Penarol claimed a last-gasp 3-2 victory over Defensor Sporting to extend their lead atop the Uruguayan Clausura championship to seven points after ten rounds on Sunday. Penarol, Uruguay´s most popular club, turned the result in their favour with two goals in the final ten minutes of the encounter. Diego Aguirre´s side are clear favourites to win the championship after their tenth successive victory of the competition.

Pablo Gaglianone sent Defensor into the break with a narrow advantage, but Antonio Pacheco leveled the score for Penarol thirteen minutes into the second half when he fired home a penalty kick. Ignacio Risso put Defensor ahead for the second time in the 75th minute, however, goals from Gaston Ramirez and an own goal from Gaglianone in second half injury time gave Penarol a dramatic victory.

The 40,000 fans who flocked to the Centenario stadium witnessed perhaps the most entertaining match of the entire season.

Former Inter Milan attacker Alvaro Recoba starred as Danubio beat Wanderers 3-1 at the Parque Viera. Recoba continued his impressive form of recent weeks and scored one of Danubio´s three goals. Diego Perrone had put Danubio ahead early in the first half.

On Saturday Cerro came from behind to defeat Nacional 3-1 at the Luis Troccoli stadium. Gustavo Varela gave Nacional the lead in the 5th minute, but two first half goals from Rodrigo Mora and another from Pablo Caballero turned the result in Cerro´s favour.

In other matches, River Plate thrashed Cerrito 3-1, Central Espanol beat Liverpool 2-0 and Tacuarembo drew 1-1 with Fenix.

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

Promising Penarol midfielder Gaston Ramirez has attracted the attention of a wealth of European clubs, including Juventus of Italy and Bayern Munich of Germany. In recent hours more clubs have shown an interest in the player, and it seems that he will move to one of these clubs once the Uruguayan Clausura championship is over.

Ramirez, who is valued at over $5 million, was on the verge of moving to Mexican club Monterrey, however, the fact that a number of European clubs have also shown an interest in him means that Penarol will have a tough decision to make before offloading the player.

An unidentified English club had been said to have made an offer for the player, while Italian clubs Juventus and Napoli have also shown their appreciation for the midfielder. Two German clubs have also entered the race, these being Bayern Munich and Stuttgart.

At only 19 years of age, Penarol will be hoping to profit from Ramirez. The Uruguayan giants currently lead the local championship with nine wins from nine matches and much of their success has been down to the form of their latest talent.

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

Nacional joined Liverpool at the top of the Uruguayan Apertura championship standings after beating Cerro 2-0 at the Parque Central stadium on Sunday. Liverpool were held to a goalless draw by Central Espanol, a result that favoured Nacional.

Los Tricolores dominated proceedings and won the match courtesy of goals from Nicolas Lodeiro and Gustavo Varela.

Lodeiro put Nacional ahead in the 8th minute with an unstoppable crossed shot.

Cerro had an opportunity to draw level in the 22nd minute when they were awarded a penalty kick, but Claudio Dadomo´s effort was saved by Rodrigo Munoz.

Nacional were awarded a penalty of their own seven minutes from full time, but Uruguay U-20 international Santiago Garcia missed it.

In second half injury time former Schalke 04 midfielder Varela scored Nacional´s second goal.

Penarol, Uruguay´s most popular club, fought out a 1-1 draw with Defensor Sporting at the Centenario stadium on Saturday.

Jhonatan Ramis put Penarol in the lead in the 54th minute, but former Nacional striker Marcelo Guerrero earned Defensor a point with a strike ten minutes later.

In other matches, Wanderers beat Danubio 3-2, Cerro Largo thrashed Rampla Juniors 3-0 and Racing thumped Atenas 5-0.

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

Nacional and Penarol couldn’t win on the weekend, as Danubio moved to the top of the league standings after five rounds.

Uruguayan champions Nacional were beaten 1-0 by River Plate at the Centenario stadium on Saturday night. Jorge Zambrano converted a penalty kick in the first half to hand River the three points. It was a fiery encounter with five players receiving their marching orders.

If it were any consolation, Nacional were without several of their key players who are participating in the U-20 World Cup in Egypt with Uruguay.

Defensor Sporting defeated Fenix 2-0 despite playing with ten-men ever since the second minute of the match. Midfielder Diego De Souza scored both of Defensor’s goals.

