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Check out all the action from around the world this weekend with a new champion crowned in Russia.

RUSSIA:

Unfashionable Rubin Kazan beat Saturn Ramenskoye 2-1 on Sunday to seal their first Russian league title with three games remaining.

Former Serbia striker Savo Milosevic, who joined Rubin this season, scored the 89th-minute winner from close range to give his team 60 points from 27 matches and an unassailable 10-point lead over second-placed CSKA Moscow.

Kazan's title is especially sweet as the club from the Volga region celebrates its 50th anniversary this year.

"Allah has listened to our prayers and given us the strength to fight for the title," Rubin's Turkmenistan-born coach Kurban Berdyev told Russian television.

"We didn't want to wait another week, that's why we played to win," said former Ukraine international Serhiy Rebrov, who also joined Rubin this year.

CSKA's slim title hopes disappeared on Saturday when the army club suffered a 1-0 defeat by city rivals Spartak in an ill-tempered Moscow derby in which CSKA winger Yuri Zhirkov was sent off for unsportsmanlike conduct late in the match.

Police detained more than 200 fans and 40 others suffered various injuries, celebrating Spartak's first victory over their bitter rivals in over seven years.

NETHERLANDS:

Leaders AZ Alkmaar were held to a 3-3 draw at Heerenveen, with Paolo Henrique scoring in injury time, allowing Ajax and NAC Breda to go level on points, 19 after nine matches.

Ajax scored a goal in each half to beat Twente Enschede 2-0, while a late strike from Rob Penders earned NAC a 1-0 home win over Groningen.

PSV Eindhoven, playing Olympique Marseille on Tuesday in the Champions League, are fourth one point behind the leaders after beating Willem II Tilburg 2-0.

Strugglers Feyenoord hit four goals in 17 minutes to brush aside Roda JC Kerkrade for their first league win since Sept. 13.

PORTUGAL:

Champions Porto suffered their second successive defeat when they lost 1-0 at Naval on Saturday and dropped to seventh, five points off the pace. Brazilian defender Daniel Cruz scored the only goal in the 54th minute.

Unfancied Leixoes, who beat Pacos Ferreira 2-1 at home, top the standings with 16 points, one ahead unbeaten Benfica after seven matches.

Benfica won 2-1 at Vitoria Guimaraes on Sunday, playing the entire second half with 10 men after Spaniard Jose Antonio Reyes was sent off for a second bookable offence.

GREECE:

Demis Nikolaidis quit as president of AEK Athens on Sunday, moments after watching his team score two goals in added time to come back from a goal down to beat Asteras Tripolis 2-1.

The former Greece striker said he was fed up with the fans who abused him, coach Giorgos Donis and the players while Asteras were in front.

The win takes AEK up into fifth place on 13 points, six behind leaders Olympiakos who beat Ergotelis 2-0 thanks to first half goals from Darko Kovacevic and Dudu.

MEXICO:

Monterrey ended a seven-match winless run in the Mexican championship when they came from behind to beat Atlante 2-1.

Monterrey, led by Mexico's controversial 2006 World Cup coach Ricardo La Volpe, fell behind after only 48 seconds of Saturday night's game to a goal from Colombian Luis Gabriel Rey.

Jared Borgetti, Mexico's record international scorer, equalised for Monterrey in the 31st minute, scoring from close range from a chance set up by William Paredes, and Panama defender Felipe Baloy headed the winner seven minutes later.

Monterrey are fifth in Group One with 16 points from 15 games and have little more than a mathematical chance of qualifying for the quarter-finals.

ARGENTINA:

Newell's Old Boys beat arch-rivals Rosario Central 1-0 on Sunday in an Argentine championship match remarkable for an amazing missed open goal late in the game.

Newell's striker Cristian Fabbiani was the guilty party as he weaved his way through the Central defence in a move worthy of Diego Maradona, only to fire over the crossbar from six metres with the goal at his mercy.

Fabbiani won possession from a defender who had intercepted a long ball upfield, charged forward, jinked his way past goalkeeper Jorge Broun and then left another defender on the ground.

He took another two steps forward and, with only a helpless defender between himself and glory, fired high into the disbelieving crowd behind the goal.

Defender Rolando Schiavi scored the winner from a penalty in the 22nd minute after Diego Braghieri had upended Gaston Machin in the Rosario derby which features one of the fiercest rivalries in Argentina.

There was trouble outside the stadium as television pictures showed police firing rubber bullets to disperse supporters.

The DyN news agency said 40 people were detained and two policemen were injured.

The win kept Newell's fourth in the Apertura championship with 23 points from 13 games, three behind leading trio San Lorenzo, Tigre and Boca Juniors.

