A look at all the weekend's action from around a particularly football-shaped world.

ARGENTINA

River Plate made a winning start to the Clausura championship under new coach Diego Simeone with a solid 2-0 victory over Gimnasia-Jujuy on Sunday.

Midfielder Matias Abelairas found the net with an angled free kick early in the second half and Paulo Ferrari added the second with a sharp header from a corner by Ariel Ortega.

Simeone has replaced Daniel Passarella, who quit in November after River were knocked out of the Copa Sudamericana.

Midfielder Cristian Gonzalez grabbed a last-minute equaliser for Rosario to spoil Juan Roman Riquelme's return to Boca Juniors after joining from Villarreal.

Gonzalez earned Rosario a 1-1 draw after playmaker Riquelme had set up Rodrigo Palacio for the opening goal.

Argentina's 2007 Apertura champions Lanus were handed a 1-0 win over Independiente when defender Leandro Gioda fired into his own goal.

Racing Club earned a 1-1 draw against Olimpo when striker Facundo Sava equalised six minutes from time.

In a fixture played on Friday, Newell's Old Boys spoiled San Lorenzo's party by stealing a 2-0 away win.

San Lorenzo has been buzzing with excitement since the recent signings of Andres D'Alessandro and Gonzalo Bergessio, but neither player was available despite completing moves from Real Zaragoza and Benfica respectively.

BRAZIL

Carlos Alberto scored the winning goal against his old club on Sunday as Sao Paulo marched to a 3-2 win over Santos in Brazil's biggest state championship.

Ponte Preta moved to top spot in the Sao Paulo championship standings on 19 points with a 1-0 win over Rio Preto.

Sao Paulo climbed into the top four, occupying a qualifying slot for the semi-final stage of the championship for the first time since it got under way a month ago.

Santos, the 2007 state champions, are languishing near the relegation zone with eight points from eight games.

Modest club Guaratingueta slipped to second place, on 18 points, but will play their game in hand against Rio Claro on Tuesday.

The semi-finalists for the first stage of the Rio de Janeiro state championship have already been decided.

Vasco da Gama made a successful late dash into a qualifying berth by trouncing Cabofriense 5-1.

The convincing performance, capped by Morais's fine play, suggested that the players have not been adversely affected by the departure of former coach Romario, who resigned last week alleging board interference in playing affairs.

Fluminense and Flamengo, who had already qualified, fielded under-strength teams in their clash at the Maracana stadium. Striker Thiago Neves scored a brilliant hat-trick to help Fluminense to a flattering 4-1 win.

The game was interrupted by a fierce thunderstorm that caused a power cut.

MEXICO

Pumas UNAM snatched a late winner to beat Monterrey 2-1 on Sunday for their first points after three defeats in a row in Mexico's Clausura championship.

Chivas Guadalajara, unbeaten on 10 points, hold a three-point lead after their 2-0 win at Atlas on Saturday.

Pumas remain rooted to the bottom of the standings after four matches, level on points with Monterrey, who had drawn their first three, and Atlas.

Ismael Iniguez scored the winner in the match at Mexico City's Olympic stadium with a powerful angled shot two minutes from time. Monterrey's Chilean striker Humberto Suazo had equalised after Argentine Ignacio Scocco had put Pumas ahead.

"A result like this will help us to build up confidence and play with more composure, so we hope this will be a springboard for our season," Iniguez said.

America, one of three teams on seven points, collected a 2-1 win at Tecos UAG, the other team from the city of Guadalajara, on Friday.

Fifth-placed Necaxa beat Cruz Azul 2-0 with goals from Colombian Hugo Rodallega and Brazilian Fabiano Pereira for their first win. Necaxa have six points.

NETHERLANDS

Ajax Amsterdam failed to capitalise on leaders PSV Eindhoven's 1-1 draw against Heerenveen when they lost 2-1 at Roda and dropped a place to third in the standings.

PSV, aiming for their fourth consecutive title, are nine points clear of Heerenveen, Ajax, Feyenoord and NAC Breda, who are all on 44 points.

Otman Bakkal headed the opening goal for PSV after 43 seconds on Saturday but Michael Bradley equalised in the second half.

GREECE

Two goals from Darko Kovacevic sent Olympiacos on their way to a 4-0 win over 10-man Panionios on Sunday which lifted them to second in the Super League.

Olympiakos, who have a game in hand following a Super League disciplinary panel's decision to replay last weekend's game against Apollon Kalamaria, are on 44 points, two behind leaders Panathinaikos, 1-0 winners over Veria on Saturday, and two ahead of AEK Athens.

Aris Salonika were beaten 3-0 by PAOK Salonika but held on to fourth place as Asteras Tripolis drew 1-1 with OFI Crete.

Aris and Tripolis both have 32 points but Aris have the better head-to-head record. The two sides meet next week in Thessaloniki.

Xanthi climbed to sixth in the table with a comprehensive 4-1 win over struggling Levadiakos in which Canadian striker Tomas Radzinski nabbed his 11th goal of the season.

Basement club Ergotelis scored twice in the last eight minutes to draw 2-2 with fellow strugglers Apollon Kalamaria.

Ergotelis are still bottom on 14 points, two behind Apollon who have a game in hand.

Reuters