Saturday, March 31, 2018

MLS: Zlatan's Double Help Galaxy Pull Off Massive Comeback In Over Wings In LA Derby; Lions, Caps, Five Stripes, SKC, Citizens, Revs, Rapids, Impact Pick Up Saturday Wins; Fire and Timbers Draw In Suburban Chicago

Ten games were contested on Saturday in Major League Soccer.

At Orlando, Florida:

Dom Dwyer scored twice (26', 48') while Scott Sutter scored the winning goal in the 86th minute as Orlando City racked up their first win of the season by knocking off the visiting New York Red Bulls 4-3.

At Columbus, Ohio:

Brek Shea (51') and Kei Kamara (78') each scored once as the Vancouver Whitecaps came from behind to knock off the Columbus Crew 2-1 on the road.

At Carson, California:

In the inaugural edition of Major League Soccer's new Angelino derby, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, in his first match for his new club, instantly paid huge dividends with his second-half double (77', 90'+1) as the Los Angeles Galaxy erased a three-goal deficit and stunned the visiting Los Angeles Football Club 4-3.

At Bridgeview, Illinois:

Bastian Schweinsteiger assisted on both goals (Nemanja Nikolic's goal in the 50th minute; Brandon Vincent's in the 84th) as the Chicago Fire salvaged a 2-2 home draw with the Portland Timbers.

Diego Valeri (6') and Sebastian Blanco (55') scored the Timbers' goals.

At Minneapolis:

Francisco Calvo's own goal in the third minute proved decisive as Atlanta United defeated Minnesota United 1-0 on the road.

At San Jose, California:

Maxi Moralez scored the winning goal in the 60th minute as New York City came from behind to down the San Jose Earthquakes 2-1 on the road.

At Houston:Teal Bunbury (15') and Cristian Penilla (71') each scored once as the New England Revolution blanked the Houston Dynamo 2-0 on the road.

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Felipe Gutierrez scored the only goal of Sporting Kansas City's 1-0 home win over DC United in the third minute.

At Commerce City, Colorado:

Dominique Badji's natural second-half hat trick (53', 61', 87') produced all the scoring in the Colorado Rapids' 3-0 home domination of the Philadelphia Union.

At Seattle:

Jeisson Vargas scored the only goal of the match in the 60th minute as the Montreal Impact posted a 1-0 road win over the ten-man (and still winless and pointless) Seattle Sounders.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   New York City FC (GP: 5; GD: +6; PTS: 13)
2.   Columbus (GP: 5; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
3.   Atlanta United FC (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 9)
4.   New England (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
5.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
6.   Montreal (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
7.   Philadelphia (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
8.   Orlando City SC (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 4)
9.   Toronto FC (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
10. DC United (GP: 5; GD: -5; PTS: 2)
11. Chicago (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 1)

NOTES:  With the New York Red Bulls and Montreal level on points (6) and wins (2), the Red Bulls have the superior goal differential (+5, compared to the Impact's 0); with Philadelphia and Orlando City level on points (4) and wins (1), the Union have the superior goal differential (-1, compared to the Lions' -2).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Kansas City (GP: 5; GD: +1; PTS: 10)
2.   Vancouver (GP: 5; GD: 0; PTS: 10)
3.   Los Angeles Galaxy (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 7)
4.   Los Angeles Football Club (GP: 3; GD: +4; PTS: 6)
5.   Minnesota United FC (GP: 5; GD: -3; PTS: 6)
6.   FC Dallas (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 5)
7.   Colorado (GP: 3; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
8.   Houston (GP: 4; GD: +1; PTS: 4)
9.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 4)
10. San Jose (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
11. Portland (GP: 4; GD: -5; PTS: 2)
12. Seattle (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 0)

NOTES: With Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver level on points (10) and wins (3), SKC have the superior goal differential (+1, compared to the Whitecaps' 0); with Los Angeles FC and Minnesota United level on points (6) and wins (2), the Wings have the superior goal differential (+4, compared to the Loons' -3); with Colorado, Houston, and Real Salt Lake all level on points (4) and wins (1), the Rapids have the best goal differential of the three clubs (+2, compared to the Dynamo's +1 and RSL's -5).

