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BUENOS AIRES, May 2 7 (Reuters) – Juan Roman Riquelme set up
all three goals as Boca Juniors brushed aside Godoy Cruz 3-0 to
extend their lead at the top of the Argentine Clausura
championship on Sunday.
Tigre, who are challenging for the title and fighting
relegation at the same time, drew at 1-1 Atletico Rafaela and
troubled San Lorenzo boosted their survival hopes by coming from
two goals behind to beat Newell’s Old Boys 3-2.
Riquelme set Boca on their way when he floated over a free
kick which defender Juan Insaurralde met with a near post header
to open the scoring after 13 minutes.
Three minutes before halftime, the mercurial playmaker got
away from his marker at the far post, collected Clemente
Rodriguez’s long cross and laid the ball into the path of Dario
Cvitanich to score into an empty net.
Pablo Mouche completed the scoring from another Riquelme
pass late in the game despite the suspicion of offside.
Defending champions Boca have 32 points from 16 games with
three to play in the Clausura championship, the second league
tournament of the complex Argentine season.
Tigre have 29 points after Mariano Echevarria gave them a
1-1 draw at Atletico Rafaela, where Alexis Castro opened the
scoring just after halftime.
However, Tigre dropped to 19th in the relegation standings,
which are decided over three seasons, putting them back in the
danger zone.
San Lorenzo, meanwhile, climbed to 18th, putting them in the
playoff zone, with their spectacular win over Newell’s Old Boys,
who dropped four points behind Boca in the Clausura.
Newell’s raced to a 2-0 lead in half an hour as Pablo Perez
scored with a long-range effort and Fabian Munoz pounced after
the hosts gave the ball away in defence.
San Lorenzo, considered one of the big five Buenos Aires
clubs, were level within nine minutes of the re-start as
Emmanuel Gigliotti headed in a corner and Uruguayan Carlos Bueno
rifled in the equaliser.
The hosts missed a flurry of chances before Gigliotti struck
again with a diving header three minutes from time.
(Writing by Brian Homewood in Berne; Editing by Alastair
Himmer)
