Neymar double earns Santos third consecutive Paulista crown

Santos ensured they celebrated their centenary year in style by securing their third consecutive São Paulo state title with a 4-2 win over Guarani. Having already won the first leg 3-0, Santos were all but guaranteed to take the title, although the encounter was far from dull. The game had a frantic opening 16 minutes in which both sides scored twice, with Guarani levelling twice after first Alan Kardec and then Neymar put the home side ahead. Kardec and Neymar both scored again in the second half to give Santos a 7-2 aggregate win and their third consecutive Paulista title – a feat not achieved by any club since Pelé’s Santos team between 1967 and 1969.
Newell’s go two points clear as Boca and Velez draw a blank

Rosario’s Newell’s Old Boys opened up a two-point lead at the top of the Clausura table with an impressive win over provincial rivals Union. Newell’s ran out 3-1 winners, scoring after just five minutes courtesy of Víctor Figueroa and adding two more through Santiago Vergini and Maxi Urruti before half-time. Union pulled a goal back in the second half but could not prevent the home side from recording a comfortable win that, with five games left to play, leaves them well-placed to claim their first league title since 2004. Elsewhere, Arsenal de Sarandi kept up their push for a first league title with a 4-1 demolition of San Martín de San Juan. It was a first defeat for San Martín’s new manager, former Fulham striker Facundo Sava, whose side continue to battle to avoid relegation.
Copa Libertadores reaches quarter-finals

This week saw the completion of the first round of knock-out games as this season’s Copa Libertadores reached the semi-final stage. Santos went into their tie trailing Bolívar 2-1 but any hopes the Bolivian side had of an upset were soon extinguished as the defending champions romped to an 8-0 victory. Santos’ win set up an intriguing tie with Argentine side Vélez Sársfield, who made the most of their home advantage to keep the fancied attack of Colombian side Atlético Nacional at bay – their 1-1 draw sending them through 2-1 on aggregate. The performance of the round arguably came from Universidad de Chile who, needing to overcome a 4-1 first leg deficit against Deportivo Quito, put on an attacking masterclass in a 6-0 victory. They will face Paraguayan side Libertad, who despatched Mexican side Cruz Azul 3-1 on aggregate. Fluminense’s 2-1 victory over Internacional, in the ‘Battle of Brazil’, set up a mouth-watering clash with Argentine giants Boca Juniors, who secured their progress into the next round with a 5-4 aggregate victory over Chile’s Union Espanola. Juan Román Riquelme played a decisive role for Boca, contributing two goals and an assist as his team ran out 3-2 winners in Santiago. The last quarter-final will be an all-Brazilian affair, pitting Vasco de Gama against Corinthians. Vasco needed a penalty shootout to get past Argentina’s Lanus, while Corinthians’ progress to the next round was more straightforward – they cruised to a 3-0 home win over Ecuadorian side Emelec.
San Lorenzo coach faces fresh battle

San Lorenzo’s newly appointed coach, Caruso Lombardi, has a reputation for rescuing clubs from relegation but it seems that he has taken the club’s need to fight the drop a bit too literally. The famously combative Lombardi was this week involved in a furious and televised spat on the streets of Buenos Aires. The San Lorenzo coach argued with Fabio Garcia – the assistant to Lombardi’s predecessor Leonardo Madelón – who objected to comments made by Lombardi about Madelon in a radio interview. Lombardi allegedly insulted Garcia, before an intervening policeman stepped in. Both men were taken to a police station but later released.
Goal of the Week: Lanus’ Mariano Pavone splendid lob

This edition’s goal of the week was scored by Mariano Pavone for Lanus against Banfield. Lanus put their Copa Libertadores exit behind them to win the Clasico del Sur 2-1. Pavone scored their second with an exquisitely-placed lobbed shot from outside the area.

Neymar scored a pair of goals Sunday to help Santos beat Guarani 4-2 and become the first team in 43 years to win three straight Sao Paulo state championships.