Friday, March 30, 2018

MLS: Jozy Makes Things Rosy For TFC As Reds Defeat RSL For First League Win

At Toronto:

Jozy Altidore scored twice (PK-23', 45') as Toronto FC defeated visiting Real Salt Lake 3-1 in the lone Friday Major League Soccer contest.

Saturday, March 24, 2018

MLS: Crew, Red Bulls Pick Up Wins On Four-Draw Saturday

Six games were on the Major League Soccer agenda for Saturday.



At Foxborough, Massachusetts:



Ismael Tajouri scored twice (51', 75') to lift New York City to a 2-2 road draw with the New England Revolution.

Diego Fagundez (11') and Juan Agudelo (63') each scored once for the hosts.



At Frisco, Texas:



Sebastian Blanco's equalizer in the 47th minute enabled the Portland Timbers, despite finishing the match with ten men, to gain a 1-1 road draw with FC Dallas.



Rolano Lamah scored in the 36th minute for the Hoops.



At Columbus, Ohio:



Milton Valenzuela (20'), Ricardo Clark (40'), and Pedro Santos (42') each scored a first-half goal as the Columbus Crew defeated visiting DC United 3-1.



At Harrison, New Jersey:



Bradley Wright-Phillips scored twice (42', 78') as the New York Red Bulls dominated visiting Minnesota United 3-0.



At Commerce City, Colorado:



Felipe Gutierrez (57') and Diego Rubio (90'+1) each scored a second-half goal as Sporting Kansas City erased a two-goal deficit and gained a 2-2 road draw with the Colorado Rapids.

Dominique Badji (5') and Joe Mason (8') each scored an early goal for the hosts.



At Vancouver, British Columbia:

The Vancouver Whitecaps and visiting Los Angeles Galaxy battled to a 0-0 stalemate.





MLS STANDINGS:



EASTERN CONFERENCE:



1.   Columbus (GP: 4; GD: +5; PTS: 10)
2.   New York City FC (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 10)
3.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 4; GD: +6; PTS: 6)
4.   Atlanta United FC (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
5.   Philadelphia (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
6.   New England (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
7.   Montreal (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS; 3)
8.   DC United (GP: 4; GD: -4; PTS: 2)
9.   Orlando City SC (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)
10. Chicago (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 0)
11. Toronto FC (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 0)



NOTES:  With Columbus and New York City level on points (10), wins (3), goal differential (+5), and goals scored (8), the Crew have fewer disciplinary points than the Citizens; with the New York Red Bulls and Atlanta United level on points (6) and wins (2), the Red Bulls have the superior goal differential (+6, compared to the Five Stripes' +1); with Philadelphia and New England level on points (4) and wins (1), the Union have the superior goal differential (+2, compared to the Revolution's -1); with Chicago and Toronto level on points (0) and wins (0), the Fire have the superior goal differential (-2, compared to the Red's -3).





WESTERN CONFERENCE:



1.   Kansas City (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 7)
2.   Vancouver (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 7)
3.   Los Angeles Football Club (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
4.   Minnesota United (GP: 4; GD: -2; PTS: 6)
5.   FC Dallas (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 5)
6.   Houston (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
7.   Los Angeles Galaxy (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 4)
8.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
9.   San Jose (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
10. Colorado (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
11. Portland (GP: 3; GD: -5; PTS: 1)
12. Seattle (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 0)


NOTES:  With Sporting Kansas City and Vancouver level on points (7) and wins (2), SKC has the superior goal differential (0, compared to the Whitecaps' -1); with Los Angeles FC and Minnesota United level on points (6) and wins (2), the Wings have the superior goal differential (+5, compared to the Loons' -2); with Houston, the Los Angeles Galaxy, and Real Salt Lake all level on points (4) and wins (1), the Dynamo have the best goal differential of the three clubs (+3, compared to the Galaxy's zero and RSL's -3); with Colorado and Portland level on points (1) and wins (0), the Rapids have the superior goal differential (-1, compared to the Timbers' -5).

