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The Argentinian championship goes to a three-way tie, Toluca win the Mexican title and recriminations continue in Brazil.

ARGENTINA

The Apertura championship ended in a three-way tie as leading trio San Lorenzo, Boca Juniors and Tigre all won their final games to finish level on points at the top and force a playoff.

Goal difference is not used to decide the title and a three-way playoff will be held, the first in the tournament's history, with matches on December 17, 20 and 23.

All three teams won by single-goal margins on a tense afternoon to finish with 39 points from 19 games.

San Lorenzo won 1-0 at Argentinos Juniors, Tigre beat Banfield by the same score and Boca beat Colon 3-2 after racing into a three-goal lead in less than half an hour.

San Lorenzo struck the first blow of the day when Gonzalo Bergessio pounced on a loose clearance and smashed a shot past Sebastian Torrico in the eighth minute.

Argentinos dominated the rest of the first half but ran out of steam after the break and had Ignacio Canuto sent off for a second bookable offence in the 85th minute.

Boca went ahead in the ninth minute when Luciano Figueroa scored with a first-time shot from Fabian Vargas's cross and Juan Roman Riquelme added a second four minutes later, ending a quick exchange of passes by flicking the ball past Diego Pozo.

The game seemed over as a contest when Figueroa scored again in the 27th minute, scoring with his thigh from Jesus Datolo's cross.

But Colon fought back and reduced the arrears when Nicolas Torres scored with a left-foot shot from the edge of the penalty area three minutes before halftime.

After a 25-minute halftime break, which gave Boca the advantage of finishing around 10 minutes after their rivals, Lucas Valdermarin side-footed another goal in the 52nd minute after Javier Garcia failed to hold a cross.

Rank outsiders Tigre stayed in contention when playmaker Martin Morel scored his 13th goal of the tournament six minutes before halftime.

Defending champions River Plate finished bottom of the table after drawing their final game 1-1 with Estudiantes.

River won only two games and managed a paltry 14 points in their campaign but did not go down as relegation is decided by average points over three seasons.

MEXICO

Toluca won the Mexican Apertura championship, beating Cruz Azul on penalties after losing 2-0 at home in the second leg of the final.

Cruz Azul striker Alejandro Vela went from hero to villain after he scored his team's first goal but then saw his decisive penalty saved by Hernan Cristante as Toluca won the shootout 7-6.

It was Cruz Azul's second successive final defeat after they lost to Santos Laguna in last season's Clausura championship.

Toluca, who won the first leg 2-0 last Wednesday, claimed their ninth title, making them Mexico's third most successful club after Guadalajara (11) and America (10) since the championship turned professional.

Cruz Azul, coached by former Mexican international Benjamin Galindo, went ahead four minutes after halftime when Vela turned in Cesar Villaluz's cross from close range.

The Blue Machine were reduced to 10 men in the 75th minute when Villaluz was stretchered off injured after they had already made three substitutions.

But Julio Cesar Dominguez headed a second goal in the 78th minute to level the aggregate scores.

The game was marked by a series of controversial refereeing decisions, including failure to show a second yellow card to Cruz Azul midfielder Gerardo Torrado for a professional foul in the second half.

BRAZIL

Former Brazil coach and goalkeeper Emerson Leao has been named coach of Atletico Mineiro and will return for a third stint at the Belo Horizonte club.

Leao agreed terms with president Alexandre Kalil to rejoin the club almost exactly one year after leaving.

Three coaches have been employed since Leao left, Geninho, Gallo and Marcelo Oliveira.

Leao played for Brazil at the 1974 and 1978 World Cups and was reserve in 1970 and 1986.

He coached the national team for eight months between 2000 and 2001 but was sacked after his side lost to Australia at the Confederations Cup.

Leao's coaching career has also taken him to Brazilian clubs including Sport Recife, Palmeiras, Corinthians, Sao Paulo, Sao Caetano, Coritiba, Atletico Paranaense and Cruzeiro, Japan's Verdy Kawasaki and Shimizu S-Pulse and Qatar's Al Sadd.

Atletico are the fourth first division club to have changed coaches since the Brazilian championship ended one week ago.

Cuca has replaced Caio Junior at Flamengo and Dorival Junior has left Coritiba to take over from Renato Portaluppi at relegated Vasco da Gama.

