Racing Club started the better of the two sides, with former Argentine international Roberto Ayala almost putting them ahead with a header that struck the woodwork.

But from that instance Independiente controlled their opponents, and they were awarded a penalty in the 39th minute, when Braian Lluy handled the ball inside of the area. Gandin stepped up to the spot and fired Independiente ahead.

Gabriel Hauche reduced Racing to ten-men in the 59th minute, and from then on the game opened up, with both teams creating goal-scoring opportunities. Racing proved to be the better side in the second half, but they couldn´t force what would have been a justified draw.

In Saturday´s other matches, Huracan defeated Velez Sarsfield 3-2 and Colon de Santa Fe drew 1-1 with Rosario Central.

Argentina´s most popular club, Boca Juniors, were held to a 1-1 draw by Estudiantes de La Plata at the Bombonera stadium on Friday night. Martin Palermo put Boca ahead in the 24th minute via the penalty spot, but Leandro Gonzalez rescued Independiente an unexpected point in second half injury-time, with a superb half volley coming from a long goalkick.

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

“I learned a lot in Europe, how to act as a person and as a professional, but above everything the most important thing is happiness. I left Brazil very young but it was rewarding. I returned because I wanted to, not because I had no other options,” Ewerthon told Terra.

When asked about the reason for not joining Corinthians, club who he played for between 1998 and 2001, Ewerthon said: “Corinthians were very important in my life, as well as were Borussia Dortmund, Stuttgart, Zaragoza and Espanyol…everything has its stage and mine with Corinthians has already passed. I want to talk about the present and my present is Palmeiras.”

Ewerthon penned a two-year deal with Palmeiras, becoming the latest Brazilian star to return to the country, after finding success abroad. He has followed in the footsteps of Ronaldo, Roberto Carlos, Edu, Adriano, Vagner Love and Robinho, amongst others.

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

Veteran goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni put Sao Paulo ahead with a deflected free-kick in the 33rd minute, but Once Caldas drew level through Fernando Uribe in the 50th minute. Dayro Moreno handed the Colombians the three points in the 72nd minute, with a superb individual strike.

Lanus were in a must-win situation at Blooming after having lost their first two group games, however, the Argentines withstood the effects of the high altitude and claimed an impressive 4-1 victory.

Luis Vieira put Blooming ahead early in the game, but two goals from Diego Lagos and others from Sebastian Blanco and Santiago Salcedo gave Lanus a comprehensive win.

Finally, Universitario de Deportes were held to a goalless draw at home to Libertad of Paraguay.

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

Notwithstanding Stuttgart, each of the 16 teams in the knockout stage this season has at least one South American player (Stuttgart’s Cacau was born in Brazil but is now a nationalized German international). This underscores the amount of influence South American soccer has had on the European game, and because of their success, the demand for top-quality players from the region increases each year.

Few clubs can afford a player of the caliber of Lionel Messi — who is undoubtedly one of the greatest South Americans to ever play in Europe — but Barcelona beat out the competition by taking an interest in his undisputed talent at a young age, and is now being rewarded for its efforts. The production pipeline in South America is extraordinary — ambitious clubs like Barça just have to discover it.

Here are the top 10 South American players (still active) of the 2009-10 edition of the UEFA Champions League:

1. Lionel Messi (Barcelona): The Argentine superstar was named FIFA World Player of the Year in December, thanks in large part to a memorable Champions League campaign in which he not only led Barcelona to the title but also scored a competition-high nine goals, including Barça’s second goal in a 2-0 win over Manchester United in the final. “La Pulga” has yet to reach his top form in the current edition of the competition, but will need to be at his best to inspire Barça past Stuttgart after the teams tied 1-1 in the first leg of the round of 16 matchup in Germany on Tuesday. If his incredible La Liga form is any indication (Messi has scored 16 goals), Barcelona will have good chances of winning back-to-back titles.