Penarol, Uruguay’s most popular club, dropped down to eighth-place after being held to a frustrating 2-2 draw by Liverpool at the Centenario stadium. Marcel Roman and Jonathan Ramis gave Penarol a two-goal lead, however, two goals from Emiliano Alfaro rescued Liverpool a point.

Danubio climbed to the top of the table after edging Cerro Largo 3-2 in a highly entertaining encounter. Hamilton Ricard, Carlos Grossmuller and Diego Ifran scored for Danubio, while Fabricio Nunez scored both of Cerro Largo’s goals.

In other matches, Central Espanol beat Cerro 2-1, Rampla Juniors edged Tacuarembo 1-0, Racing and Cerrito drew 1-1, and finally Wanderers and Atenas fought out a goalless draw.

Gregory Sica

Goal.com

Southamericanfutbol.com

Uruguay’s most popular club, Penarol, defeated Wanderers 2-0 in the first round of the Apertura Championship, with first-half goals from veteran striker Antonio Pacheco. Los Aurinegros dominated their opponents in front of 25,000 fans at the Centenario stadium.

Defensor Sporting thrashed Atenas 5-1 at the Luis Franzini stadium. New signing Marcelo Guerrero grabbed a hat-trick for Defensor, while Pablo Gaglianone and Rodrigo Cabrera scored their other goals. Jorge Ramirez scored for the visitors.

Three players were sent off in the fiery clasico of the Villa between Cerro and Rampla Juniors, which ended in a 1-1 draw. Bruno Barreto scored for Rampla, while Cristian Vaquero equalised for Cerro.

Meanwhile, Danubio came from behind to beat Tacuarembo 2-1 at the Goyenola stadium. Franco Sosa put Tacuarembo ahead in the first half, but Pablo Miguez and goalkeeper Esteban Conde handed La Franja the three points in the second half.

On Saturday, the defending champions, Nacional, beat Cerro Largo 1-0 with a strike from Sergio Blanco. Nacional, 42-time winners of the championship, are the favourites to win the title again this year, after having made a number of important signings.

In other matches, Central Espanol drew 1-1 with Racing and River Plate eased past Fenix 3-0.

Gregory Sica

Goal.com

Southamericanfutbol.com

MONTEVIDEO, Uruguay — It has become perhaps the most unexpected rivalry in the western hemisphere. This was originally supposed to be a piece dedicated to the achievements of Sport Club Internacional, the reigning Copa Libertadores champion. But what I witnessed here last Wednesday changed my mind.

Enter Club Nacional de Football, the most exciting team in South America at the moment. The Uruguayan outfit put on a remarkable display as it tore apart the champs 3-1 in both teams’ 2007 Libertadores openers.

Nacional may not have a reputation with most soccer fans around the world, but it has a strong one in South America. The club has won 41 league championships and three Libertadores titles, including a finals victory over Internacional in 1980.

But much like the Uruguayan national team, Nacional’s achievements are classified as prehistoric. It hasn’t had anything to cheer about in terms of international hardware since 1988, the last time any Uruguayan club won the Libertadores.

Despite all this, Uruguay’s two representatives in this year’s tournament are looking particularly strong — Defensor Sporting cruised past Argentina’s Gimnasia La Plata 3-0 in its group opener last week, too. Is this a sign that Uruguayan soccer is heading in the right direction?

The question is whether Nacional has what it takes to be a real contender. Most people will tell you that Uruguayan clubs can’t compete with the likes of Boca Juniors, River Plate, São Paulo, Internacional and Santos — the elite clubs of the continent. But based on their early form, the Tricolores have been the revelation of the competition so far, and could be poised to make history.

Earlier this week, winger Gonzalo Castro told me, “The win gives us the confidence to keep on going. Despite going a goal down, and with a man less, we were able to reverse the situation and win the match in the final 20 minutes.

“The result has had people talking,” he added. “It’s funny to see that all of a sudden we are considered as title contenders. This has done a lot of good for Uruguayan soccer in general, but we must keep on going as it is still early. Nacional has the ambition to return where it belongs.”

Taking down the defending champs is one way to prove it. Nacional knows it’s capable of beating the best clubs on the continent. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the heroics of Inter keeper Clemer, the Uruguayans could have won by a greater margin against the same side that defeated European champion Barcelona in the final of the Club World Cup last December.

