Mexican club Toluca won the Clausura championship on Sunday, giving the club 10 titles to equal Club America and leaving them only one short of Guadalajara Chivas’ record.
Toluca beat Santos in a sudden-death penalty shootout in the second leg of the final.
Alfredo Talavera saved Fernando Arce’s penalty — Santos’ sixth spot kick — to win the title for Toluca after the match finished 0-0 following extra-time.
PHOTO: AFP
The first leg ended 2-2 on Thursday at Santos’ stadium in Torreon, with away goals not counting in the final.
The title was the third for Toluca coach Jose Manuel De La Torre following wins with Toluca in the Apertura 2008 tournament and Chivas in the Apertura 2006.
“I don’t know what to say, it’s indescribable how it all happened,” De La Torre said.
“Santos were extraordinary opponents. Now it’s time to celebrate and plan for next season,” he said.
Toluca striker Hector Mancilla, who missed a penalty in the shootout, said: “It was dramatic. We didn’t expect it to come down to this, but we are champions again.”
“Thousands of things went through my mind after missing ... I felt I had to score, but I didn’t and thank God my teammates could win it,” he said.
Santos had two opportunities to win the shootout, but Matias Vuoso and Carlos Morales both dragged their penalties wide. Edgar Duenas scored Toluca’s sixth penalty, before Talavera saved Arce’s attempt.
Vuoso also had a clear chance to win the match for Santos in the 14th minute of extra-time, but skewed his shot wide from 8m out.
In Argentina, the lineup is set for next season in the Apertura tournament.
All Boys became the third team promoted to Argentina’s first division, defeating Rosario Central 3-0 on Sunday to go through 4-1 on aggregate. All Boys join Olimpo and Quilmes, who had already won automatic promotion to the first division.
In the other promotion showdown on Sunday, Gimnasia La Plata defeated Atletico Rafaela 3-1 to stay in the first division.
Atletico Rafaela won the first leg 1-0.
Chacarita and Atletico Tucuman were automatically relegated when the season ended last weekend. Rosario Central are the third team to be relegated.
Marcelo Vieytes, Mariano Campodonico and Cristian Vella scored for All Boys, a club that returns to the first division for the first time in 30 years. The Buenos Aires team last played in the top-tier in 1980.
Rosario Central are going down for the first time since 1984.
In Brazil, Corinthians defeated Fluminense 1-0 on Sunday to top the league table in Brazil with three victories in three games.
Defender Chicao scored the winner in the 11th minute.
In a preview of the Copa Libertadores semi-final, Sao Paulo defeated Internacional 2-0 with goals by Fernandao and Hernanes. The two clubs will meet after the World Cup in the semi-final of the South American club championship. Chivas of Mexico will meet Universidad de Chile in the other semi.
Flamengo striker Vagner Love scored twice to give the defending champions their first win in this year’s tournament, 3-1 over Gremio Prudente. Flamengo played without striker Adriano and Serbian midfielder Dejan Petkovic, both injured.
It was Flamengo’s first match since being eliminated by Universidad de Chile in the quarter-finals of the Copa Libertadores on Thursday.
After only three rounds, four clubs are tied in second place with seven points — Avai, Botafogo, Palmeiras and Ceara.
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