Tue, Aug 10, 2010 page18

• SOCCER SHORTS

  • AGENCIES
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  ■BRAZIL

  Gremio sack Silas

  Former Brazil midfielder Silas has been sacked as coach of Gremio after his side slumped to a 2-1 loss to a 10-man Fluminense side in the championship on Sunday. Rio de Janeiro-based ‘Flu’ had midfielder Bob sent off just past the hour for a second booking after scoring early goals through fullback Mariano and striker Emerson. A late goal to Gremio’s Andre Lima was not enough to save Silas, who became the 22nd coaching change of the season among the 20 top-flight clubs. Silas leaves the team from Porto Alegre in 18th place after a fifth defeat in 13 games. He denied media reports that he had planned to quit Gremio to take the vacancy at Sao Paulo after Ricardo Gomes was sacked mid-week. “I’d like to clear up a lie that prejudiced today’s outcome saying I’d already said goodbye to the players,” Silas told reporters. “Sao Paulo have not invited me to go there. Whoever has worked with me these last seven months knows the sort of person I am.”

  ■MEXICO

  Queretaro crash to defeat

  Modest Queretaro, who had made a good start to the Apertura Championship, were brought down to earth in a 6-0 defeat at Morelia on Sunday. Striker Miguel Sabah, denied a place in Mexico’s World Cup squad by injury, scored a hat-trick as Morelia ran rings around Queretaro, who had won their opening two games. Morelia, with a perfect record of two wins and no goals conceded, have a game in hand and are second, one point behind Puebla in Group Three, one of three groups into which the championship is divided. Santos Laguna lead Group One with a maximum nine points after Saturday’s 3-0 away win over Pachuca that took their goal tally to 11. Guadalajara, who are at home to Internacional of Brazil in the first leg of the Libertadores Cup final tomorrow, won 1-0 at San Luis and are fourth in Group One. Pachuca are joint top of Group Two with America, both on four points. Title holders Toluca, held 1-1 at Chiapas on Saturday, have yet to win after three matches.

  ■RUSSIA

  Champs down Tomsk

  Reigning champions Rubin Kazan sealed a hard-fought 2-1 win against visiting Tomsk on Sunday to stay in the title chase behind league leaders Zenit St Petersburg. Zenit still sit top with 39 points and a game in hand, seven points ahead of Rubin with CSKA Moscow third on 30 points, also with a game in hand. Midfielder Alexander Ryazantsev put the hosts ahead after 35 minutes, sending the ball home with a header from Vitaly Kaleshin’s cross. However, the visitors leveled just two minutes later through forward Artem Dzyba, who found the net with a close-range header from a freekick. After the break Rubin stepped up a gear pinning the guests back and in the 64th minute defender Alexander Orekhov scored the winner with a header from a freekick.

  ■NETHERLANDS

  Ajax surrender lead to draw

  Ajax, missing suspended Uruguayan striker Luis Suarez, surrendered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 with Groningen on Sunday in their Dutch league opener. Mounir El Hamdaoui scored both of Ajax’s goals but Martin Jol’s men were pegged back through Tim Matavz and then Niclas Pedersen in the 87th minute. Fellow title favorites Feyenoord came from a goal down to defeat Utrecht 3-1. Ricky van Wolfswinkel put Utrecht ahead in the 11th minute before Feyenoord leveled when Alje Schut put through his own goal on 52 minutes. Luigi Bruins and Leroy Fer wrapped up the three points for Feyenord.
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