But which is Nacional’s real face? Last Saturday the Tricolores followed up their victory with a 3-0 league thrashing at the hands of Uruguayan champion Danubio. They’ll need to recover from that defeat quickly in order to confront their biggest test yet: Vélez Sársfield, in Buenos Aires on Wednesday. How Nacional performs in that match will give us a better idea if it’s the real deal or not.

“It’s going to be an open match,” Castro said. “Vélez plays with an attacking incentive, so we will try to damage them on the counterattack and then look to close the result. I think we have enough quality to win the three points.”

If Castro sounds confident, he has reason to be: Nacional actually has made some decent noise in recent South American competitions. Last year it did fairly well in the Libertadores before being eliminated by Inter in the cruelest of circumstances.

Both clubs had already met twice in the group stage, and fate matched them up again in the knockout phase. In the second leg at the Beiro-Rio Stadium, Nacional should have gone through to the quarterfinals instead of the Brazilians, but had two clearly legitimate goals disallowed. Inter advanced on aggregate and went on to win the tournament.

Nacional also has experienced misfortune in the Copa Sudamerica. Last year it grabbed all the headlines after eliminating Argentina’s Boca Juniors in the round of 16. Boca was the overwhelming favorite after winning back-to-back titles but couldn’t get the better of the Uruguayans. Nacional was arguably the best team in the competition at that point but was eliminated because a number of players from its starting lineup — including Castro — were out with the mumps for the quarterfinals against Atlético Paranaense.

“We did well last year, but unfortunately couldn’t progress further because the situation was completely out of our control,” Castro recalled. “Hopefully this doesn’t repeat itself; we will do our best and see how far we can go [in the Libertadores].”

Will luck be on Nacional’s side this year? Maybe, but getting out of its group of death will be an achievement in itself. The win against Inter was crucial as the Tricolores look to reach the next phase; if they pull off wins in their next two home games, they should almost be assured of qualification.

One vital factor is the huge home support Nacional receives from its fans. Even the Inter fans who came here last week will tell you that for once, their players were intimidated. And Nacional wasn’t even playing at the 75,000-capacity Centenario Stadium, but at the much smaller Parque Central, site of the first World Cup game back in 1930.

But standing in Nacional’s way is a factor that has affected Uruguayan clubs in recent years: They’re forced to sell their best players in order to survive, and on many occasions during the decisive stages of continental competitions like the Copa Libertadores. If that’s the case this year, Nacional will be hard-pressed to win the trophy.

“Years ago, clubs didn’t have this problem,” Castro said. “The best players in the country played in the local competition. Now they play in Europe or Argentina, and the situation is just getting worse. I think the reason Nacional is doing well this season is because we have kept the basis of last year’s team.”

This current Nacional squad has the potential to put Uruguayan soccer back on the map. It has already shown it’s more than capable of mixing it with the best, and is well aware that a continental title is the key to winning back its respect. The next few weeks are crucial in determining whether it will be able to keep its Copa dream alive.

Gregory Sica

Article at Si.com

Southamericanfutbol.com

It’s that time of the year again. Some people’s New Year’s resolutions are to quit smoking or take up a new hobby. But in Uruguay, soccer fans are hoping their country’s soccer federation comes up with a solution to repair the huge problems in the national game.

Not only did Uruguay fail to qualify for the 2006 World Cup following a heartbreaking penalty-shootout defeat against Australia, but Uruguayan clubs have flopped in nearly every recent South American club competition.

Nowhere is this more evident than with Montevideo powerhouse Club Atlético Peñarol, which historically has been one of the greatest clubs in the world. Over its 115-year existence, the Manyas have won 47 Uruguayan championships, five Copa Libertadores and three Intercontinental Cups.

The new generation of soccer fans across the world may not have heard of Peñarol, but it’s a club that — along with Real Madrid, AC Milan, São Paulo and Boca Juniors — makes up a select group of the most successful organizations on the planet. Even though Peñarol’s last world club championship was back in 1982, when it beat Aston Villa for the Toyota Cup, it still has strong ties to the elite clubs of Europe. Successful players who once donned the Peñarol black-and-yellow stripes include Villarreal’s Diego Forlán, Real Madrid’s Pablo Garcia and Carlos Diogo, Juventus’ Marcelo Zalayeta and former Juve enforcer Paolo Montero.