Friday, March 23, 2018

CAF Champions League Group Stage Draw

The group stage for the CAF Champions League's group stage was conducted in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday.


Group-stage play is set to commence on May4-6.


GROUP A:


Al-Ahly (Egypt)


Township Rovers (Botswana)


Kampala Capital City Authority FC (Uganda)


Esperance de Tunis (Tunisia)






GROUP B:


TP Mazembe (Democratic Republic of the Congo)


MC Alger (Algeria)


Difaa El Jadidi (Morocco)


ES Setif (Algeria)






GROUP C:


AS Togo Port (Togo)


Mamelodi Sundowns (South Africa)


Wydad Casablanca (Morocco; defending champions)


Horoya (Guinea)






GROUP D:


ZESCO United (Zambia)


CD Primeiro de Agosto (Angola)


Etoile du Sahel (Tunisia)


Mbabane Swallows (Swaziland)

Monday, March 19, 2018

CAF Champions League: First Round Concludes

Seven more clubs won their way to the group stage as the opening round of the CAF Champions League concluded.

At Setif, Algeria:

Mourad Benayad (27'), Mohamed Ziti (43'), Abdelkader Bedrane (61'), and Abdelhakim Amokrane (89') each scored once as ES Setif easily overcame their series-opening road defeat with a 4-0 game-two home demolition of Aduana Stars and ousted the club from Ghana 4-1 on aggregate.

At Rades, Tunisia:

Anice Badri scored the only goal of both the game and series in the 21st minute as Esperance de Tunis defeated visiting Gor Mahia 1-0 in game two and eliminated the Kenyan club by that score on aggregate.

At Kano, Nigeria:

Despite dropping a 1-0 game-two road decision to Plateau United, Etoile du Sahel still won their series with the Nigerian club 4-3 on aggregate.

At Omdurman, Sudan:

Ayi Hunlede scored the series-winning goal in the seventh minute as AS Togo-Port, despite dropping a 3-1 game-two road decision to Al-Hilal, still won their series with the Sudanese club on away goals, with the aggregate score at 3-3.

At Abidjan, Ivory Coast:

Fackson Kapumba (30') and Lazarous Kambole (65') each scored once as ZESCO United defeated ASEC Mimosas 2-1 on the road in game two and, with the aggregate score at 2-2, advanced to the group stage on away goals.

At Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of the Congo:

Hamid Ahaddad (77') and Ayoub Nanah (90'+4) each scored once late in the second half as Difaa El Jadidi gained a 2-2 road draw with AS Vita Club in game two and won their series 3-2 on aggregate.

At Pretoria, South Africa:

Wayne Arendse (34') and Sibusiso Vilakazi (55') each scored once as Mamelodi Sundowns blanked visiting Rayon Sports 2-0 in game two and eliminated the Rwandan club by that same score on aggregate.

Sunday, March 18, 2018

MLS: Hoops Too Much For Shorthanded Sounders

At Frisco, Texas:

In the lone Sunday Major League Soccer contest, Roland Lamah scored twice (20', 63') as FC Dallas dominated the visiting (ten-man) Seattle Sounders 3-0.



MLS STANDINGS:

EASTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   New York City FC (GP: 3; GD: +5; PTS: 9)
2.   Columbus (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 7)
3.   Atlanta United FC (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6) 
4.   Philadelphia (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
5.   New York Red Bulls (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 3)
6.   Montreal (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
7.   New England (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
8.   DC United (GP: 3; GD: -2; PTS: 2)
9.   Orlando City SC (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 1)
10. Chicago (GP: 2; GD: GD: -3; PTS: 0)
11. Toronto FC (GP: 2; GD: -3; PTS: 0)

NOTES:  With the New York Red Bulls, Montreal and New England all level on points (3) and wins (1), the Red Bulls have the best goal differential of the three clubs (+3, compared to -1 each for the Impact and Revolution; the Impact has scored more goals than the Revolution (4-2); with Chicago and Toronto FC level on points (0) and wins (0), the Fire has the superior goal differential (-2, compared to the Reds' -3).