2. Kaká (Real Madrid): After emptying the bank to assemble the most intimidating squad in Europe, Real Madrid is expected to win the Champions League. While the signings of Cristiano Ronaldo and Karim Benzema have added plenty of quality, Madrid’s success depends on the impact made by Kaká, even if his performances have been questioned since he arrived. After some difficulty in adapting to life in the Spanish capital, the Brazilian has gradually picked up his game and become responsible for orchestrating his team’s best attacking moves. Kaká, who scored twice in Madrid’s 6-2 hammering of Villarreal in La Liga on Sunday, was helpless as his side lost 1-0 to Lyon in France last week. But los Galácticos are more than capable of turning the round-of-16 matchup in their favor during the return leg at the Santiago Bernabéu as they try to avoid elimination in this stage of the competition for the sixth consecutive year.

3. Maicon (Inter Milan): Arguably the best right back in the world, Maicon is not only solid in defense but he’s also dangerous when moving to the attack. The defender is so confident in his role that he rarely makes mistakes, providing his team with the necessary assurance to concentrate completely on attack. This is one reason why Inter Milan has dominated Italian soccer in recent years. The fact that Dunga prefers Maicon to Barcelona’s Daniel Alves (another exceptional right back) on the Brazilian national team is the reason he gets the nod on this list. Inter defeated Chelsea 2-1 in the first leg of their round of 16 on Wednesday.

4. Radamel Falcao García (FC Porto): The Colombian has been in electrifying form since moving to Porto from River Plate, transforming himself into one of the most feared strikers in Europe. Falcao’s scoring rate is up there with the very best, and he converted Porto’s controversial game-winner in a 2-1 victory against Arsenal that boosted its chances of reaching the quarterfinals of the Champions League. After such an impressive introduction to European soccer, Falcao, one of Porto’s 14 South Americans, has the potential to follow Faustino Asprilla in becoming one of the most successful Colombians to play on the continent.

5. Ronaldinho (AC Milan): It seemed that Ronaldinho had lost his magic since leaving Barcelona for AC Milan in 2008, but he has rejuvenated his career this season. Not wanting to miss out on the World Cup with Brazil, he has lifted his game in an attempt to remain in Dunga’s plans. Ronaldinho, who leads Serie A with 12 assists, has a team-high three goals in the Champions League. He scored against Manchester United last week, but the Rossoneri are on the verge of elimination after falling 3-2 at the San Siro.

6. Gonzalo Higuaín (Real Madrid): Higuaín’s future at the Bernabéu looked in doubt with the flurry of superstars who joined the club in the offseason, but “Pipita” hasn’t allowed the added pressure and intrasquad competition to rattle him, as evidenced by his 14 goals in league play. If provided with adequate service, Higuaín rarely fails when presented with an opportunity in front of goal. Higuaín earns his place in the top 10 at the expense of compatriot and Inter Milan scoring machine Diego Milito.

7. Luís Fabiano (Sevilla): Despite being considered one of the deadliest strikers in Europe for a while now, Fabiano has continually rejected lucrative offers from top European clubs to remain loyal to ever-improving Sevilla. This has allowed him to stay focused on what he does best — few players possess his goal-scoring prowess — and helped him improve another aspect of his game: Fabiano leads the Champions League in assists. “O Fabuloso,” however, missed Wednesday’s 1-1 tie at CSKA Moscow with a chest injury.

8. Antonio Valencia (Manchester United): The explosive winger knew he had big shoes to fill when he was brought to Old Trafford as the replacement of Ronaldo. And even though he hasn’t always been a first-team regular, he has demonstrated sufficient potential to warrant a permanent role. When called upon by Sir Alex Ferguson, Valencia has taken full advantage of the responsibility. He scored United’s late game-winner against CSKA Moscow in Russia in the group phase, and repeated the feat with United’s equalizer when the sides tied 3-3 in Manchester days later. His big-game temperament could be crucial as United continues to progress in the competition.