In Rio de Janeiro state tournament, Fluminense beat Botafogo 1-0 to win its first title since 2005. It had won the first leg 4-1 last week.

Santos won the Sao Paulo title 7-2 on aggregate following a 3-0 victory in the first leg last week. No team had won the traditional regional tournament three times in a row since Santos did it in 1967-69, when Pele was still playing.

Santos has reached the final four years in a row, dating back to when Neymar made his professional debut as a 17-year-old in 2009.

The 20-year-old Neymar scored two goals in each of the team’s last four matches and finished as the competition’s top scorer with 20 goals. Neymar is already the top scorer for Santos in the post-Pele era with 108 goals, having scored 27 times in 24 matches this year.

”It’s been a great year for me and for Santos,” Neymar said. ”I never expected this would be happening.”

It was Santos’ 20th title in the tournament, tying Sao Paulo for the third most ever. Corinthians has 26 and Palmeiras 22.

The title comes just three days after the team’s historic 8-0 win over Bolivar in the round of 16 of the Copa Libertadores, the Latin American competition Santos is trying to win for a second straight year. Neymar scored twice and set up five goals in the match.

”There is no doubt our team has a lot of quality, it’s very strong,” Santos goalkeeper Rafael said. ”That’s why we are winning so much recently.”

Neymar started the buildup for Santos’ first goal on Sunday, sending a well-timed through ball for Elano, who entered the area and fed striker Alan Kardec for a shot into the open net just two minutes into the match at the packed Morumbi stadium in Sao Paulo.

Guarani equalized in the fifth after Santos goalkeeper Rafael failed to hold on to a cross and striker Fabinho took advantage of the rebound to find the net.

Neymar netted for Santos by converting a penalty kick in the ninth after a hand ball by right back Bruno Peres inside the area, but Guarani evened the match in the 17th after Durval failed to clear an easy ball inside the area and forward Bruno Mendes struck the net from near the penalty spot.

Neymar put Santos ahead again in the 73rd, firing a right-footed shot from inside the area after a pass by defender Juan, and Kardec closed the scoring by dribbling past the goalkeeper and striking the open net one minute into second-half injury time.

In Rio, Fluminense won its 31st state title after Rafael Moura scored the winner in the 63rd minute at the Engenhao stadium, clinching the title 5-1 on aggregate after a 4-1 win last week.

Flamengo is the state’s most successful team with 32 titles. Botafogo was trying to win its 20th title – the first since 2010.

Former Chelsea playmaker Deco left the match with an apparent muscle injury and is doubtful for Fluminense’s match against Boca Juniors in the quarterfinals of the Copa Libertadores. Striker Fred didn’t play on Sunday because of a muscle injury and also is listed as doubtful.

Brazil does not follow the European football calendar and regional tournaments are played in the first few months of the year across the country. The Brazilian league starts next week.

Internacional came from behind to beat Caxias do Sul 2-1 to win its 41st title in the Rio Grande do Sul state championship, while Atletico Mineiro beat America 3-0 to win the Minas Gerais state title unbeaten. In the northeastern state of Bahia, former Brazil player Paulo Roberto Falcao coached Bahia to a 3-3 draw against rival Vitoria, securing the team’s first state title since 2001.

Neymar scored two goals and set up five others in Santos’ 8-0 thrashing of Bolivar on Thursday, helping the defending Copa Libertadores champion move into the quarterfinals of the Latin American club competition.

Universidad de Chile also advanced after routing Deportivo Quito 6-0 to erase a 4-1 first-leg loss, while Fluminense moved on with a 2-1 home win over fellow Brazilian side Internacional. The teams had drawn 0-0 in the first leg.

Neymar scored his 105th and 106th career goals with Santos, becoming the team’s top scorer in the post-Pele era. Santos advanced 9-2 on aggregate after a 2-1 loss two weeks ago in the high altitude of La Paz.

