Velez Sarsfield beats Godoy Cruz to top Argentine league

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) -- Fabian Cubero and Leandro Somoza scored either side of halftime to give defending champion Velez Sarsfield the Argentine league lead with a 2-0 home win over Godoy Cruz on Saturday.

In the day's other matches, Gimnasia La Plata scored an injury time goal to draw 2-2 with San Lorenzo, while Racing Club celebrated a first win of the season with a 4-0 victory over Atletico Tucuman.

The matches kicked off the 12th round of fixtures in the Apertura tournament. The remaining games will be played Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.

Cubero scored the first goal for Velez, arriving late to apply a crisp finish to Rolando Zarate's cross in the 14th minute.

Somoza hit the second with a long range strike in the 57th that Nelson Ibanez in the Godoy goal could only palm into his own net.

At La Plata, Jose Vizcarra opened the scoring for Gimnasia in the 23rd minute after robbing possession from San Lorenzo defender Jonathan Botinelli on the edge of the box.

Juan Menseguez evened the scores from the penalty spot in the 40th minute. Pablo Pintos put in-form San Lorenzo ahead with a 48th minute strike, but Ruben Maldonado equalized in stoppage time to earn a point for Gimnasia.

Also Saturday, struggling Racing Club shrugged off the disappointment of German great Lothar Matthaus' rejection of an offer to become head coach earlier this week with a 4-0 thrashing of newly-promoted Atletico Tucuman.

Pablo Luguercio started the rout in the 6th minute, Pablo Caballero doubled the lead in the 13th and Hector Desvaux scored an own goal in the 35th as Racing surged into a 3-0 lead at halftime.

Lucas Aveldano made it 4-0 in the 72nd and Tucuman's misery was complete when Desvaux was sent off five minutes before the final whistle.

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