9. Julio César (Inter Milan): Widely regarded the best goalkeeper in Europe, César is one of the main reasons why Inter Milan will rate its chances of winning the Champions League for the first time in 45 years. Inter may have won the Italian Scudetto for the past four seasons, but it has underachieved in Europe. Defense has been a weakness, but after being reinforced with experience in the back line, including the presence of Brazil captain Lúcio, there’s now more help in front of César. On Wednesday, César helped Inter hold off Chelsea.

10. Juan Vargas (Fiorentina): The versatile Peruvian has earned a reputation for rising to the occasion. It was his penalty conversion against Lyon that earned Fiorentina a place in the round of 16 for the first time in 10 years. Though not considered a realistic threat to win the title, Fiorentina was just a minute away from claiming a draw on its visit to Bayern Munich last week. The fact that La Viola scored a valuable away goal in the 2-1 defeat means that it still has good chances of reaching the quarterfinals.

Gregory Sica

Article at Si.com

Southamericanfutbol.com

Cruzeiro 4-1 Colo Colo — Belo Horizonte

Cruzeiro thumped Colo Colo of Chile 4-1 in a match that was actually more complicated than the final outcome suggests. Thiago gave Cruzeiro an early lead, but Esteban Paredes drew the visitors level ten minutes from half-time.

But ever since Colo Colo were reduced to ten-men in the 57th minute the match turned on its head. Kleber scored twice from the penalty spot and Pedro Ken was also on the score-sheet. The Chileans ended the match with ten-men.

Corinthians 2-1 Racing — Sao Paulo

The Uruguayan minnows took a surprise lead inside the first minute through Martin Cauteruccio, however, Elias drew Corinthians level in the 10th minute after a fine attacking combination.

Elias ended up scoring Corinthians´ eventual match-winner in the 70th minute, but Racing never stopped fighting right until the final minute. Ronaldo and Roberto Carlos both impressed on the field. Ronaldo caused constant problems for the Racing defence with his strength and trickery, and was unlucky not to get on the score-sheet.

Flamengo 2-0 Universidad Catolica — Rio de Janeiro

Despite playing with ten-men as early as from the 2nd minute, Brazilian champions Flamengo defeated Universidad de Chile 2-0 courtesy of goals from Leonardo Moura and Adriano. The match was played in front of more than 50,000 fans at Maracana stadium.

Flamengo completely dominated their opponents, with exciting attacking football, and they could have won by a greater difference had Vagner Love converted a penalty kick in the 82nd minute. Catolica´s Milovan Mirosevic was sent off right before half-time.

Wednesday´s other Copa Libertadores results

Monterrey 2-1 Nacional — Monterrey

Juan Aurich 2-0 Bolivar — Chiclayo

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

Arsenal came closest to winning the match at the end, but they couldn´t take full advantage of their goal-scoring opportunities, and had to settle for a point.

With the result, River find themselves in 14th position of the 20-team league. They have five points, six points less than league leaders Velez Sarsfield.

Defending champions Banfield could only afford a goalless draw at home to Rosario Central. El Taladro were without several of their key players because of Copa Libertadores activity. The visitors played the final eleven minutes with ten men.

On Saturday, the matchups between Tigre and Gimnasia La Plata and Newell´s Old Boys and Lanus ended in 1-1 draws. While in the highly anticipated Buenos Aires derby Racing Club edged San Lorenzo 1-0 with a late strike from Gabriel Hauche.

The round opened on Friday night with Colon de Santa Fe beating Chacarita Juniors 2-1 and Velez thrashing Independiente 3-0.

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

Banfield completely dominated their opponents, and went ahead ten minutes before the break courtesy of a spectacular long-distance strike from playmaker Walter Erviti.

Uruguayan international Sebastian Fernandez added Banfield´s second four minutes later, and then his club´s third in the 60th minute.