Neymar came into the match level with Joao Paulo and Serginho Chulapa on 104 goals since Pele stopped playing in the 1970s. Pele scored 1,091 goals with Santos.

Elano and Paulo Henrique Ganso also scored twices each, while Alan Kardec and Borges both added one.

Santos fell one goal short from its biggest win ever in the Copa Libertadores, a 9-1 rout of Paraguay’s Cerro Porteno in 1962, when Pele was still in action. The competition scoring record was the 11-2 win by Penarol of Uruguay over Valencia of Venezuela in 1970.

”I’m glad to be making history with Santos and to be doing what other great players did in the past,” Neymar said. ”I’m happy to be part of this history.”

Santos will next face Velez Sarsfield of Argentina, which on Wednesday eliminated Colmbia’s Atletico Nacional 2-1 on aggregate.

Universidad de Chile erased the 4-1 loss in the high altitude of Quito to move on to face Paraguay’s Libertad in the quarterfinals. Striker Junior Fernandes scored twice in the first half and forward Henriquez Iturra added two more after the break. Marcelo Diaz and Eugenio Mena also scored for the Chilean side.

Deportivo Quito didn’t have a single shot on goal the entire match.

Striker Fred and defender Eusebio scored a goal each as Fluminense edged Internacional in Rio de Janeiro.

Fluminense, which had the competition’s best campaign in the group stage, will face six-time Copa Libertadores champion Boca Juniors of Argentina in the quarterfinals. The two teams have already played each other in the group stage, with both teams recording away wins.

Brazil striker Leandro Damiao opened the scoring in the 14th minute at the Engenhao stadium, but Eusebio equalized in the 16th to put Internacional ahead on the away goals rule, but Fred scored the Brazilian’s second in first-half stoppage time.

The other quarterfinal will be an all-Brazilian clash between Corinthians and Vasco da Gama.

The 20-year-old Neymar, seen as the future of Brazilian football, scored his first goal from the penalty spot in the 22nd minute at the packed Vila Belmiro stadium in the coastal city of Santos. The penalty was awarded when Bolivar goalkeeper Marcos Arguello shoved Santos defender Edu Dracena.

Neymar scored his second goal from close range in the 37th, redirecting a left-flank cross by defender Juan.

Neymar nearly completed his hat trick in the second half when he flipped the ball over the goalkeeper inside the area but failed to complete the play in front of the open net.

Former Brazil midfielder Elano had opened the scoring for Santos just six minutes into the match after Neymar setup the play with a head pass.

Neymar then gave the pass for Ganso’s outstanding goal in the 28th, when the playmaker flicked the ball into the far corner with his back to the goal.

Kardec netted another in a breakaway in the 30th, and it was Neymar again who helped Santos extend its lead to 6-0 in the 50th minute as he beat a defender inside the area and fed the ball for Elano, who found the back of the net with a low shot from near the penalty spot.

After Neymar was fouled following a great run just outside the area, Ganso scored the seventh goal with a left-footed free kick in the 53rd.

Neymar started the play of the eighth goal too. He fed the ball to Ganso, who then setup Borges’ right-footed shot into the far corner of the net.

Neymar scored twice as Santos beat Guarani 3-0 in the first leg of the Sao Paulo state championship final on Sunday.

Santos can clinch its third straight title even if it loses the return match by two goals next week.

Paulo Henrique Ganso put Santos ahead with a left-footed shot from the top of the area late in the first half. Neymar sealed the victory with a shot into the open net in the 66th and added another goal in injury time.

In the Rio de Janeiro state tournament, Fluminense came from behind to defeat Botafogo 4-1 in the final’s first leg. Fred scored one of Fluminense’s goals with a bicycle kick.

The Brazil international is considered one of the brightest young talents in world football, and has been linked with Barcelona, Chelsea and Madrid among other teams.

Nevertheless, Ribeiro feels that joining Los Blancos while Mourinho is in charge would be the end of a promising career for Neymar.