WESTERN CONFERENCE:

1.   Los Angeles Football Club (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
2.   Minnesota United FC (GP: 3; GD: +1; PTS: 6)
3.   Kansas City (GP: 3; GD: 0; PTS: 6)
4.   Vancouver (GP: 3; GD: -1; PTS: 6)
5.   Houston (GP: 3; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
6.   FC Dallas (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
7.   Real Salt Lake (GP: 3; GD: -3; PTS: 4)
8.   San Jose (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
9.   Los Angeles Galaxy (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
10. Colorado (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
11. Seattle (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 0)
12. Portland (GP: 2; GD: -5; PTS: 0)

NOTES:  With Los Angeles FC, Minnesota United, Sporting KC and Vancouver all level on points (6) and wins (2), the Wings have the best goal differential of the qurtet of clubs (+5, compared to the Loons' +1, SKC's 0, and the Whitecaps' -1);  with Houston, FC Dallas, and Real Salt Lake all level on points (4) and wins (1), the Dynamo and Hoops each have a goal differential of +3, compared to -3 for RSL; Houston has scored more goals than Dallas (7-4); with San Jose and the Los Angeles Galaxy level on points (3), wins (1), and  goal differential (0) , the Earthquakes have scored more goals than the Galaxy (5-3); with Colorado, Seattle, and Portland level on both points and wins (zero in both catagories), the Rapids have the best goal differential of the three clubs (-1, compared to the Sounders -4 and Timbers' -5).

Saturday, March 17, 2018

CAF Champions League: KCCA, Al-Ahly, Wydad Advance To Group Stage

The second half of the CAF Champions League's first round commenced on Saturday with nine games.


At Kampala, Uganda:


Muhammad Shaban scored the only goal of both the match and the series in the 47th minute as KCCA knocked off visiting Saint George 1-0 in game two and ousted the Ethiopian club by that same score on aggregate.


At Lobamba, Swaziland:


Sandile Hlatjwako scored the only goal of the match in the 28th minute as Mbabane Swallows defeated visiting Zanaco 1-0 in game two and eliminated the Zambian club 3-1 on aggregate.


At Abidjan, Ivory Coast:


Despite dropping a 2-0 game-two road decision to Williamsville AC, Morocco's Wydad Casablanca still won their series 7-2 on aggregate.


At Libreville, Gabon:


Al-Ahly defeated CF Mounana 3-1 on the road in game two and easily took their two-game series 7-1 on aggregate.


Mohamed Gaber (8'), Walid Azaro (30'), and Walid Soliman (62') delivered the goal power for the Egyptian club.


At Algiers, Algeria:


MC Alger blasted visiting MFM (Nigeria) 6-0 in game two and won their series 7-2 on aggregate.


Hichem Nekkache scored twice (20', 55') for the Algerian club.


At Dakar, Senegal:


Horoya, with goals from Daouda Camara (PK-25') and Brefo Mensah (88') each scoring once,  blanked Generation Foot 2-0 on the road in game two and won their series 4-1 on aggregate.


At Gaborone, Botswana:


A 0-0 game-two home stalemate with Young Africans proved to be good enough for Township Rollers as they won their two-match series with the Tanzanian club 2-1 on aggregate.


At Beira, Mozambique:


Despite being dominated 3-0 on the road in game two against UD Songo, TP Mazembe still won their series with the club from Mozambique 4-3 on aggregate.


Helder Justino Pelembe scored twice (1', 75') for the hosts.


At Johannesburg, South Africa:


Despite dropping a 1-0 game-two regulation decision to Bidvest Wits, thus squaring the series at 1-1 on aggregate (and with no overtime periods), CD Primeiro de Agosto of Angola won the penalty-kick shootout 3-2 to advance to the group stage.

