Boca Juniors win 25th Argentine league title – Late Dempsey strike lifts Sounders to victory

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Boca Juniors’ footballers pose for pictures after winning Argentina’s first division football championship at the ‘La Bombonera’ Stadium in Buenos Aires on Nov 1. (AFP)
Boca Juniors’ footballers pose for pictures after winning Argentina’s first division football championship at the ‘La Bombonera’ Stadium in Buenos Aires on Nov 1. (AFP)

BUENOS AIRES, Nov 2, (RTRS): Boca Juniors won the Argentine first division championship with a match to spare when they beat Tigre 1-0 at La Bombonera on Sunday.

Defender Fabian Monzon scored the winner with a header from a corner in the 42nd minute to hand Boca their 25th league title and first since 2011 in the professional era.

Boca, inspired by Carlos Tevez since the Argentina striker’s return to the club from Europe in mid-year, succeed Racing Club as champions.

“I’ve won championships in many places but nothing compares with this,” said Tevez, feted by a packed stadium after adding to his league crowns in Brazil, England and Italy.

“From now on you’ll see a new Boca,” he added to reporters.

Boca, celebrating their first title under coach and former player Rodolfo Arrubarrena, have won 11 of their 14 matches since Tevez returned from Juventus.

They have 64 points from 29 matches, a lead of six points over second-placed San Lorenzo, going into their final match at Rosario Central next Sunday.

Boca’s triumph also put them in next year’s Libertadores Cup, the South American club championship they have won six times.

Central began the day with hope of taking the title race to the wire next weekend but lost 2-1 at Banfield and fell to third on 56 points.

San Lorenzo climbed to second on 58 points after a 2-0 home win over Temperley.

Racing are on 56 points after 36-year-old striker Diego Milito scored twice in a 3-0 win over relegated Crucero del Norte on Saturday.

Milito, who like Tevez enjoyed success in Europe and won a Champions league winner’s medal with Inter Milan, suggested he could play on next year.

“I’m still enjoying being a player, I don’t see myself as a coach yet,” he said.

San Lorenzo, Rosario Central and Racing will vie for second place next weekend and a chance to join Boca in the Libertadores Cup.

Reigning South American club champions River Plate, who will play the Club World Cup in Japan next month, are seventh in the league with 49 points after a 1-0 win at Velez Sarsfield on Saturday.

Meanwhile, a late 25-yard free kick goal by Seattle striker Clint Dempsey stunned top-seeded FC Dallas as the Sounders clinched a 2-1 victory in the first leg of their Major League Soccer Western Conference semifinal series on Sunday.

Dempsey’s winner on the stroke of 86 minutes capped a day of playoff action that saw New York Red Bulls top DC United 1-0, Montreal Impact edge Columbus Crew 2-1 and Portland Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps play a scoreless draw.

The Sounders fell behind when Fabian Castillo scored for Dallas in the 18th minute, before Austrian Andreas Ivanschitz equalised with a fierce left-footed strike from 20 yards in the 67th minute.

As the clock ticked towards full time, Dallas appeared increasingly likely to return home on level terms, but that was before Dempsey bent a superbly-placed free kick over the wall and inside the near post.

In Montreal, substitute Johan Venegas delivered the game-winning goal in the 77th minute as the Impact also came from behind.

Earlier, Argentine Federico Higuain put the Crew ahead 1-0 in the 33rd minute when a poor defensive header by Montreal’s Didier Drogba fell at his feet.

The Impact took only four minutes to draw level courtesy of midfielder Patrice Bernier.

In Washington, the New York Red Bulls earned a workmanlike victory against DC United.

Midfielder Dax McCarty delivered a valuable away goal in the 72nd minute, set up by a free kick from Sacha Kljestan for the top-seeded Red Bulls.

United struggled to create chances and did not record a shot on goal.

“It wasn’t always a pretty game,” Red Bulls coach Jesse Marsch said in a pitch-side interview.

“We’ve got an important lead but we’ve got to go home and be ready for another battle.”

In Portland, the Timbers and Vancouver Whitecaps played a drab game of few chances.

The home fans had little to cheer about but coach Caleb Porter was not too despondent at the result against the second seed in the West.

“We had a couple of chances in the end to win the game. They didn’t have very many,” he said.

The second legs of the Conference semi-finals will be played next Sunday.

In Sao Paulo, Atletico Mineiro fans let off fireworks outside Corinthians’ hotel before Sunday’s decisive league match but it had no effect on their visitors who scored three goals without reply to virtually secure themselves the Brazilian league title.

After a scoreless first half, Malcom, Vagner Love and Lucca got the goals that silenced a full house in Belo Horizonte.

Corinthians are now 11 points clear of Atletico at the top of the table. The Sao Paulo club have the league’s best attack and tightest defence and need just five points from their final five games to guarantee their sixth league star.

“It’s not won yet,” a cautious but beaming Love told TV cameras after the game. “But this is a huge step forward, this was a decider.”

Atletico fans went all out the night before the game and during it, too. Just moments into the first half Corinthians coach Tite was forced to don a waterproof jacket to protect himself from fluids thrown from the stands by home supporters.

The intimidation, however, had little effect and Corinthians never looked worried. Defender Gil was dominant at the back and youngster Malcom and veteran Love combined well up front.

With the title race seemingly decided, the big battles now are to avoid relegation and to win the fourth spot that guarantees a place in next year’s Libertadores Cup.

Third-place Gremio look to have sealed their participation with a 2-0 win over Flamengo. Bobo and Everton scored and Flamengo had Peruvian striker Paolo Guerrero sent off as they lost their seventh game in eight.

Six points behind them Santos, who beat Palmeiras 2-1 on Sunday, and Sao Paulo, who scored a 3-0 victory over Sport the day before, are fighting for the fourth spot with four other clubs.

Both teams have 53 points and Internacional can join them if they beat third-bottom Goias later on Sunday. Ponte Preta have 50 points, while Sport have 49 and Palmeiras 48.

It is just as tight at the bottom, where six teams are trying to escape the four relegation spots. Vasco remain bottom with 30 points after losing 1-0 to Fluminense in the Rio derby.

Joinville are only ahead of them on goal difference after losing by the same scoreline to Ponte Preta.

Goias are a point ahead and have their game against Internacional to play. Coritiba have 34 points, Avai have 35 and Figueirense have 36.

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