BRAZIL:

Sao Paulo, attempting to win their third successive Brazilian title, went top of the standings on Sunday after a stunning individual goal from Dagoberto helped them beat Internacional 3-0.

Dagoberto won possession inside his own half, raced between three defenders, burst into the area and slipped the ball past goalkeeper Lauro in the 52nd minute to score his side's second goal.

Borges put Sao Paulo ahead after a scramble in the 29th minute and Hugo headed the third near the end, scoring at the second attempt after his first shot hit the crossbar.

With five matches to play, Sao Paulo, top for the first time this year, have 62 points from 33 games.

Palmeiras stayed one point behind and moved into second spot after a last minute goal from Leo Lima gave them a 2-1 win at Santos.

ECUADOR:

Barcelona moved into second place in the championship's six-team final stage and reduced Deportivo Quito's lead to three points with a stormy 2-1 win over Libertadores Cup holders LDU.

Pablo Palacios put Barcelona ahead in the 18th minute, Argentine Claudio Bieler levelled early in the second half and David Quiroz rifled in the winner with eight minutes left.

LDU, already down to 10 men after Jairo Campos was sent off for a second bookable offence, lost their heads and had Diego Calderon sent off for pushing a ball boy near the end.

The decision drew angry protests and LDU coach Edgardo Bauza was also sent off when he came onto the pitch.

Deportivo Quito's 100 percent record ended when they lost 1-0 to army club El Nacional.

COLOMBIA:

Pereira, with former Colombia international Rene Higuita keeping goal at the age of 42, jumped to third in the Clausura championship with a 2-0 win over Santa Fe.

Brazilian Anselmo de Almeira put Pereira ahead in the 34th minute and Colombia international Darwin Quintero added a second on the hour against the team led by former Colombia, Ecuador and Guatemala coach Hernan Dario Gomez.

It got worse for Santa Fe as Andres Felipe Gonzalez and Luis Manuel Seijas were sent off while Leonel Vielma went off injured with three substitutions having already been made.

Santa Fe dropped to ninth with 23 points from 16 games and two to play. The top eight qualify for the semi-final group stage.

The tournament was hit by another refereeing storm as Atletico Nacional beat Pasto 2-1 with two controversial penalties, both awarded for handball and converted by Sergio Galvan Rey.

CHILE:

O'Higgins gave Universidad de Chile a head start as Federico Martorell turned a cross into his own goal and Cristobal Gonzalez followed suit, both in the first 33 minutes.

Nestor Bareiro and Ailton da Silva pulled O'Higgins level before halftime but two goals from Emilio Hernandez put Universidad back in the driving seat after the break.

Jean Beausejour pulled another back for O'Higgins only for Cristian Milla to complete the scoring with an injury-time penalty.

Universidad de Chile stayed top of Group One in the Clausura championship with 38 points from 17 games. Rangers, Palestino and Huachipato lead the other groups.

In other high-scoring games, Universidad Catolica beat Cobreloa 4-3 and Santiago Morning won 5-1 at relegated Deportes Melipilla.

PERU:

Deportivo San Martin stayed top of the championship's second stage despite being held 0-0 at home by Atletico Minero. The defending champions have 40 points from 18 games.

Provincial club Sport Anchash, coached by former Uruguay international Antonio Alzamendi, are six points behind in second place after winning 3-0 away to financially troubled bottom club Sport Boys.

VENEZUELA:

Leaders Deportivo Italia lost their unbeaten record in the first stage of the 2008/09 championship when they were thumped 4-0 at Deportivo Anzoategui, conceding as many goals in one game as they had in their previous ten.

Alexander Rondon gave Anzoategui a halftime lead when he scored from a rebound. Argentina Emerson Panigutti scored twice after the break either side of a Nicolas Massia goal.

Italia stayed top but their lead was cut to one point by promoted Zulia, who beat Minerven 2-1.

PARAGUAY:

Libertad stayed on course for their fourth successive title with a 3-0 win over Sportivo Luqueno. The goals came in a 20-minute spell before halftime with Manuel Maciel scoring twice and Colombian Vladimir Marin adding the third.

Libertad have 32 points from 16 games, two ahead of Sol de America who beat 12 de Octubre by the same score.

URUGUAY:

Nacional stayed top of the second stage despite losing 2-1 to Liverpool, who won with goals from Julian Ruelli and Emiliano Alfaro early in the second half despite having Julian Lalinde sent off in the 52nd minute.

Nacional have 19 points from nine games, one ahead of Cerro, Defensor Sporting and Danubio.

Reuters