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FIFA: Champions crowned in the Americas

/noticias.info/ With Africa and Asia preoccupied by the small matter of FIFA World Cup™ qualifiers, the Americas were the place to be for intense club football action at the weekend. No fewer than four league championship races were decided on Saturday and Sunday, while the drama intensified in Uruguay, Argentina and Brazil, where Flamengo celebrated a hugely important derby win. Here with its customary weekly round-up of the latest goings-on in international club football is FIFA.com.

Argentinian Clausura: River go it alone
River Plate shrugged off the handicap of an early red card to record a valuable 2-1 win over Colon in Santa Fe and take to the top in Argentina. Joint leaders with Los Millonarios at the start of the day, Estudiantes could only draw 1-1 on their trip to Huracan to slip two points behind. Two points further back lie Boca Juniors, who saw off Arsenal 3-1.

Big game: The Avellaneda derby between Independiente and Racing Club promised much but delivered little, the duo playing out an insipid 0-0 draw that did neither side much good. While El Rojo remain firmly on the fringes of the title race, La Academia are still rooted in one of the relegation play-off places.
Headline-grabber: San Juan outfit San Martin suffered their eighth consecutive defeat at the hands of Gimnasia y Esgrima in Jujuy, a result that confirmed their return to the second tier after only one season in Primera A. Despite the three points, Gimnasia dropped into one of the direct relegation slots after Olimpo's last-gasp 3-2 win over San Lorenzo.

Uruguayan Clausura: down to the wire
As expected, Penarol and River Plate both eased to wins on the last day of the 2008 Clausura Championship and will fight it out for the title in a play-off. Los Carboneros slammed five goals without reply against Rampla Juniors, while Los Riverplatenses notched a 2-0 victory against Juventud. The winner of the Clausura decider will then meet 2007 Apertura champions Defensor Sporting in a season-ending play-off.

Big game: Danubio's 3-2 defeat of Progreso ensured them a berth in the Copa Libertadores and Copa Sudamericana qualification league and condemned the Gauchos del Pantanoso to second division football next season.
Headline-grabber: The two other sides to fall through the relegation trapdoor at the weekend were Segunda Fenix, who lost 3-2 to Wanderers, and Miramar Misiones, whose fate was sealed despite beating Central Espanol 3-1.

Brasileiro: Fla beat Flu to go top
In the latest Rio de Janeiro derby Flamengo edged out an under-strength Fluminense to move joint top with Cruzeiro. Leo Moura scored the only goal of the game from the penalty spot four minutes from time. Cruzeiro saw their 100 per cent record vanish when they could only draw 1-1 at Curitiba, the first goal the men from Belo Horizonte have conceded in the championship to date.

Big game: A packed house at the Vila Belmiro was not enough to inspire Santos and Sao Paulo as they played out a tame 0-0 draw in the weekend's Paulista derby. The point did little to help either side, leaving both mired in the lower reaches of the table.
Headline-grabber: After announcing his retirement last week, Vasco da Gama striker Edmundo has had a change of heart and could see out the remainder of the season with the Carioca side.

American MLS: tight at the top
Colorado Rapids were too slick for FC Dallas on Sunday, closing out the weekend's action with a 2-1 win that catapulted them to the top of the Western Conference after Los Angeles Galaxy lost their 2-0 at Toronto FC .

Big game:Over in the Eastern Conference, New England Revolution were held to a underwhelming 2-2 draw at home to struggling DC United. On the bright side for the Revolution, the point was enough to give them the outright lead in the Conference after Columbus Crew came unstuck in their visit to Chivas USA.
Headline-grabber: Toronto FC have now gone 320 minutes without conceding a goal at the BMO Field, where they have shipped just one goal in their last six matches.

Elsewhere
In Mexico, Santos drew 1-1 with Cruz Azul in the second leg of the championship decider to claim a 3-2 aggregate win and clinch a third title in their 25-year history. Argentinian midfielder Daniel Luduena was the man on target for Los Guerreros who endured some nervy moments late on before celebrating their first league crown since 2001 - quite a turnaround for a side who narrowly avoided relegation last term.

Deportivo Tachira succeeded Caracas as Venezuelan champions after playing out a goalless draw in the second leg of the play-off final. Los Aurinegros secured their sixth championship triumph and their first since 2000 courtesy of the away goal they scored in Wednesday's 1-1 draw at Caracas. Deportivo's latest triumph makes them Venezuela's second most successful club side.

One defending champion who maintained their status as national top dogs were Costa Rican powerhouses Deportivo Saprissa. A 1-0 defeat of arch-rivals Liga Deportiva Alajuelense helped them to a 2-0 aggregate success in the 2008 Clausura decider and the 27th national title of their illustrious history.

And finally, there was late drama in El Salvador as Luis Angel Firpo beat FAS 1-0 with a penalty in the last minute of extra-time to snatch the league championship. notas_de_prensa_archivo