MLS: Saturday Wins For Loons, Impact, Citizens, Five Stripes, SKC, RSL

Eight games were on the Major League Soccer schedule for St. Patrick's Day.

At Germantown, Maryland:

Darren Mattocks (50') and Luciano Acosta (90'+7) each scored a second-half goal as DC United came back from two goals down to gain a 2-2 draw with visiting Houston.

Alberth Elis (30') and Mauro Manotas (31') each scored a minute apart in the opening half for the Dynamo.

At Minneapolis:

Sam Nicholson scored the winning goal in the 66th minute as Minnesota United won their home opener, 2-1 over the Chicago Fire.

At Chester, Pennsylvania:


The Philadelphia Union and visiting Columbus Crew battled to a 0-0 stalemate.

At Montreal:


Jeisson Vargas scored the only goal of the match in the 41st minute as the Montreal Impact defeated Toronto FC 1-0 at home in the latest edition of the 401 Derby.

At New York:


Ismael Tajouri (62') and Maximiliano Moralez (74') each scored a goal during the final half-hour as New York City blanked visiting Orlando City 2-0.

At Atlanta:

Josef Martinez produced a hat trick (15', 60', 88') as Atlanta United dominated the visiting Vancouver Whitecaps 4-1.

At Kansas City, Kansas:

Felipe Gutierrez scored the Winning goal in the 68th minute as Sporting Kansas City held off the visiting San Jose Earthquakes 3-2.

At Sandy, Utah:

Albert Rusnak's successfully-converted penalty kick in the fourth minute provided all the scoring in Real Salt Lake's 1-0 home victory over the New York Red Bulls.

Friday, March 16, 2018

Draw For Europa League Quarterfinals

The draw for the quarterfinal round of the Europa League was conducted on Friday at Nyon, Switzerland.


In all four series, the opening games will be on April 5 with the return contests set for April 12.  The game-one hosts are listed first.


RB Leipzig (Germany) vs. Marseille (France)


Arsenal (England) vs. CSKA Moscow (Russia)


Atletico Madrid (Spain) vs. Sporting CP (Portugal)


Lazio (Italy) vs. FC Red Bull Salzburg (Austria)

Draw For UEFA Champions League Quarterfinals: Reds To Take On Citizens While Roma Gets Barca and Juve Real Madrid; Sevilla To Tackle Bayern

The draw for the UEFA Champions League's quarterfinal round was conducted on Friday at Nyon, Switzerland.


The dates for both games of each series are listed and the game-one hosts are listed first.


Barcelona (Spain) vs. AS Roma (Italy), April 4 and 10


Sevilla (Spain) vs. Bayern Munich (Germany), April 3 and 11


Juventus (Italy) vs. Real Madrid (Spain), April 3 and 11


Liverpool (England) vs. Manchester City (England), April 4 and 10.

Thursday, March 15, 2018

Copa Libertadores

Group-stage play in the Copa Libertadores  continued on Thursday with three games.


GROUP C:

At La Paz, Bolivia:

Edison Carcelen scored the only goal of the match in the 19th minute as The Strongest defeated visiting Penarol 1-0.

Group C Standings:

1. Club Libertad (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS: 3)
2. The Strongest (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3. Penarol (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4. Atletico Tucuman (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)



GROUP F:

At Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Eduardo Sasha scored twice (19', 83') as Santos downed visiting Club Nacional from Uruguay 3-1.

Group F Standings:

1. Estudiantes (GP: 2; GD: +3; PTS: 4)
2. Santos (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Real Garcilaso (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Club Nacional (GP: 2; GD: -2; PTS: 1)



GROUP G:

At Avellaneda, Argentina:

Martin Benitez scored the only goal of Independiente's 1-0 home win over Millonarios in the 23rd minute.

Group G Standings:

1. Corinthians (GP: 2; GD: +2; PTS: 4)
2. Independiente (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 3)
3. Deportivo Lara (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 3)
4. Millonarios (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)

Europa League: Mattress Makers, Young Eagles, Gunners, Sporting CP, Horses, A Pair Of Red Bull Clubs (Leipzig and Salzburg) Advance To Quarterfinals

The Europa League's Round of 16 is set to conclude on Thursday with eight games.



