitakere beat Waikato FC 2-0 to move three points behind the leaders, while the Black-and-Gold Army rest a further three points back after a 4-0 success at YoungHeart Manawatu. They both possess a game in hand on Auckland.

The Strongest and Bolivar shared four goals in a pulsating derby in the Bolivian capital. Oriente Petrolero finished Matchday 2 of the Apertura as the only side on six points, Brazilian ace Robson inspiring them to a 4-0 defeat of Clausura holders San Jose. notas_de_prensa_archivo