In-form Colombian midfielder James Rodriguez further extended their lead in the 71st minute, with a good finish.

Gabriel Mendez pulled a goal back for Cuenca five minutes from full-time via the penalty spot.

Lanus suffered their second successive defeat in the competition, this time falling to a 2-0 loss to Universitario de Deportes in Peru.

The Peruvians proved too strong for Lanus, and went ahead in the 18th minute thanks to a superb individual goal from Piero Alva.

Gianfranco Labarthe sealed the result in favour of Universitario with a powerful header in the 88th minute. It was Universitario´s second win of the competition.

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

“The national team may need some football (team-work and style), but the important thing is that we (have players who) can score goals, we have to know how to complement both things,” Veron declared to radio La Red.

With players of the quality of Lionel Messi, Gonzalo Higuain, Carlos Tevez, Diego Milito, Sergio Aguero and Martin Palermo, Argentina count with an abundance of options in their attack. If Veron is able to provide adequate service from the midfield, Argentina could be unstoppable.

The Estudiantes de La Plata captain is almost a lock to feature in another World Cup finals, and is surely part of the “fifty percent” of players who Maradona has already confirmed in his mind for the tournament.

“Bit by bit, and when a coach expresses himself in that manner, one thinks of the future, you pretty much confirm the base, and the margin gets smaller,” stated the player in relation to the fact that Maradona has made up his mind on at least half of the players who will make up his 23-man squad in South Africa.

Veron, who featured in two World Cups — 1998 and 2002 — is hoping to be in his best shape for the tournament, because “the World Cup is a very demanding tournament and one has to release the best that one has within.”

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

“Noir will leave Boca for a while. The Boca youth product has departed to Ecuador to gain experience and to accumulate minutes in the first division,” stated Boca´s official website on Tuesday.

Noir, 22, was the fifth option in Boca´s attack, and the fact that the player was out of the plans of interim coach Abel Alves, meant that he didn´t hesitate before deciding to move abroad.

“I´m going so that I can play…I plan to do well there, accumulate minutes and then return home. I want to triumph in the Boca first team,” said Noir.

Noir will be under the directions of another Argentine at Barcelona — Juan Manuel Llop.

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com

The biggest surprise made by Tabarez is the inclusion of playmaker Ignacio Gonzalez, who hasn´t been active for some time now. But Gonzalez is a technically gifted player, and he could be the ideal link between midfield and attack.

One player who missed out on selection was Cristian Rodriguez. It wasn´t a surprising choice however, as the winger will miss out on Uruguay´s first two matches of the World Cup, as he must complete a FIFA suspension.

Other players to miss out were Sebastian Eguren and Carlos Valdez. Eguren has encountered a number of complications in recent weeks, after a move to Lazio from Villarreal brokedown, after the Italian club detected the player to having heart problems.

Uruguay´s 21-man squad for Switzerland friendly (only foreign-based players)

Goalkeepers:

Fernando Muslera (Lazio)

Juan Castillo (Deportivo Cali)

Defenders:

Diego Lugano (Fenerbahce)

Diego Godin (Villarreal)

Andres Scotti (Colo Colo)

Martin Caceres (Juventus)

Mauricio Victorino (Universidad de Chile)

Midfielders:

Jorge Fucile (FC Porto)

Maximiliano Pereira (Benfica)

Diego Perez (Monaco)

Walter Gargano (Napoli)

Ignacio Gonzalez (Levadiakos)

Alvaro Pereira (FC Porto)

Alvaro Fernandez (Universidad de Chile)

Jorge Martinez (Catania)

Nicolas Lodeiro (Ajax)

Attackers:

Diego Forlan (Atletico Madrid)

Luis Suarez (Ajax)

Sebastian Abreu (Botafogo)

Edinson Cavani (Palermo)

Sebastian Fernandez (Banfield)

Gregory Sica

Southamericanfutbol.com