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South American Weekend Rewind: Stalemate in Rio de Janeiro and more

Flamengo Corinthians

By DAVID MOSSE

Flamengo fans bid farewell to the retiring Dejan Petkovic on Sunday, and they hoped that current star Ronaldinho could make the difference in a highly-anticipated clash with Corinthians. The former World Player of the Year showed flashes of brilliance, including smacking a shot off the post in the second half, but Flamengo was held to a frustrating 1-1 draw in a spirited contest.

Willian actually gave the visitors the lead after just 18 minutes, but Flamengo equalized through a lovely free kick from Renato Abreu in the 39th minute after Ronaldinho was hauled down.

The 38-year-old Petkovic, meanwhile, who suited up for Flamengo 197 times, played well in the first half, while his replacement Guilherme Negueba struggled mightily after the break. The introduction of youngster Diego Mauricio did provide a spark, however, and Flamengo applied the pressure until the very end, but Corinthians goalkeeper Julio Cesar came up with some impressive saves.

His counterpart, Felipe, also rose to the challenge on a header by Leandro Castan from close range, denying Corinthians all three points, but the Paulista club remains atop the standings. Flamengo is ninth in the table and Wanderley Luxemburgo will look forward to the return of Thiago Neves, who is away on international duty, because Ronaldinho needs more help to raise his game.

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

BRAZIL

Rafael Moura scored twice as defending champion Fluminense picked up its second straight win, knocking off Cruzeiro, 2-1, on Saturday. The veteran striker made up for the absence of Fred, who is away on international duty, while Cruzeiro had a tougher time replacing both goalkeeper Fabio and holding midfielder Henrique. Anselmo Ramon found the back of the net for the visitors.

Internacional put forth one of its best performances under Paulo Roberto Falcao thanks in large part to youngster Oscar, who provided two goals in the first half. Argentinians Andres D'Alessandro and Fernando Cavenaghi also scored, while Ze Roberto had his way with the America defense in a 4-2 victory that should relieve some of the pressure on Falcao, at least until the next bad result.

Palmeiras 1, Atletico Paranaense 0
Ceara 2, Botafogo 2
Figueirense 2, Atletico Goianense 0
Coritiba 5, Vasco 1
Gremio 2, Bahia 0
Santos 3, Avai 1

ARGENTINA

Martin Palermo continues to enjoy a satisfying end to his career, as the veteran striker found the back of the net for Boca Juniors on Sunday in the 2-2 draw with Quilmes, becoming the fifth best scorer in the history of Argentinean soccer. Boca came from two goals down in the second half to at least salvage a point thanks to Palermo and Cristian Chavez, who produced a brilliant strike.

River Plate no longer controls its own destiny in the relegation battle after being held to a 1-1 draw by Atletico Colon on Sunday. Los Millonarios were actually fortunate to come away with a point, as the visitors took the lead through Esteban Fuertes early in the second half before Leandro Caruso equalized just eight minutes from time. River is winless in five league games.

Arsenal Sarandi 2, Olimpo 0
Atletico Banfield 3, CA All Boys 1
Newell's Old Boys vs. San Lorenzo*
Gimnasia (La Plata) 0, Racing 0
Atletico Huracan 3, Tigre 2

* Match suspended after policeman was shot by hooligan

URUGUAY

Rampla Juniors will remain in the first division after knocking off champions Nacional on Saturday at the Estadio Gran Parque Central. Los Picapiedras needed only one point and made a dream start when Moreno Asprilla gave the visitors the lead after just five minutes. Julian Lalinde doubled the lead midway through the second half and Rampla cruised the rest of the way.

Central Espanol took the field on Sunday needing a miracle to avoid relegation, especially after Rampla won on Saturday. Los Palermitanos did defeat Danubio 1-0 thanks to a first-half strike from Cristiano Palacios, who finished as the leading scorer in the Clausura Championship with 16 goals, but it wasn't enough due to Racing's victory over Penarol, which sends Central back down.

Miramar 0, Montevideo Wanderers 4
Defensor Sporting 1, Tacuarembo 0
Penarol 0, Racing Montevideo 1
Liverpool 0, CA Cerro 2
River Plate 2, Bella Vista 2
El Tanque Sisley 0, Centro Atletico Fenix 1

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What did you think of this week's results? Were you a fan of Petkovic? Impressed by the Flamengo-Corinthians match? Think the Argentine race will go down to the wire?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Corinthians looks like the clear favorite now. Hopefuly Vasco can get on track.

    River is all but done. When police are getting shot at something needs to be done about security- big time. The problem is the local mobs have part ownership of the teams and would not allow any changes in security to take place. It has been like that for years.

    Where are the results for Velez Sarsfield match? Was the game canceled?

    Reply
  2. fast paced game with flame & corinth. why arent there more comments here? dont give me that “they dont play defense in brazil” so i dont watch, cause the score of the game didnt reflect a lack of defense. brazil league should have more non s.americans. it makes for interesting stories.

    Reply

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