“Just imagine Neymar being coached by someone like Mourinho, who is all about discipline. That would destroy one of the biggest talents in the world,” the Santos chief was quoted as saying by Bandsports.

“The thought alone makes me shudder. I just can’t think about what that would mean for Neymar.”

The 20-year-old attacker has repeatedly said that he intends to stay at Santos until after the 2014 World Cup, while Barcelona have recently become the favourites to sign the youngster when he becomes available.

Brazil forward Neymar scored a hat-trick to lead Santos in a 3-1 win over Sao Paulo while former Brazil and Real Madrid coach Vanderlei Luxemburgo was sent off following a row with a ball boy in Gremio’s match.

Luxemburgo rushed out of his technical area and ran down the touchline to confront the ball boy by the corner flag, leading to an incident which held up the Porto Alegre derby against Internacional for five minutes and involved around 30 people.

He was apparently angry because the ball boy, employed by Internacional, placed the ball for a corner to be taken by the hosts while Gremio’s defence were out of position.

As Luxemburgo approached the ball boy, International players joined in along with police, radio reporters and cameramen, leading to a huge melee.

“I regret the incident, I’m the one to blame,” Luxemburgo told reporters. “”It all happened in the heat of the moment.”

Internacional players later ran to celebrate with the ball boy after Fabricio grabbed a late goal to give them a 2-1 win in the Gaucho championship, one of the plethora of state competitions which kick off the marathon Brazilian season.

Gremio were also angry to find that salt had been sprinkled under their bench before kickoff, a practice which in Brazilian football folklore is said to bring bad luck to the victims.

Neymar’s afternoon got off to a quick start when he converted a penalty in the first minute for Santos, firing into the roof of the net.

The 20-year-old struck again in the 32nd minute when he collected the ball in midfield, outran his marker and slipped the ball past goalkeeper Denis.

Although William Jose pulled one back for Sao Paulo after the break, Neymar completed his hat-trick with a shot from the edge of the area which slipped through the hands of the keeper.

Sao Paulo often found Neymar unplayable and their frustration boiled over when defender Ivan Piris was booked for blatantly hacking him down after the striker dribbled past him four times in succession.

Sao Paulo later had Cicero sent off for another foul on the Santos prodigy.

Guarani, who beat Ponte Preta 3-1, will face Santos in the final of the competition.

Uruguay forward Sebastian Abreu scored twice to give Botafogo a 3-1 win over Vasco da Gama to win the second stage of the Carioca championship in Rio de Janeiro.

Under the tournament format, Botafogo will face Fluminense, who won the first stage held earlier in the year.

Real Madrid president Florentino Perez was recently photographed giving a tour of the Santiago Bernabeu to Lucas’ parents. Los Blancos had been interested in securing the signature of Neymar but relations between the player and club have become increasingly strained with the Santos attacker reportedly angered by Perez’s attitude.

Sunday’s semi-final not only offers Sao Paulo a fantastic chance to win their first Paulistao since 2005, with Serie B opponents Bragantino or Guarani awaiting in the final, but it could also be the stage for Lucas to rival the Santos star as Brazil’s golden boy.

The Tricolor will be without Luis Fabiano through suspension but Neymar has already picked out his international team-mate as the player to watch in the game, describing him as “a very talented star” before adding: “Lucas will step up to the game [in the absence of Fabiano].”

The 19-year-old is similar to Neymar in the fact that he is more than accustomed to carrying the hopes of his side on his back in the early stages of his career. The supporters are aware of the potential that Lucas possesses and therefore store their faith in the club’s fortunes within him. His counterpart has seemingly blossomed under such circumstances, and with ‘O Fabuloso’ out of the clash we will see if the Sao Paulo attacking midfielder is of the same mould.