That’s not all. How about this for a list of Peñarol alums thriving in Europe? Walter Pandiani (Birmingham), Dario Silva (Portsmouth), Fabian Canobbio (Celta Vigo), Gonzalo de los Santos (Valencia), Fabian Estoyanoff (Cádiz), Marcelo Romero (Málaga), Diego Perez (AS Monaco), Jean Jaques Pierre (FC Nantes), Eduardo Lago (Rosenborg), Dario Rodríguez (Shalke 04), Guillermo Giacomazzi (Lecce), Joe Bizera (Cagliari), Carlos Bueno and Cristian Rodríguez (both of PSG).

A squad boasting that kind of talent would likely compete for the European Cup every year. For a time, it was like that — Peñarol dominated world soccer. But good things don’t always last.

When I visited Montevideo in 2000, it seemed as if the whole nation was at a standstill as Peñarol succumbed to archrival and eventual title-winner Nacional after a thrilling playoff series. When I returned last year to live in Uruguay, I noticed an enormous change. Fans had stopped flocking to stadiums in large numbers, and TV sets and radios were tuned to other stations. In November, Nacional and Peñarol faced off in what should have been the most anticipated match of the year, but fewer than 30,000 fans attended a game that usually guarantees a sellout of 75,000. Fittingly, the match ended scoreless and further disillusioned a once-proud soccer population.

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out why Uruguayan clubs can’t draw fans in their own country, much less compete in major South American tournaments. Put simply, the exodus of players abroad has had a negative effect on clubs like Peñarol. Sure, it’s nice for Uruguayan fans to see their favorite players competing with the elite of European soccer, but what’s left for the local game? The answer is not much — especially for Peñarol, which was unable to mount a title challenge in the Uruguayan league in ’05 or qualify for the Copa Libertadores for the second consecutive year.

In the past, Peñarol attracted the best players in Uruguay, allowing it to dominate the league (including five straight titles from ’93 to ’97) and compete every year in South American club competitions. Since then the club — as well as Nacional, the other member of Uruguay’s “big two” — has fallen back to mediocrity. Smaller clubs have passed them by, including ’04 champions Danubio. Last month, Rocha FC won the ’05 Apertura Championship, becoming the first club from outside Montevideo to win a national title.

What’s happened to Uruguay’s glamour clubs? It’s fairly easy to explain. The less privileged clubs are wiser and no longer sell their top players to the big two, preferring to hold onto them until they can negotiate more lucrative paydays with bigger clubs from Europe, Argentina or Mexico. Meanwhile, Peñarol and Nacional are forced to sell off their best players to European teams to guarantee revenue streams.

Not surprisingly, Uruguay’s big teams have been highly uncompetitive in recent South American tournaments. While Peñarol has struggled, Nacional has done just as poorly. In last year’s Copa Libertadores, it finished in last place of its group with only three points from a possible 18 — Nacional’s worst-ever finish in South America’s premier club competition.

With those kinds of results, it’s hard to argue with CONMEBOL’s decision to allow a maximum of three Uruguayan clubs in the Copa Libertadores, while neighbors Brazil and Argentina potentially can grab up to 11 places between them. It’s bad enough that Uruguay has lost its place in the hierarchy of South America’s elite, but now it finds itself below second-tier players Paraguay, Ecuador, Colombia, Chile — even permanent guest Mexico.

Tradition may actually be an enemy of Uruguayan clubs at this point. While clubs like Peñarol are in a state of destitution, the somewhat remorseless European clubs continue to invite them to participate in friendly tournaments in the Old Continent. But whereas in the past, Peñarol would return from European tours undefeated, the Manyas are far from a hot ticket.

Last August, the club participated in a handful of exhibition cups in Spain and, not surprisingly, was outplayed by every single team. The only positive result the Manyas recorded was a 2-2 draw against Villarreal — although they went on to lose on penalties. Even so, the cynic might call their participation a success in terms of marketing — they were able to sell two of their key players as a result of their Spanish holiday.

For the Uruguayan soccer fan, this has become the norm. It’s hard to find pride in your nation’s game when your teams can’t compete or create the same enthusiasm they did in the past. This definitely has had an effect on a nation of 3.4 million that prides itself on soccer.

Once-great Peñarol has become a microcosm of what’s wrong with Uruguayan soccer. Its tradition is rich, but mismanagement and greed have ruined its chances of competing on a national stage. Fans who are hoping for their team and their country to come up with a solution may have a long wait ahead of them.

Gregory Sica

Article at Si.com