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■NETHERLANDS

Twente hit four to stay top

FC Twente beat FC Groningen 4-0 on Sunday to stay top of the Dutch league and extend their unbeaten run to 11 games. Groningen never recovered after Miroslav Stoch and Dwight Tiendalli scored two early goals. Blaise Nkufo converted a 62nd-minute penalty for Twente’s third, following the dismissal of goalkeeper Brian van Loo, while Bryan Ruiz completed the rout with his team’s fourth in the 80th minute. Also on Sunday, Ajax beat AZ Alkmaar 4-2 to go second in the standings. AZ’s Mounir El Hamdaoui put his team in front in the 28th minute after collecting a pass from Brett Holman. Urby Emanuelson’s equalizer in the 57th minute, however, signaled the start of a dramatic Ajax comeback, with Luis Suarez and Gregory van der Wiel scoring inside nine minutes to put Martin Jol’s side 3-1 up. Two goals followed in injury-time, with Suarez scoring his second of the day, before Graziano Pelle pulled one back for AZ. Balazs Dzsudzsak, Jonathan Reis and Otman Bakkal each scored in PSV Eindhoven’s 4-0 win over NEC Nijmegen. Danko Lazovic also converted a second-half penalty for PSV. Also on Sunday, it was Willem II 4, SC Heerenveen 1.



■RUSSIA

Rubin Kazan grab away win

Reigning champions Rubin Kazan consolidated their league lead with a 2-1 away win at Rostov on Sunday. Kazan now have 53 points from 26 matches, one point ahead of second-placed Spartak Moscow. Zenit St Petersburg sit third on 47 points. Kazan opened the scoring in the 16th minute through Argentine midfielder Alejandro Dominguez. Argentine defender Christian Ansaldi added the second just before the break, beating Rostov keeper Veniamin Mandrykin with a powerful shot from outside the box. The hosts’ Bosnian striker Mersudin Ahmetovic reduced the arrears just after the restart, but failed to save the day for Rostov as Kazan managed to hold onto their narrow lead. Meanwhile, nine-time champions Spartak Moscow beat hosts Khimki 3-0, effectively dashing the home side’s slight hopes of staying in the top flight next season. Brazilian striker Welliton lifted Spartak 1-0 up in the ninth minute, sending home a rebound after fellow striker Nikita Bazhenov’s long-range shot. Another 25m drive by defender Sergei Parshivlyuk made it 2-0 for Spartak two minutes before the break. Welliton from a corner with two minutes to go. Third-placed Zenit St Petersburg failed to extend their six-match winning streak as they were held to a 2-2 draw by minnows Nalchik.



■PORTUGAL

Porto survive tense finish

FC Porto moved to within three points of Portuguese league leaders Braga on Sunday after beating Academica 3-2. One second-half goal from Mariano Gonzalez and two from Farias were enough to clinch three points, although a late goal by Academica’s Moudou Sougou ensured a tense finish. Also on Sunday, Setubal beat Leixoes 1-0 and Maritimo beat Pacos Ferreira 3-1.



■MEXICO

Big match screened in 3D

Excited Mexicans clutching buckets of popcorn and soft drinks in cinemas ducked whenever the ball was kicked toward them as they watched Sunday’s big game between America and Guadalajara in 3D. At the packed Azteca, thousands more had a more traditional view of the match, which finished 1-0 to America. “It was incredible,” 25-year-old Claudia Fernandez said. “I’d already seen films in this format, but watch a football match, never, and I don’t regret it because it’s much more exciting.”


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