There could never be a greater need for everyone at the Morumbi to pick up their performances. The club are currently enduring a four-year barren run having not won a single trophy since Muricy Ramalho guided them to three consecutive Brasilieiraos between 2006 and 2008. Incidentally, Ramalho is now the coach of Santos and can attempt to protect his legacy by seeing his team to victory in the San-Sao derby.

After a great start to last season’s Brasileiro, undulating performance saw Sao Paulo fall from potential title chasers to a sixth-place finish. Having failed to secure a berth in the 2012 Copa Libertadores the club’s owners decided that investment was needed. Botafogo’s impressive left-back Bruno Cortez and Jadson are two of the standout names in a number of procurements since December. Yet there will now be increased expectations at the Morumbi, and the pressure will fall greatest upon Lucas and Emerson Leao to steer the club to success.

The world will be watching as Lucas and Neymar go head-to-head. They may not be identical in terms of positioning, but the passion and love they receive from their respective fans is mirrored in both. The Santos forward will be eager to match ‘O Rei’s’ feat of three consecutive Paulistaos, but the Tricolor’s 19-year-old will be eager to step out from the shadows and earn his club a slice of the glory that has been recently bestowed upon the Vila Belmiro outfit.

A 2-0 win over Mogi Mirim at the weekend booked Santos’ place in the semifinals of the state competition, where the club will meet the Tricolor who went through thanks to a 4-1 demolition of Bragantino.

Luis Fabiano was on target for two goals, but a yellow card means that the striker will miss Sunday’s meeting with Muricy Ramalho’s Paulistao holders.

Speaking on Monday morning, Neymar recognized that life would be easier without the former Sevilla man, but added that Lucas was a real danger to Santos’ hopes of winning a third straight title.

“We need to pay close attention to Luis Fabiano, who is a great scorer and also to Lucas, a very talented superstar,” the striker explained to Globoesporte, momentarily forgetting the former’s suspension before correcting himself.

“Luis Fabiano will in fact not be able to play but he will be replaced, and if we let him Lucas will kill the game off.”

Lucas and Neymar are no strangers to each other. The pair were the stars of the South American Under-20 Championship for Brazil in 2011, scoring four and nine goals respectively to lead the Selecao to a winners medal.

Neymar scored one goal and set up another as defending champion Santos defeated The Strongest of Bolivia 2-0 to top Group 1 of the Copa Libertadores on Thursday.

Fellow Brazilian club Internacional finished second in the group to also advance to the round of 16. Internacional lost 1-0 to Juan Aurich in Peru but it still moved on because of the loss by The Strongest.

Santos finished with 13 points from six matches, five points ahead of Internacional and six in front of The Strongest. Juan Aurich was last with six points.

The top two teams from each of the eight groups advanced to the second round of Latin America’s most important club competition.

In the round of 16 it will be; Fluminense vs. Internacional, Corinthians vs. Emelec, Santos vs. Bolivar, Universidad de Chile vs. Deportivo Quito, Libertad vs. Cruz Azul, Velez Sarsfield vs. Atletico Nacional, Lanus vs. Vasco, Union Espanola vs. Boca Juniors.

Santos needed two late goals to get the home win at the Vila Belmiro stadium.

Neymar set up the first with a left-flank cross that led to Alan Kardec’s header in the 86th minute, then he fired a low shot from inside the area to seal the victory in the 88th after receiving a pass from striker Borges in front of the Bolivian defenders.

It was Neymar’s 11th goal in the Copa Libertadores, giving him a share of third in Santos’ list of top scorers in the competition, along with Coutinho. Robinho has 14 goals and Pele 17.

“We gave it all, we never quit until the end and the goals finally came,” the 20-year-old Neymar said.

Neymar had one of Santos’ best chances from in a breakaway the 60th, entering the area free from any markers but sending his shot wide with only the goalkeeper to beat. He also just missed with a bicycle kick later in the second half.

The Strongest stayed on defense most of the match and barely got near Santos goalkeeper Rafael.