All scheduled kick-off times are Pacific.





At Moscow:



Fernando Torres scored twice (PK-65', 70') as Atletico Madrid demolished Lokomotiv Moscow 5-1 on the road in game two and finished their two-match domination of the Russian club 8-1 on aggregate.



At Kiev, Ukraine:



Lucas Leiva (23') and Stefan De Vrij (83') each scored a goal as Lazio blanked Dynamo Kiev 2-0 on the road in game two and won their two-match series 4-2 on aggregate.




At Bilbao, Spain:



Dimitri Payet (PK-38') and Lucas Ocampos (52') each scored once as Marseille defeated Athletic Bilbao 2-1 on the road in game two and took their series 5-2 on aggregate.





At Plzen, Czech Republic:



After FC Viktoria Plzen took the measure of visiting Sporting CP 2-0 in regulation of game two to level the series at 2-2 on aggregate, Rodrigo Battaglia scored the winning goal for the visiting Lions in the second minute of the stoppage-time portion of the first overtime period, enabling the Portuguese club to win the series 3-2 on aggregate.



At Saint Petersburg, Russia:



Jean-Kevin Augustin scored in the 22nd minute to enable RB Leipzig to gain a 1-1 game-two road draw with Zenit Saint Petersburg and win their series 3-2 on aggregate.



At Decines-Charpieu, France:



Aleksandr Golovin (39'), Ahmed Musa (60'), and Pontus Wernbloom (65') each scored once as CSKA Moscow defeated Lyon 3-2 on the road and, with the aggregate score at 3-3, won their series on away goals.





At Wals-Siezenheim, Austria:





A 0-0 game-two home stalemate with Borussia Dortmund was good enough for FC Red Bull Salzburg as the Austrian club eliminated the German club 2-1 on aggregate.





At London:



Danny Welbeck scored twice (PK-39', 86') as Arsenal defeated visiting AC Milan 3-1 in game two and ousted the Rossoneri 5-1 on aggregate.

Wednesday, March 14, 2018

Copa Libertadores

Group-stage play in the Copa Libertadores continued on Wednesday with five games.

GROUP B:

At La Paz, Bolivia:

Octavio Rivero's equalizer in the 42nd minute lifted Colo-Colo to a 1-1 road draw with Club Bolivar.

Juan Carlos Arce converted a penalty kick at 37 minutes for the hosts.

At Medellin, Colombia:

Reinaldo Lenis scored twice (46', 56') as Atletico Nacional demolished visiting Delfin 4-0.

Group B Standings:

1. Atletico Nacional (GP: 2; GD: +5; PTS: 6)
2. Club Bolivar (GP: 2; GD: 0; PTS: 2)
3. Colo-Colo (GP: 2; GD: -1; PTS: 1)
4. Delfin (GP: 2; GD: -4; PTS: 1)



GROUP D:

At Guayaquil, Ecuador:

Vinicius Junior scored twice (77', 84') to lift Flamengo to a 2-1 road triumph over Club Sport Emelec.



GROUP F:

At La Plata, Argentina:

Mariano Pavone scored twice (PK-74', 86') as Estudiantes dominated visiting Real Garcilaso 3-0.


GROUP G:

At Sao Paulo, Brazil:

Emerson Sheik (64') and Henri Pernia (OG-76') each scored twice as Corinthians blanked visiting Deportivo Lara 2-0.

CONCACAF Champions League: Club America, Goats (Who Knock Out Sounders) Advance To Semifinals

Two games were on tap for Wednesday as the CONCACAF Champions League's quarterfinal round closed.

At Panama City, Panama:

Henry Martin scored twice (6', 19') as Club America defeated Tauro FC 3-1 on the road in game two and polished off the Panamanian club 7-1 on aggregate.

