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Victor's spoils Corinthians takes No. 1 after Club World Championship
ATLANTA (CNNSI.com) -- The inaugural FIFA Club World Championship literally helped to turn the first five in the CNN/World Soccer Top 10 upside down. The two Brazilian finalists from the tournament jump to the lead in the unique ranking of football clubs issued each Monday and determined through voting by correspondents from CNN Sports and World Soccer magazine.
Corinthians jumps from fifth to the No. 1 spot, while the former No. 1 -- Italy's Lazio -- falls to No. 5. Winner of two-straight Brazilian national championships, Corinthians becomes the first South American team ever to top the list. Fellow Brazilians Vasco da Gama, winner of the 1998 Copa Libertadores, rises from fourth to second after losing to Corinthians in a penalty kick tiebreaker in the final of the Club World Championship. Dropping one spot to third after its disappointing showing in Brazil is England's Manchester United. Also falling one spot is "Winter Scudetto" winner Juventus, which did manage to pass fellow Serie A squad Lazio in the Top 10 as it did the same in the domestic standings. Lazio moves down two spots to fifth after a slump that has seen it lose the lead in Italy with a 0-0 draw to Reggina on Sunday. Joining the list at No. 6 is defending Mexican champion Necaxa, which surprised many by taking third place at the club championship after beating Real Madrid on penalties in the consolation game. Dropping one spot to No. 7 is Spain's Barcelona, which drew second-place Real Zaragoza 0-0 on the road Sunday. Joining the list at No. 8 is Spain's Real Madrid, despite ranking 16th in its domestic standings. Paying the price for Germany's extended winter break is Bundesliga leader Bayern Munich, which falls two spots to ninth. Rounding out the Top 10 in a tie are Argentine champion River Plate and Monaco, which leads the French first division by 10 points. Falling from the list are English Premier League leader Leeds United, which was inactive, and Spanish leader Deportivo, which continued its slump with a loss to Alaves.
Click here for the current set of Top 10 Reactions.
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