The 2008 season produced 35 coaching changes among the 20 first division clubs, not including the four in the last week.

Ipatinga were the most prolific club, employing six coaches, followed by Vasco da Gama and Figueirense with five each. All three clubs were relegated.

Geninho and Cuca were the most travelled coaches, each working at three clubs during the season.

Sao Paulo, Gremio, Cruzeiro, Palmeiras and Coritiba were the only teams to get through the season without a change of coach.

CHILE

Palestino held out for a 1-1 draw against Colo Colo in the first leg of the Chilean championship final despite playing nearly the entire second half with nine men.

Argentine forward Lucas Barrios put Colo Colo ahead with a 28th minute penalty, his 36th goal of the season, after being fouled by Palestino goalkeeper Felipe Nunez, who was sent off.

The home side were in further trouble when Palestine international defender Roberto Bishara was dismissed five minutes into the second half for a second bookable offence.

Colo Colo twice hit the post before Francisco Ibanez equalised with a breakaway goal in the 80th minute. Palestino, founded by Chile's Palestinian community, last won the title in 1978.

COLOMBIA

Atletico Nacional's 4-1 defeat at home to La Equidad was interrupted for seven minutes when

their fans protested against the team's poor finish to the season.

The 8,000 crowd protested furiously and several fans forced their way onto the running track at the

Atanasio Girardot stadium after the visitors' fourth goal, prompting the referee to stop the game. For the rest of the match, Atletico fans on the terraces insulted and jeered the team.

Colombian media said that at the end of the game, riot police used tear gas to control angry fans outside and the team were given an escort out of the stadium.

Sunday's matches were all academic as Independiente Medellin and America had already made sure of finishing top of the respective semi-final groups and will meet in the two-leg final.

PERU

Deportivo San Martin won the championship for the second year running, handed the title after Universitario lost the right to face them in the final.

Universitario had won the first stage of the championship earlier this year and were due to face San Martin, who wrapped up the second stage 10 days ago.

But, under the tournament's rules, Universitario also needed to finish in the top seven of the second stage to qualify for the final. Curiously, Universitario began the weekend in 10th place, three points behind Jose Galvez, who were in seventh.

Galvez's opponents were San Martin, who simply needed to avoid losing their game to win the title.

In the event, San Martin drew 2-2 but the result was academic as Universitario also drew 2-2 against Melgar.

San Martin went ahead in the 18th minute when Jose Galvez defender Jersson Vasquez lobbed the ball past his own keeper.

Carlos Ibarra levelled for Jose Galvez four minutes later, Manuel Barreto put San Martin back in front in the 26th minute and Ibarra replied again in the 37th.

URUGUAY

Nacional beat arch-rivals Penarol 1-0 with a penalty won and converted by Sergio Blanco, who scored in the 71st minute after being held by Gerardo Alcoba in the area.

Nacional were immediately reduced to 10 men when Sergio Garcia, who had only been on the pitch for six minutes, was sent off for provocatively celebrating the goal in front of the Penarol supporters.

The win took Nacional back to the top of the championship's first stage, overtaking Danubio who were held 2-2 by Liverpool.

Eduardo Aranda and Emiliano Alfaro put Liverpool 2-0 ahead and Danubio hit back through Esteban Conde, from a penalty, and Jorge Garcia in the last 20 minutes.

Uruguayan media reported that 49 people were arrested before and after the game in various incidents around the Centenario stadium. One person was taken to hospital after being run over.

Last month the championship was suspended for two weeks after rivals fans rioted on the pitch following a Danubio-Nacional game.

NETHERLANDS

Brazilian Ari struck early in the second half to earn league leaders AZ Alkmaar a 1-0 win at struggling Feyenoord to keep them on top with 35 points after 15 matches.

Ajax Amsterdam remain second, trailing by three points, following a comfortable 3-0 victory over 10-man NAC Breda, with Dario Cvitanich, the successor of Klaas Jan Huntelaar who has joined Real Madrid, opening the scoring.

Steve McClaren's Twente Enschede registered a convincing 4-1 away win against Groningen, while PSV Eindhoven dropped two points in a 1-1 draw at Vitesse Arnhem.

Reuters