Football
Reuters 17y

Soccer-Nacional win leaves Inter close to elimination

By Brian Homewood

RIO DE JANEIRO, April 13 - Uruguay's Nacional beat
Velez Sarsfield 2-0 in the Libertadores Cup in a fiery match
marred by a brawl late in the game.

The win, before a fervent crowd in Montevideo on Thursday
night, sent Nacional top of Group Four, ended the Argentine
team's unbeaten run and left defending champions Internacional
of Brazil on the brink of early elimination.

With one match each to play, Nacional lead with 10 points,
followed by Velez on eight, Internacional on seven and Ecuador's
Emelec on three.

Velez host Emelec in their last game when a win will send
them through. If that happens, Internacional will have to beat
Nacional by three goals to progress on goal difference -- the
determining factor rather than the head-to-head record.

Nacional went ahead in the 33rd minute following a free kick
on the right. Pablo Alvarez's near post header was saved by
Gaston Sessa and defender Diego Godin snapped up the rebound.

Gonzalo Castro rifled in the second with a left-foot shot
from the edge of the penalty area in the 76th minute.

Tempers flared twice in the closing minutes, firstly when
Martin Cardaccio cheekily dribbled past Sessa after the whistle
had already gone for a foul.

Sessa pushed his hand in Cardaccio's face and appeared to
pull his hair although referee Carlos Chandia took no action.

Shortly afterwards, there was a bigger flare-up following an
ugly two-footed challenge by Velez midfielder Ivan Moreno y
Fabianesi on an opponent in front of the Nacional bench.

Players and officials from both teams surrounded the referee
to remonstrate and riot police entered the field to protect the
official, who let Moreno y Fabianesi off with a yellow card.

MEXICANS WIN

Mexico's Toluca won 2-0 away to Bolivar in the evening's
other match to leave Group Seven wide open.

Sergio Ponce fired the visitors ahead after 14 minutes in La
Paz and Uruguayan forward Vicente Sanchez sealed their win in
the 88th.

Sanchez won possession in midfield, left two defenders in
his wake and scored with a shot from the edge of the area.

The Bolivians were playing their first match under new coach
Marco Sandy, who replaced Victor Antelo at the crisis-hit club
earlier this week.

Peru's Cienciano and Toluca have nine points from five
games, followed by Boca Juniors on seven and Bolivar on four.

Toluca, coached by Argentine 1978 World Cup winner Americo
Gallego, host Cienciano in their last match while Boca are at
home to Bolivar.

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