São Paulo reminds Chivas who is still the champion

South America's top club showed Wednesday that it's not about to hand its torch over to a Mexican team.

Reigning Copa Libertadores champions São Paulo won the highly anticipated rematch over its Mexican foes. Chivas de Guadalajara, who twice beat São Paulo during the group phase, could not repeat the feat in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores semifinal. São Paulo goalkeeper Rogerio Ceni scored a late penalty kick to give the Brazilians a 1-0 edge in the two-leg series.

Holders of the FIFA World Club Championship as well as South America's most prestigious club cup, São Paulo played the role of the wise professor and knew how to approach the game against its exuberant but overmatched pupil. Chivas provided challenges throughout the match but São Paulo had the answers.

Chivas squandered its best scoring chance while São Paulo most certainly did not. Chivas could not overcome a referee's decision while São Paulo did. Chivas has put itself in a dire situation while São Paulo needs only to play like its usual self to advance to the final.

For all the promise Chivas showed, São Paulo was simply the superior side.

Chivas got past Independiente of Colombia and knocked out Argentina's final hope in Velez Sarsfield but São Paulo is at an entirely different level. English side Liverpool learned as much when the Merseysiders lost to São Paulo at the World Club Championship in December.

With one of Mexico's most talented rosters, Chivas has yet to develop into a club that can succeed deep in tournaments. The remnants of Chivas' talented roster sputtered out in the semifinals of Copa Libertadores in 2005 as well as the semifinals of the Clausura 2006. Both times, Chivas was robbed of a chunk of its players by the Mexican national team.

Now, however, the club has all of its weapons at its disposal as well as not having the distraction of a demanding domestic campaign. Yet little of that came through on Wednesday.

Chivas was aided by an early call after Ricardo Oliveira's early goal was disallowed after officials ruled correctly that the Brazilian had knocked the ball past Oswaldo Sanchez with his arm.

But Chivas wasted a glorious scoring chance as Adolfo "Bofo" Bautista fanned on an open header with about a half hour left in the game.

São Paulo recovered from its early handball and late in the game was on the positive end of a referee call. Francisco "Maza" Rodriguez hauled down Sao Paulo's Aloisi inside the penalty area and Ceni converted the spot kick for the game's only goal.

While São Paulo merely reaffirmed its status as the Western Hemisphere's top club, Chivas is left with a daunting task if it hopes to snatch that title from São Paulo. Chivas must win in Morumbi stadium. Chivas already won there this year when a goal from Diego Martinez propelled Chivas to a 2-1 come-from-behind win at São Paulo's famed grounds on April 5.

But past results, as proven on Wednesday, mean little now. Chivas beat São Paulo 2-1 in Estadio Jalisco on March 21 but failed to score a goal when it mattered the most.

For Chivas to reach the final and become just the second Mexican club to do so, the club must beat São Paulo. Unlike its quarterfinal return leg against Velez, a draw will not suffice. A 3-1 loss, such as the one suffered against Independiente in the second round will only serve to humiliate.

Chivas needs a victory. A 1-0 win would send the game into penalty kicks; any other score would send Chivas through automatically.

Nevertheless, Ceni's goal had a sense of finality to it. With the defending champion gaining confidence and avenging earlier results, São Paulo looks destined for another final appearance and keep the title on South America soil.

FONSECA TO BENFICA

When Francisco "Kikin" Fonseca scored a goal in the first half of Mexico's World Cup game against Portugal, he apparently made quite an impression on Portugal.

Portuguese power Benfica snatched up the Cruz Azul striker Wednesday.

Fonseca's only goal of the World Cup was in Mexico's 2-1 loss to Portugal, but he was in good company in that regard. The only other players to score on Portugal in seven World Cup games were France's Zinedine Zidane and

Germany's Bastian Schweinsteiger.

Fonseca, 26, became the fourth player to emigrate to European soccer since the end of the World Cup. First, America midfielder Pavel Pardo and Cruz Azul defender Ricardo Osorio joined German side Stuttgart and were followed to the Old World by Chivas defender Carlos Salcido, who joined Dutch power PSV Eindhoven.

Unlike his defensive-minded national team comrades, Fonseca has made his name by scoring goals. Since breaking through with Pumas in the Clausura 2003 campaign, Fonseca has scored 50 goals for Pumas and Cruz Azul. He led

Pumas to consecutive championships, a feat not accomplished before in shortened seasons.

Results at the national team level have not shown it but Mexico is poised to join top South American nations as a soccer-producing factory. Only Rafael Marquez, Hugo Sanchez and Luis Garcia have made noise in Europe. Marquez is

a regular with European champion Barcelona while Sanchez is one of the top players in Real Madrid history. Garcia, meanwhile, had a successful career in Spain as well.

All four Mexicans have a chance to succeed in the Old World. Pardo has long been considered one of the league's top players; Salcido and Osorio are as talented as any defenders in Mexico; Fonseca, meanwhile, is nearly unmatched for his goal-scoring antics among compatriots in the Mexican league.

For his potential offensive output, Fonseca stands to make the biggest noise among the quartet. A goal-scoring binge could help Fonseca and would make headlines across Mexico and possibly give other Mexican strikers confidence in their own pursuits abroad.

Regardless, this latest move abroad continues to show the continued faith and interest top European clubs are showing in Mexicans.

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