By DAN KARELL

For the first time in this century, River Plate are continental champions.

Powered by two header goals off corner kicks in the second leg of the final, the Argentine giant won the 2014 Copa Sudamericana, 3-1, on aggregate over Atletico Nacional of Colombia.

After the first leg was drawn, 1-1, in Medellin, Colombia, Gabriel Mercado put River Plate ahead on the night and on aggregate when he headed home in the 55th minute. Four minutes later, on a nearly identical play, German Pezzela angled a header past Franco Armani for the second of the night, setting off raucous celebrations at the Estadio Monumental.

Leonardo Pisculichi, who has been key for River in recent weeks, played both corner kicks and was credited with two assists.

The cup final victory was the first international title for River since 1996, when they won the Copa Libertadores. Head coach Marcelo Gallardo, formerly of D.C. United, dedicated the win to his mother, who passed away recently due to cancer.

Here are some more stories to catch you up around the soccer world:

MAN CITY DEFY THE ODDS AND PROGRESS TO UCL KNOCKOUT ROUND

Manchester City made sure that they would not suffer the same fate as English Premier League rival Liverpool in the UEFA Champions League.

Visiting Rome with a place in the knockout stage on the line, Man City battled their way to a 2-0 victory against AS Roma, to move on to the next round. Samir Nasri scored the vital game-winning-goal for Man City, rocketing a shot in the 60th minute that went off the post and in.

Pablo Zabaleta added the insurance goal in the 86th minute to ensure victory for Man City.

“It was really important to win because our target at the start of the season was to qualify from the group stage,” Nasri said following the match. “I think we did it the hard way and it’s a kind of a miracle as well, considering where we were after four games when we had two points – I don’t recall any team in the Champions League who had two points after four games and qualified.

BARCA KNOCK OFF PSG TO WIN GROUP

The three-headed South American monster finally bared their fangs on the same night for Barcelona.

Each of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar scored on Wednesday evening at the Camp Nou as Barcelona defeated their biggest group rivals, Paris Saint-Germain, 3-1. The win ensured Barcelona would gain the top spot in their group, though both teams have progressed to the next round.

We had control of the match from the start,” Luis Enrique said. “It was difficult, especially conceding a goal. We made use of our best players to hurt Paris as much as we could. I think we are stronger now and our opponents do not know what to expect, so it has been a positive night. The team is not designed according to the opponent but according to how much damage we can inflict. We make the most of the characteristics of our players.”

Here’s a look at the other scores from Wednesday’s UCL matches:

Bayern Munich 3, CSKA Moscow 0
Ajax 4, APOEL 0
Chelsea 3, Sporting CP 1
Maribor 0, Schalke 1
FC Porto 1, Shakhtar Donetsk 1
Athletic Bilbao 2, BATE Borisov 0

AUCKLAND CITY ADVANCE IN CLUB WORLD CUP

The opening match of the Club World Cup in Morocco couldn’t be settled in 90 minutes, nor in 120 minutes.

Moving into penalties, Oceania champion Auckland City of New Zealand defeated Moghreb, 4-2, in penalty kicks to advance to the Club World Cup quarterfinals.

“We played a fantastic game and it was a great performance by us,” Auckland City head coach Ramon Tribulietx said. “Penalties are always a bit of a lottery, but if you look at the match as a whole, then we deserved to win. I’m proud of the players. They pressed well and played aggressively. We came close last season and this time we’ve finally made it to the quarter-finals. It’s without a doubt the biggest moment of my career.”

Sanni Issa scored the game-winning penalty kick, while Mehdi Khallati fired his last penalty kick off the post to the delight of the Auckland squad and their fans.

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What do you think of these results? Impressed with River Plate’s title win? What did you think of Man City’s performance on the road?

Share your thoughts below.