By DAVID MOSSE

It took only three minutes midway through the first half for Boca Juniors to take control of the latest Superclasico, as the home side came away with a 2-0 victory Sunday in La Bombonera. River Plate goalkeeper Juan Pablo Carrizo was expected to be a key figure in this showdown between the two eternal nemeses, and Carrizo played his part in a negative way in the final result.

The 27-year-old palmed a corner kick into his own goal to give Boca the advantage on 28 minutes, before Martin Palermo confirmed his legendary status by scoring in his final Superclasico with a soft header three minutes later. Palermo scored for the fourth straight match and has bounced back nicely after going 10 games without finding the back of the net earlier this season.

River will feel aggrieved by the referee after having multiple penalty appeals waved away when the match was still scoreless and Los Millionarios created some great chances throughout. Three minutes before the break Rogelio Funes forced a fine save from goalkeeper Cristian Lucchetti, and River squandered one incredible opportunity in the first 10 minutes of the second half.

Mariano Pavone showed great class to beat his defender and lightly touched the ball past Lucchetti, but it was cleared off the line by Luciano Monzon. Boca was content to sit back and defend after the intermission, exploring the counter-attack with Pablo Mouche, and Juan Roman Riquelme showed off his ability to hold on to the ball once again, as the home fans celebrated.

With the victory Boca Juniors continues its climb up the standings, while River Plate is suddenly in danger of being relegated with five rounds remaining. Boca will travel to face Arsenal de Sarandi next weekend and River will be home to San Lorenzo. The good news is Carrizo won't ever have to deal with Palermo again, but the veteran certainly made his last matchup with River memorable.

Here's a rundown of all the weekend scores from Latin America's top leagues:

ARGENTINA

It was an eventful weekend in the Clausura Championship with San Lorenzo sinking even further in the standings following a discouraging loss to Argentinos Juniors in which El Ciclon was jeered by its fans. Pablo Hernandez and German Basualdo found the back of the net for Argentinos. San Lorenzo has only one win in seven games and is out of contention for the Copa Sudamericana.

Velez Sarsfield is more concerned with the Copa Libertadores right now, but Ricardo Gareca's side would also love to maintain first place in the Clausura standings. Gareca fielded his strongest side, including Ricky Alvarez, and Velez led twice through David Ramirez, but goals from Santiago Hoyos, Diego Valeri and Silvio Romero allowed Lanus to notch a dramatic come-from-behind win.

Godoy Cruz 2, Quilmes 0
Gimnasia (La Plata) 2, Banfield 0
San Lorenzo 1, Argentinos Juniors 2
CA All Boys 1, Arsenal Sarandi 0
Atletico Colon 3, Huracan 0
Racing 3, Newell's Old Boys 0
Estudiantes 2, Tigre 2
Boca Juniors 2, River Plate 0
Olimpo 1, Independiente 2
Lanus 3, Velez Sarsfield 2

BRAZIL

Paulo Roberto Falcao can exhale after Internacional captured the Gaucho State Championship in dramatic fashion, winning a shootout over arch-rival Gremio following a pulsating match. Needing to overturn a 3-2 deficit, Internacional won by the same score thanks to goals from Leandro Damiao, Andrezinho and Andres D'Alessandro before Renan saved three penalties to earn the title.

Santos continues to persevere through a difficult stretch, claiming a second straight Paulista Championship with an impressive win against Corinthians. A scoreless first leg meant the tie was up in the air heading into Sunday's finale, but goals from Arouca and Neymar proved the difference as Santos came out on top, 2-1. A disappointed Ronaldo watched from the stands.

Gremio 2, Internacional 3 (agg. 5-5, pen. 4-5)
Santos 2, Corinthians 1 (agg. 2-1)
Cruzeiro 2, Atletico Mineiro 0 (agg. 3-2)
Bahia de Feira 2, Vitoria 1 (agg. 2-1)
Santa Cruz 0, Sport 1 (agg. 2-1)

URUGUAY

Penarol squandered an opportunity to move level on points with Nacional atop the Clausura standings with the sort of defeat that will raise questions about whether Diego Aguirre's side can succeed in both the league and Copa Libertadores. Penarol actually took the lead through Jonathan Urretaviscaya before Brazilian Vinicius, Jose Maria Franco and Jonathan Ramirez twice accounted for the rest of the scoring, as River Plate came away with a stunning 4-1 win Sunday.

Penarol 1, River Plate 4

MEXICO

Goalkeeper Alejandro Palacios rebounded nicely after his blunder allowed Chivas to escape Thursday's first leg with a 1-1 draw. Palacio made a number of key saves for Pumas on Sunday, while Javier Cortes and Dante Lopez found the back of the net, as Los Auriazules earned a 2-0 second leg win. Guillermo Vasquez's side advances to the Clausura Final where it faces Morelia.

Los Monarcas put forth an incredible performance against Cruz Azul on Sunday, overturning a two-goal deficit from the first leg with a 3-0 victory. Rafael Marquez Lugo scored twice for the home side, while Jamie Lozano added the third just minutes from time in a match marred by a wild brawl at the very end. Morelia's Miguel Sabah was sent off and more suspensions should follow.

Pumas 2, Chivas 0 (agg. 3-1)
Morelia 3, Cruz Azul 0 (agg. 3-2)

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What did you think of this week's results? Impressed by Boca Juniors knocking off River Plate? Think the Mexican League final will live up to the hype?

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