The Bolivian club didn’t win points away from the high altitude of La Paz. It had lost 1-0 to Juan Aurich and 5-0 to Internacional. Santos, on the other hand, won all of its matches at home.

The Strongest had beaten Santos in the teams’ opening match in this year’s Copa Libertadores.

Santos’ victory on Thursday guaranteed Internacional advanced despite the loss to last-place Juan Aurich. A victory by The Strongest would have eliminated the two-time Copa Libertadores champion. The Peruvians won with a header by striker Luis Carlos Tejada in the 15th minute.

Internacional finished with the worst campaign among the second-place finishers and now it will have to face fellow Brazilian club Fluminense, which was the best club among all qualifiers.

Also Thursday, Universidad de Chile defeated Atletico Nacional of Colombia 2-1 to finish first in Group 8 with 13 points. Atletico Nacional, which was yet to lose in this year’s competition, along with Corinthians, advanced with 11 points. Striker Dorlan Pabon scored Atletico Nacional’s lone goal to remain the Copa Libertadores’ leading scorer with seven goals.

Santos capped its centenary celebrations with a 5-0 rout of Catanduvense in the Sao Paulo state championship on Sunday, getting a goal from Neymar and two by Paulo Henrique Ganso – including a remarkable lon of the goalkeeper.

Ganso opened the scoring after a pass by Neymar in the 25th, controlling the ball at the top of the area and sending a perfect lob over the goalkeeper, receiving a standing ovation at the Vila Belmiro.

Santos, made famous by Pele in the 1960s, turned 100 on Saturday, and remains a force in Latin American football. Now it’s the likes of the 20-year-old Neymar and the 22-year-old Ganso who are keeping the traditional club in the spotlight.

Ganso also scored in the 71st, while Neymar got his goal in the 65th and participated in two others. Striker Borges netted in the 33rd and 84th as defending champion Santos finished the first stage of the competition in third place in the 20-team standings.

The top eight clubs had already secured a spot in the playoffs and the final round only determined which teams would play at home in the next stage.

Corinthians finished first with 46 points after beating Ponte Preta 2-1 in Campinas, three points ahead of Sao Paulo, which lost 2-1 to Linense in Lins.

Luiz Felipe Scolari’s Palmeiras drew last-placed Comercial 2-2 at home despite playing nearly the entire second half with a two-men advantage because of red cards to Comercial players. Palmeiras had an apparent legitimate goal disallowed for offside in the final minutes.

In the playoffs, it will be Corinthians vs. Ponte Preta, Sao Paulo vs. Bragantino, Santos vs. Mogi Mirim and Guarani vs. Palmeiras.

In Rio de Janeiro, Vasco da Gama defeated Nova Iguacu 3-1 to set up a Rio Cup semifinal against Flamengo, which is coming off a disappointing exit from the Copa Libertadores. The other semifinal will be Botafogo vs. Bangu.

Fluminense was eliminated despite a 5-1 win over Olaria. However Fluminense had already been guaranteed a spot in the state final because it won the Guanabara Cup, the competition’s first stage.

Vasco striker Alecsandro scored twice and midfielder Romulo added another goal in the win over Nova Iguacu in Moca Bonita to advance as the second-place team in Group B with 14 points from eight matches. Bangu won the group by defeating Resende 3-0, reaching 15 points.

Fluminense got two goals from striker Rafael Moura and one from former Chelsea playmaker Deco in the rout of Olaria in Volta Redonda, but it only reached 13 points to stay at third place.

Flamengo won Group A with 21 points after beating Americano 3-1 at the Engehnao stadium. Flamengo played without two-time FIFA player of the year Ronaldinho, who has been heavily criticized by fans and local media for his poor performances with the club.

Botafogo was second in Group A with 18 points after drawing Boavista 1-1 at the Sao Januario stadium.

Uruguay striker Sebastian “El Loco” Abreu, playing his 100th match with Botafogo, missed his fifth penalty in his past six tries.

After the regional championships, the national league begins next month.