At Guadalajara, Mexico:

Oswaldo Alanis (50'), Eduardo Lopez (55'), and Jose Godinez (80') each scored once in the second half as Chivas de Guadalajara erupted for the three second-half tallies to overpower the visiting Seattle Sounders 3-0 in game two of their quarterfinal series and ousted the MLS club 3-1 on aggregate.

Here are the matchups for the semifinal round with the opening games to take place on April 3-5, and the return contests set for April 10-12.

The game-one hosts are listed first.

Chivas de Guadalajara (Mexico) vs. New York Red Bulls (USA)

Toronto FC (Canada) vs. Club America (Mexico)

UEFA Champions League: Barca, Bayern Advance To Quarterfinals

Action in the UEFA Champions League's Round of 16  concluded on Wednesday with two games.


At Istanbul, Turkey:

Thiago Alcantara (18'), Gokhan Gonul (OG-46'), and Sandro Wagner (84') each scored once as Bayern Munich defeated Besiktas 3-1 on the road in game two and completed their two-match smothering of the Black Eagles 8-1 on aggregate.


Here's Vagner Love, celebrating after scoring the Turkish club's only goal of the series win the 59th minute.


Associated Press photo by Lefteris Pitarakis


At Barcelona:

Lionel Messi scored twice (3', 63', giving him 100 career Champions League goals; Leo the Lion, here, celebrating with teammate Ousmane Dembele after the latter scored in the 20th minute) as Barcelona dominated visiting Chelsea 3-0 in game two and dispatched the English club 4-1 on aggregate.


Associated Press photo by Manu Fernandez

AFC Champions League

AFC Champions League group-stage play continued on Wednesday with four games.


GROUP E:


At Hong Kong:


Cheng Chin Lung's goal in the second minute of second-half stoppage time carried Kitchee SC to a 1-0 victory over visiting Kashiwa Reysol.


At Tianjin, China:


Anthony Modeste scored the winning goal in the 84th minute as Tianjin Quanjian doubled up visiting Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors 4-2.


Group E Standings:


1. Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors (GP: 4; GD: +8; PTS: 9)
2. Tianjin Quanjian (GP: 4; GD: +2; PTS: 7)
3. Kashiwa Reysol (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 4)
4. Kitchee SC (GP: 4; GD: -9; PTS: 3)






GROUP G:


At Osaka, Japan:


Yang Dong-hyun (65') and Kenyu Sugimoto (88') each scored once as Cerezo Osaka salvaged a 2-2 home draw with Buriram United.


Rathhanakorn Maikami (11') and Diogo Luis Santo (71') each scored once for the Thai club.


At Seogwiop, South Korea:


Nemanja Gudelj (27') and Alan Carvalho (37') each scored once in the first half as Guangzhou Evergrande blanked Jeju United 2-0 on the road.


Group G Standings:


1. Guangzhou Evergrande (GP: 4; GD: +4; PTS: 8)
2. Buriram United (GP: 4; GD: 0; PTS: 5)
3. Cerezo Osaka (GP: 4; GD: -1; PTS: 5)
4. Jeju United (GP: 4; GD: -3; PTS: 3)

Tuesday, March 13, 2018

Copa Libertadores

Group-stage action in the Copa Libertadores resumed on Tuesday with three games.


GROUP A:


At Asuncion, Paraguay:


Diego Churin scored twice (8', 90'+6) as Cerro Porteno defeated visiting Defensor Sporting 2-1.






GROUP C:


At Tucuman, Argentina:


Santiago Salcedo (64') and Rodrigo Alborno (79') each scored once as Club Libertad blanked Atletico Tucuman 2-0 on the road.




GROUP E:


At Rio de Janeiro:


Angelo Araos scored the only goal of the match in the 76th minute as Universidad de Chile knocked off Vasco da Gama 1-0 on the road.


Group E Standings:


1.  Racing Club de Avellaneda (GP: 1; GD: +2; PTS; 3)
2.  Universidad de Chile (GP: 1; GD: +1; PTS: 3)
3.  Vasco da Gama (GP: 1; GD: -1; PTS: 0)
4.  Cruzeiro (GP: 1; GD: -2; PTS: 0)